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Karnov

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For the Danish law collection, seeKarnovs Lovsamling.
Karnov
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)
ReleaseArcade
1987
NES
  • JP:December 18, 1987
  • NA:January 1988
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Up to 2 players, alternating turns

Karnov(カルノフ,Karunofu)is aplatform gamereleased in arcades in 1987.[1]ANintendo Entertainment Systemport followed. Players take control of the title character Jinborov Karnovski, or "Karnov" for short. Karnov is a strongman popularly illustrated as being from an unspecified part of the Soviet Union's Central Asian republics as shown on the arcade flyer and again inKarnov's Revenge.

As a character created byData East,Karnov was reintroduced in several other games from the company, includingBad Dudes Vs. DragonNinjain which he is a Boss in the first level. Karnov later appeared in the 1993fighting gameFighter's History,in which Karnov is the final Boss, and as a playable character in its sequel,Karnov's Revenge,also known asFighter's History Dynamite.

Gameplay

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The game puts the bulging-muscled, fire-breathing, east-Russian, ex-circusstrongmanhero on a quest through nine different levels to search for the ultimate treasure.[2]However, between him and the treasure are several horrendous monsters, including sword-wielding monks, dinosaurs,djinn,hopping fish men,gargoyles,tree monsters,will-o-wisps,rock creatures, centipede women, and ostrich-riding skeleton warriors.

Karnov can walk, jump, and shoot to make his way through these levels and find special items that help him. Acquiring red orbs can upgrade Karnov until he shoots three fireballs at a time. The end of each level has one or more Boss es which he must defeat to receive a new piece of a treasure map. The end of the game features a powerful Boss called "The Wizard" who defends the last map piece that leads to the treasure.

Ports

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Karnovwas later ported to numerous home systems, such as theNES,Commodore 64,ZX Spectrumand others.[1]

IBM PC

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TheIBM PC compatiblesport was developed byQuicksilver Software.[3]Like Quicksilver's other Data East ports, such asCommando,Ikari Warriors,andGuerrilla War,it was sold as aself-booting disk.

Famicom/NES

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The Famicom version was co-developed by Data East (design and audio) and SAS Sakata (programming).[4][5]It was released on December 18, 1987 in Japan byNamco,and shortly thereafter on its North American equivalent, the NES, in 1988 by Data East itself. Although it plays similarly to the arcade game there are some noticeable differences:

  • Karnov takes two hits to die instead of just one. After being hit once he will turn a blue color in which he has one hit left or can gain an extra hit back by grabbing a blue fireball orb.
  • The Super Fireball is replaced with the Spike Bomb which destroys every enemy on screen. The Trolley item is replaced with the Shield which is used to reflect an enemy's fireballs.
  • Levels 4 and 8 are completely different from the arcade levels.
  • The final Boss is no longer the Wizard, but a giant three-headed dragon. Both fights, however, take place in similar rooms.

The Famicom game is noticeably more difficult since it has limited continues, and the option is not visibly present after all lives are lost, instead requiring pressing Select and Start at the same time. The NES game, however, provides unlimited continues, and it also allows Karnov to be killed when both the A and B buttons are pressed on the second controller.

Reception

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In Japan,Game MachinelistedKarnovon their March 1, 1987 issue as being the fourth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[12]Karnov's sales had surpassed 250,000 copies by November 1989.[13]

Bill Kunkel reviewed the game forComputer Gaming World,calling it an off-beat variation on a familiar videogame play mechanic.[14]

The IBM PC version of the game was reviewed in 1989 inDragon#142 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4½ out of 5 stars.[15]

Legacy

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Although no direct sequel toKarnovwas released, Data East has used the title character as an enemy. In some games, such asGaryo Retsuden,TumblepopandTrio The Punch - Never Forget Me...(featuring enormous stone statues and even mini versions of the character), Karnov is featured as a regular enemy.

In other Data East games, he is featured as a Boss character. InBad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja,Karnov is the first level's Boss. A pale grey version of Karnov appears later in the game. According to the credits sequence of the Japanese version of the game, this version of Karnov is called Kusamochi Karnov, after the green sweet kusamochi.

Karnov is also the last opponent in the originalFighter's History,and becomes a playable character in its sequels:Karnov's RevengeandFighter's History: Mizoguchi Kiki Ippatsu!!.Although not an official cameo, the guard Boss from theGaelcogame,Big Karnak,is almost identical to Karnov's and Kusamoci Karnov's sprites fromBad Dudes vs. DragonNinja.

Karnov has also made variouscameo appearances.He appears in the alley background of the Neo-Geo gameStreet Slam.He is shown wearing a shirt with a "K" on it. Karnov also appears in the credits of the independently-developed freeware gameI Wanna Be the Guy.InShantae and the Pirate's Curse,a ghostly silhouette who helps the titular character is highly similar to Karnov, and is even implied to be her long-lost father.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Karnov".MobyGames.Retrieved9 Nov2013.
  2. ^"Karnov".The International Arcade Museum.Retrieved17 Oct2013.
  3. ^Karnov screenshots.PixelatedArcade. Retrieved on 2016-11-30.
  4. ^sasgames – エス・エー・エス kabushiki gaisha » bộ môn giới thiệuArchived2018-09-26 at theWayback Machine.Sasgames.jp. Retrieved on 2016-11-30.
  5. ^タッグチームプロレスリング.sas-sakata.co.jp (1987-12-18)
  6. ^"World of Spectrum - Archive - Magazine viewer".Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2013.
  7. ^"World of Spectrum - Archive - Magazine viewer".Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2013.
  8. ^"World of Spectrum - Archive - Magazine viewer".Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2013.
  9. ^"Karnov".ysrnry.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-08-01.Retrieved3 Sep2015.
  10. ^"World of Spectrum - Archive - Magazine viewer".Archive.md.Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2013.
  11. ^"World of Spectrum - Archive - Magazine viewer".Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2013.
  12. ^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル hình TVゲーム cơ (Table Videos)".Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 303.Amusement Press, Inc.1 March 1987. p. 25.
  13. ^Staff (November 1989). "Chart-Busters; SPA Platinum".Game Players(5): 112.
  14. ^Kunkel, Bill (June 1988). "Video Gaming World".Computer Gaming World.Vol. 1, no. 48. p. 40.
  15. ^Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (February 1989). "The Role of Computers".Dragon(142): 42–51.
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