Handheld History - Turok on Game Boy

The Turok series is probably best known for the groundbreaking games on N64…but I’m not going to talk about those here.
No, instead let's take a look at the Game Boy entries in the series...and whether they were worthy supporting acts for their home console big brothers.
I also got a hold of the lead programmer for 4 of the titles, Isidro Gilbert, to give his input on the challenges his team faced when creating these portable entries in the series.
Full text interview with Isidro Gilabert: retrorevisited....
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Like Retro Revisited on Facebook: / retrorevisited

[@GMTK]

Dang, the graphics in that GBA version look pretty good. Shame it's so hard :(

[@pocketvelero]

Mark Brown Ayyyyy

[@jacobgranberry9436]

The difficulty was the beauty of it and what made it unique

[@MDMister]

About Turok 1 on GB: "Levels are too labyrinth, with irritantingly placed enemies, frequently frustating platforming, almost nonexistent signposting and scarce checkpoints". A very faithful port of the N64 game, then.

[@WeShallAttack]

"We wanted to make it the best farewell to the series we could" That line... Makes me feel so goddamn sentimental... Damn :(

[@Gameboy-Unboxings]

How come nobody talk about these games when it comes to being graphically impressive?? These all look AMAZING.

[@RetroRevisited]

Yeah they're so clean looking. I think it's one of their best qualities.

[@quadpad_music]

Even better is the music. Dear Lord, Alberto González did a FANTASTIC job with those tunes.

[@extragirth64]

Dear Lord Turok Evolution for the GBA looks amazing!

[@dutchweeks1]

It is.

[@feiwong3634]

I had Turok 2 on 64 and GB and loved both.

[@Giganotabehemoth87]

Good reviews and fair points about all the games but i've yet to play any titles beyond Turok 2 for GBC. On a side note, a wave of nostalgia hit me when you pulled out that planet gameboy magazine at the end. I had that exact issue and remember the grinning girl holding the brand new gbc like it was yesterday !

[@RetroRevisited]

Best magazine of all time!

[@oddpodshow]

great vid, would love to see more handheld history videos :)

[@RetroRevisited]

+Odd pod Thanks OP, I have a couple more planned. :)

[@oddpodshow]

Retro Revisited nice, looking forward to them :)

[@MonadoSaga94]

Turok Evolution really was an underrated gem for the GBA. I played it almost all of the time as a kid. So much so that I remember secrets and that I actually got pretty good at the game. The music in this game is probably one of the best I've heard in a GBA too.

[@andipajeroking]

It s a great game. Hard, but fair. For people used to platformers difficulty levels from the 90's.

[@Azuris190]

I beat today Turok 2, it has his flaws, but is a REAAAAALLY fun Game on the Gameboy :) A Tipp : The last to Letters on the Passwords are your Lifes, NL is 8 Lifes :)

[@RethinkSociety2012]

Love the commentary. Awesome and super funny!

[@darthboxOriginal]

As a huge fan of the old Turok games, I was already curious about the handheld games. Despite your reviews being somewhat negative, there was a lot here that made me even more attracted to these games. As such, I have picked up all but Evolution and Battle of the Bionosaurs. My thoughts are that yes they are challenging, but far from impossible. The games keep surprising with a lot of different level styles and things to do. The music is also phenomenal. I have not made a huge amount of headway yet in all the games, but I have consistently had fun. Now I would say that it is helpful to play with a FAQ as finding a manual is very hard, which sort of clears up things like the first level of Turok 2, which is quite unique in concept. There are some inconsistencies in design between level styles, but imo Bit Managers did a great job. I would love to chat with the developers myself at some point as I feel I could learn a lot from them. In conclusion, I would recommend at least 2, 3, and Rage Wars at least to people who like challenging shooters and platformers.

[@abelmantor7557]

Fun games , but are super challenging.

[@darthboxOriginal]

Lost it at the baked beans line Seriously though, this was an enjoyable review. I can understand the frustration of difficult old school games, but I think the very fact they are old means we should cut them a little slack. They were hardly alone in the difficulty department. I recently bought turok 2 for gb and am enjoying it. I fully intend to get the "set of handheld turok games as I have the n64 set already. Definitely favourites of mine. Anyway your review was informative and funny. Looking forward to watching more.

[@solluna1919]

Thank you so much for this perfectly brief yet full video of exactly what i was searching for!!!

[@RetroRevisited]

You are very welcome, thanks for watching :)

[@RobiticDuck]

Looks like I should pick some of these up for my collection

[@RetroRevisited]

Your profile pic is amazing

[@RobiticDuck]

@@RetroRevisited thank you! Quack 🦆

[@chanceroberts7494]

Turok 1 has a different boss called the campaigner... Lord Tyrannus the main bad guy in Turok evolution survived. We need another game to finish the Lord Tyrannus! Or there will be no peace in the fan base!

[@mastafoo886]

I beat Evolution on GBA. I was like 14. Game is hard as fucking shit.

[@dutchweeks1]

Turok evolution on gba was a ton of fun! I agree, it was tough, but it's a matter of git gud and destroy everything in your path. 100% worth an honest playthrough though!

[@realRaven575]

I like the video, but your pop up text can sometimes be hard to read even at higher resolutions. I would put it up higher on the screen so the KZbin Controls/Ads won't cover them and make the font a bit bigger. Keep up the great work. I thoroughly enjoy the effort you put into your videos.

[@RetroRevisited]

+Raven575 That's a very good point actually, I'll put the text at the top of the screen from now on. Thanks for watching by the way! :)

[@roberthaydon6387]

Another great video!

[@SaMoLsSs]

I actually liked Turok Evolution on the GCB system, it wasnt revolutionary, or something like that, but to me was an ok game =)

[@RetroRevisited]

+SaMoLsSs LeAl I think it's a really well designed game to be honest, I just wish it had an easy mode!

[@superstarthomas]

I actually loved Evolution on Gameboy it was hard but fun. At least it's a lot more fun the the console version.

[@sylentnoise932]

This vid needs more likes

[@RetroRevisited]

Thanks!

[@kosztaz87]

Wow what a gem this channel is, I am so glad I came across one of your videos. You would really deserve a lot more subscribers, your presentation is amazing, it's funny, relaxed and well presented and obviously you put a lot of efforts in preparation as there is a great structure to them, something that can't be said about lots of other channels (which are many times bigger regarding views/ subscribers). I am sure slowly your channel will start to grow as your content is first class. Also just want to mention that regarding handhelds if you have an N-gage you might want to try out "Pathway to Glory" on it, in my opinion it is one of the best handheld games made in that era (hell, even today). Colin Mcrae Rally, Mile high pinball and High Seize are also amazing games on it, and there are a few more really good ones, it's a shame the system failed because it truly had some great games.

[@RetroRevisited]

+zoltan87 Possibly the nicest comment I've ever received - so thanks for that! It means a great deal to me. As for the NGage, I got one recently actually (the QD model) - and would definitely like to look at some games from it for the channel. Frustratingly it's near impossible to capture footage from it, but I will hopefully find a way! I have Pathway to Glory actually, but need to track down some more games for the system for sure - I'll put Colin McRae and High Seize on the list. Isn't Mile High Pinball really expensive though - or am I thinking of something else?

[@kosztaz87]

I had the QD model too. Unfortunately it has stopped working a few years ago, I bought it second hand back then and some of the keys were really bad from day one ( for examply the red phone button had to be pushed with all my strength lol.). I bought a new N-gage qd from eBay like 2 years ago but sadly I didn't even get around to actually use it. Maybe in the future. Also strangely the case on the Ebay one is worse quality, has that typical cheap plastic feel unlike the original, that one has a much better feeling case. I am not sure about the pricees of these games nowadays but back then Mile High Pinball was in the same price range as the rest of them.

[@TimelessGamingUK]

I'm playing Battle of the Bionosaurs at the moment and I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit. It definitely is a bit too punishing with the pixel perfect jumps, and lack of health pick ups but the gameplay is very solid. The music, as you mentioned, is really great too. I'm also a fan of Evolution on the GBA, and I found that the game got easier after the first few levels as the guns get ridiculously powerful. Anyway, great work! (Sorry, I know I'm commenting a lot but I'm catching up on your old videos.)

[@andipajeroking]

Uhm, are you a stranger to Gameboy? Games in the 90s, especially platformers were hard. If games today are easy enough so a toddler can play them, that doesn t mean it s a good thing. I am pretty sure those Turok games are not harder than Donkey Kong or Metroid for example. Turok evolution seems easy enough to me. And you have saves every level. So yea...

[@RetroRevisited]

The first GB title specifically is hard in an unfair way. It’s not fun to play (in my eyes). The GBA one isn’t so bad but still isn’t particularly enjoyable in my opinion.

[@andipajeroking]

@@RetroRevisited Well, on that note, I am not sure if there are fair platformers on Gameboy out there...

[@RetroRevisited]

@@andipajeroking Game Boy titles certainly are cruel (but often fair). Don’t know how I dealt with these games as a kid, I’ve definitely got soft in my old age (although I did recently complete Cuphead at least!)

[@kennethnoonan4931]

Thank you for this video. I shared this in a few places. About to share on my Turok community page on FB, and /r/Turok on Reddit.

[@RetroRevisited]

Thank you - that's very kind!

[@NostalgicRoe]

Great look at the games! The only Turok game I've played to the end was the remake/reimagine game on the 360. Solid game as a whole.

[@Mace2.0]

In summary: Git gud.

[@WOWItsPhil]

Great stuff as always. I lol'd.

[@JoeXTheXJuggalo1]

I have the first turok on GB. Never beat it because I believe around that time this person I let borrow my GB never returned it to me.

[@gexgex655]

The one from GBA is awesome like contra

[@meggriffin3766]

Looks more smilar to Metal Slug. It´s the same character animation. The 3D Levels look like Wild Guns. That not a bad thing because Wild Guns is awesome.

[@evolution8652]

not a fan of contra huh?

[@RetroRevisited]

No, Contra is great imo. It kicks my behind, but it's fair...unlike Turok on GBA

[@deepcovergecko]

I remember having fun with the GBA version but only after using an action replay to have infinite health and ammo lol

[@directordank]

🖐The disrespect 😩 I recently replayed the first 2 on my phone because I enjoyed them so much as a kid and nothing has changed for me. Did you listen to the soundtrack?? We're talkin Poke-level here man - and you didn't even address that 👁 Idk if you played em back in the day, but they were just as difficult as the rest of games back then, 'cept for some of the Mega Man titles of course and R-Type. Going back thru these I had an even greater appreciation of their design for the time. I remember loving being responsible for my ammo and finally feel like I wasn't playing a child's game. So slow your role jabroni 😁 But thank you for evoking this response and for letting me know about Rage Wars... I gotta play that 😎

[@RetroRevisited]

Haha that was a lot to take in! Thanks for your reply - these games weren't for me but understand someone having affection for 'em :)

[@kennethnoonan4931]

I shared this on the Turok Forums for you.

[@RetroRevisited]

Thanks again!

[@UltraJerky]

4:34 d'aww ill be your friend

[@RetroRevisited]

+UltraJerky

[@nobodyinterestingyou]

Talk about the good turok games on the N64.Just show them until ''Rage Wars'' that wasn't that good ,opposed to Shadow Of Oblivion which was much better.What a weird choice xD.Other than that,good video.

[@RetroRevisited]

Yeah, I made this video just to look at the Game Boy versions really - as there's already a lot of good retrospectives on the N64 games out there. Thanks for watching!

when i was a tween i loved the gameboy turok games

[@franciscobenedito7705]

sorry mate but these games are not too hard. its a defining feature of these games. there is also a bigger accomplishment feeling for a player if he is able to finish a level like this. yes its more frustrating but also more rewarding. this was the intention so yeah. Me as a child was able to beat most of those games on age 8-10 so there is no valid point there

[@RetroRevisited]

I respectfully disagree, I think some of these games rely on unfairness to be difficult - random enemy behaviour, undetectable traps, and so on. I completely understand your view though.

[@JohnathanNoechelShunn]

I would often play the game boy color game at my dentist office. They had game boys hooked up to each chair.

[@kitpalencar5165]

How much you want for that grey cart of Rage Wars ;)

[@RetroRevisited]

Haha not for sale I'm afraid :D

[@kitpalencar5165]

@@RetroRevisited My brother has had one for a long while (garage sale find) and I don't blame you. Hold onto it for dear life :)

[@FreeAimDog]

i had the same color gameboy when i was young and i use to play a fighter jet game and a helicopter military game i think and mortal combat 2 and turok 2. i wont let nistolga taint my opinion on these games and my opinion is these games are trash compared to the originals i mean walking enemies and levels not like the originals? the only time i seen a portable version better than the original was the transformers games on DS. i remember that you could scan vehicles and turn into them like helicopters and cars and you could choose paintjobs too i think to where in transformers on consoles you can do any of that its all scripted forced gameplay with better graphics at the time. thats the only portable game thats better than the original as far as i know.

[@mrmeme-jq6qr]

am gonna buy turok 2 gb soon for $10 +

[@RetroRevisited]

Nooooooooooo

[@mrmeme-jq6qr]

@@RetroRevisited the first level is dumb so it really begins on level 2

[@nathanbush6781]

Nice review…would I be forward to say that you’re pretty cute?

[@RetroRevisited]

Haha! My wife thinks so too (I hope)

[@chegger401]

i paused the video. sadly. but not as sad as were these games... imho

[@operativelm]

Is the interview text going to be made available? I didn't know how soon "soon" was going to be. =P

[@RetroRevisited]

Good point! Just for you, I finally got my act together and posted it on my blog. :) Here you go: retrorevisited.tumblr.com/post/145099695354/handheld-history-turok-on-game-boy

[@operativelm]

Thank you very much!

[@segaofmyhouse]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who constantly misspells Turok as Toruk. I don't know why but I do it all the damn time. Also I have played Turok Evolution and never got past the second level. Game is just insanely difficult.

[@RetroRevisited]

+segaofmyhouse I think you may be the only one..but who knows. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who thinks Evolution is just too hard by the way - I was worried I was just rubbish at it.

[@gaylordfocker7990]

It sounds like you have a clothespin covering your nostrils.

[@RetroRevisited]

I just like the clothespin, okay? Keeps my nose warm

[@TromaDogg]

Good video, I can't help feeling that you're just needlessly complaining about the games at times because you're crap at them though. I hate to be 'that guy' who disagrees with everybody else, but I liked the challenge in N64 Turok and didn't have too much difficulty completing it at the time, likewise with the Game Boy version which I thought was an ace companion piece. You've been spoiled by modern games that hold your hand too much. Mind you, I grew up with balls hard ZX Spectrum platformers and used to hammer stuff like Ghosts n Goblins in the arcade so I'm used to games trying their damndest to kill you every couple of seconds.

[@RetroRevisited]

Thanks for subscribing, and for your honesty - there is definitely an element of modern games softening me up when it came to playing these titles. I did genuinely hate the first GB Turok (and much preferred the N64 iteration) though - I found it far too confusing, and I'm getting annoyed just thinking about it. If I'd played it as a child I might have had more patience with it however.

[@TromaDogg]

I don't mean anything too bad by it. Maybe more that the Turok games in general just aren't for you...it felt like your main problem with them as that they were too hard more than anything else. I'm actually playing through the Turok series again at the moment for a blog feature I'm planning and they still seem manageable. Still, I liked the video and think you've got a really good channel here so it was an easy decision to sub. :) We'll never agree on everything.

[@RetroRevisited]

Thanks for your kind words - and please do share that blog feature when it's done, I'd be interested in reading it.

[@darthboxOriginal]

Tromadogg, where can we find the blog feature?

[@thomasnewhouse5766]

Something tells me this guy just hates a hard game lol, that seems to be his biggest problem with these games.

[@suicidesqueeze]

you don't speak for most of us. so don't.

[@RetroRevisited]

You okay?