In 1990 Rainbow Arts, Probe Software, The Code Monkeys, and Factor 5 welcomed you to Turrican. A stunning parallax scrolling arcade shooter with a tremendous range of weapons, immense playability, striking music, and – especially in the case of the then 8-year-old C64 – stunning graphics, Turrican and its sequels remain memorable over 30 years later.
Arguably Manfred Trenz’s magnus opus and certainly the calling card for composer Chris Huelsbeck, Turrican has been revived for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Set for release on January 29th 2021, Turrican Flashback features four versions of the retro legend:
• Turrican
• Turrican II: The Final Fight
• Mega Turrican
• Super Turrican
Initially released on Amiga and Commodore 64, Turrican soon hit Atari ST, Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC before heading to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, and Nintendo Gameboy. Turrican II: The Final Fight followed in 1991, while the Mega Drive/Genesis title Mega Turrican was adapted for Amiga as Turrican 3: Payment Day. Finally, Super Turrican on the NES was unreleased beyond that console, and is based on the levels from the first two Turrican games.
As befits most current retro revivals, Turrican Flashback features several new features to enhance playability:
- New modernized controls for intense action replay
- Save States and Rewind gameplay to assist you in your challenge
- Options to customize the experience, e.g. play in pixel perfect mode or dynamic wide screen
Crucially, Chris Huelsbeck’s era-defining soundtracks are retained in Turrican Flashback. Learn more at inin.games, or order your copy for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 today. A PSP version is also expected to be released.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.