StarTropics (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Nintendo's 1991 action-adventure game for the NES, StarTropics.
StarTropics represents Nintendo’s recognition of the popularity that its NES had achieved in the United States by the late 1980s. Understanding that there were significant cultural differences that defined fans’ interests between Japan and the US, Nintendo assigned one of its Japanese development teams, R&D3 (previously responsible for Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!), to create a game that was specifically designed to appeal to the tastes of Americans.
(That guy in the thumbnail looks like they stuck the head of some random Italian plumber on King Hippo's body, don't you think?)
StarTropics carries the distinction of being one of only two NES games developed internally by Nintendo of Japan that would never be released in Japan. (The other is its direct sequel, 1994’s Star Tropics II: Zoda’s Revenge.) Drawing obvious inspiration from games like The Legend of Zelda and Dragon Warrior, StarTropics combines recognizable elements from both in its presentation and its style of play, creating something that feels fresh and new while still retaining enough familiarity to appeal to fans of the classics.
I remember being so stoked for this game when the issue of Nintendo Power came in the mail that featured it on the cover. I read that issue until the pages started falling out and the cover had fallen off. My friend got the game pretty soon after it came out, and as soon as he beat it, I borrowed it and played it to death. It only took me two weeks or so to finish it, but I played it quite a few times before his family moved away and I had to give it back. A few years later I managed to snag a copy of both this one and its sequel from a clearance rack at Kay-B-Toys for $5 each, and I have played it through several times in the years since. Such awesome memories.
It puts heavy emphasis on both its puzzle-based dungeon design and its story, and it pulls off both nicely. The dungeons are thoughtfully designed and are good at leaving subtle clues about what you're expected to do, and the tile-based controls do a brilliant job at preventing you from accidentally running into things as you're attacking.
It is pretty amusing that the general idea of the game is to destroy aliens with a yo-yo, and there are tons of goofy moments throughout - a psychic will turn you into a girl so that you can enter a castle of she-warriors, a parrot gives you a tune to play on an organ so that you can sink a ship, and people randomly tell you to pull the bananas out your ears.
The game's sense of humor is always present, giving it a much lighter tone than Zelda, and much more personality. I actually prefer this game over the original Zelda by a slight margin, and this easily ranks among my all-time NES favorites. (Please, put down the torches and pitchforks!) That killer chiptune calypso soundtrack doesn't hurt things, either, nor does having one of the best endings on the NES.
If you're a fan of the NES, StarTropics deserves your attention. It was so thoughtfully put together with an eye for fun that it's hard to imagine anyone not enjoying their time with it.
_____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocom...) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

[@humanbean3]

its been a little over 30 years and memories of even the dialogue with the villagers are unlocking. its crazy how deep childhood memories are

[@jeffreypie5084]

How do I even get into the room with the tunnel

[@humanbean3]

@@jeffreypie5084 did u figure it out?

[@dustinnoneya3217]

@@jeffreypie5084 you have to introduce yourself to all the villagers so they know who you are.

[@fatu1738]

The medicine room music is memorizing

[@strashinsky]

Indeed!😊

[@InflatableConan]

My all-time favorite game on the NES. When I was about 6 I stared at the box art before I opened it. I just knew it was going to transport me to a tropical paradise. And it did just that. And when I first put it in my NES and pressed the power button, seeing that intro screen with the shooting star, the music, the atmosphere and the whole ambience of the game was beyond magical. It'll always be special to me.

[@Robowil]

This was my mom's favorite game back in the early 90s. And she was actually happy that I played through the game on Switch via NSO a while back, and I can confirm the game is indeed great.

[@obthree2830]

Wish my mom still played video games! When I was a kid she’d play Frogger, Galaga, QBert, and she loved DK. She’d play the DKC games with me as well but that was about as recent as she made it

[@TravelsTTG]

That’s tight!

[@VanDaRifleman]

Your mother has good taste in video games.

[@notmomoayase]

why would this game doesn't deserved a sequel or remastered old titles!? bring back this game and earthbound deserved to be revival...

[@nukawave-um7iu]

@@notmomoayasebecause you can’t remaster such a perfect art style. It wouldn’t do it justice

[@risenfromyoutubesashesagai6302]

Got this game for Christmas back in the day, and was blown away by the mystery of it, having never heard of it. Then was blown away by the island adventures, music, villages, and the submarine bit with your dolphin buddy! Then my neighbor asked to "borrow" it, and I never saw it again.

[@NintendoComplete]

Now begin the test of island courage!

[@LPetal86]

I'm sorry, but the way you defeated the second boss was too funny. It's even better because the protagonist turns around with the sign as if to say, "Please excuse me for a moment whilst I prepare your death warrant..." before pulling out that snowman doll(?).

[@NintendoComplete]

@@LPetal86 You're right :) never thought about that before. It's just like when Zack Morris calls timeout so he can do something douchy to his friends! That snowman doll is a weird power up. Maybe the doll is some sort of island voodoo charm? I mean, they have that crazy shaman lady with the circling croissant/3 eyed manta ray for a hand. I dunno really what's going on there, but it looks unnatural. She has a skull on a stick though, so I wouldn't want to risk pissing her off by asking.

[@Nintendocollector9]

My favorite nes game ever. Loved watching this. As a kid I had so much connection to the villagers and legit felt sad when I had to leave a town

[@gamefandotnet]

I was 10 when this came out and I thought video games were never gonna get better than this

[@casedistorted]

"I'm Miss Carol 1990" Man.. remember when 1990/1991 was current? I think I was still living in Chicago with my grandmother and dad, both of whom have passed by now. I am 37 as of 2023 and still remember playing this game as a kid.

[@amso7169]

This is one of my favorite NES games. Never got to play the sequel. I hope the series gets a revival someday

[@xwf1000v3]

I did & it was better than the 1st. Trust me on that. Had a blast with it.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

@@xwf1000v3 yeah?

[@Justin_collier]

I think they should bring it back on the switch

[@kdrake9421]

The reason I fell in love with action storytelling games........memories.

[@TruthSeeker-333]

The only game that hints at soaking the manual to unlock a secret map that you use in game. Crazy

[@supreme-ss777]

2:52 Due to Nintendo wanting to avoid a lawsuit from the YoYo trademark company, they decided to rename this item into a "Star". That version was on the NES Classic Edition, when I first played this game.

[@mrsmje09]

Thank you for this comment! My kid was in tears because he wasn’t receiving a Yoyo like in the video. Now he’s hopeful about the game again. 😅

[@virginiachi4852]

I am a 64 yr old woman, and just now the awesome music from this game popped into my head. I couldn't figure out what game it was from. I remembered that my son Daniel would play this game. I tragically lost him to covid. I searched for vintage NES games, and found it! Now I remember he was 6 yrs old and beat the game on his own! He was extremely gifted. I am listening to the music right now and crying.

[@МаксимПрибушеня]

Graphic is perfect. Music - I'm dancing(14:20). Story is perfect. And no one knew about this game until now.

[@synthoelectro]

There was a game on the NES, about finding a city of gold, but to this day I have never figured ou what that game was. Star Tropics is the closest I have seen or remember from 1989 - 1990. You had a group of people, rich storyline and it was based in South America. By the end of the game you found this city. No game anywhere on the NES has this but I remember well.

[@simengrandal6898]

To this very day.. this game is the one that's given me the most joy throughout 35 years of gaming! It's a masterpiece! It even came with a letter in the game box I remember, which you had to soak in water to reveal a code to progress in the game. How awesome is that for a six year old..!?

[@Charlie-Cat.]

What I recall most of Startropics besides enjoying it when it launched NC, was during the mid to late 90's the game was well overstocked at local Toy's R Us branches. They had them marked down so low that they were practically giving them away. They had stacks of them so high that you can build your own tower and the lowest red tag sale i seen for them was 50 cents. Whoa!!

[@bezoticallyyours83]

I wonder if that's where mom got our copy from? She just brought it home one day without saying a word and started playing.

[@PaloJaurez]

There is a sealed copy of one at a old store near me for $175.

[@Brandencarroll1]

I rented this game so many times and could never beat the 3rd boss, thank you for sharing!

[@TheGreatMoonFrog]

Totally forgot about playing this as a kid until I saw the game on a random NES games list. This playthrough brought out SO many old memories I had forgotten about.

[@Kenisama]

@1:03:27... it took me four years to get past this part, because as a kid, I didn't have to patience to actually wait for this part to dip Uncle's note that came included in the instruction manual in water. Instead I almost immediately dipped it in water to reveal a code I didn't need yet 😂 and of course, I was too young to remember a simple 3 digit code 🤣 it wasn't until 1993 that I just happened to stumble on a friend's old Nintendo Power magazine that just happened to cover the game and had the code I needed to finally beat this game! (remember kids, the internet wasn't around yet!)

[@spoonshiro]

One of my favorite games of all time. Masterpiece

[@dsc-nr5zy]

Just started playing this again on NES Classic. I remember beating it when it was new, but I did NOT remember it being so difficult. I only recalled struggling on the final boss. I INSTANTLY recalled the whale and parrot scenes, though. What a great game.

[@sarahmccollum3694]

There are little hints jam-packed inside this gem! Ride the snake to the ancient lake and awake the fair maiden. Vibrate your awareness to 747 mhz and slay the demon and free the children. Those children symbolized all of the children of Earth to live in harmony. Beautiful story. Thank you for playing.

[@JustFightStudios]

I remember when I first saw that ''fish'' boss when I was a kid and was thinking how he was way to scary too be in a game like this. It was like Freddy Kruger showing up in Care Bears.

[@olympusgameshandle]

I assume the boss at 2:02? Yeah, that thing was like out of Resident Evil for its day.

[@NintendoComplete]

Yeah, that last boss's death (2:03:52) reminds me of the way Crocomire dies in Super Metroid. He gets all melty and gross and he also gets the extended death cry. The tone of that scene is so far removed from that of the rest of the game!

[@JustFightStudios]

@@NintendoComplete If that wasn't bad enough, he pukes while he's melting.

[@NintendoComplete]

@@JustFightStudios Lmao he goes all like Uma Thurman after snorting heroin

[@JustFightStudios]

@@NintendoComplete Yeah, Nintendo had some screwed up idea of censorship back then. They'd cut out gore but had no problems in Double Dragon with you beating up women with weapons.

[@BronyNumber4096]

1:01:20 I had such a time at this part! I didn't know there was a tunnel here. I could see the bubbles, but I still didn't recognize them as being the indicator of where a tunnel is. And, because of that. Because I was wandering around inside this trout for the better part of an hour, this music is now permanently burned into my subconscious!

[@benitosierrajr3958]

One thing that surprised me in this game, is that in 1:03:20, you have to input the frequency number which was given to you if you first bought the game originally back in 1990 (1992 for European gamers) or from the Virtual Console, which was Nintendo’s was to to get back at pirates and the rental market like Blockbuster.

[@petramuller3321]

Thanks so much! even though i had your vid as guidance, i did not find it an easy game! i guess i'm too spoilt by the current video games. thanks again for your upload, much appreciated.

[@ddhu5396]

The music from this game makes me so happy ❤

[@mopbrothers]

This game is so *&^$%ing good! I never get tired of playing it or watching it on youtube!

[@level9drow856]

Epic! What a great old gem.

[@VahanNisanian]

Great game. Great storytelling.

[@nunyabiz2889]

I am currently playing this game. It's pretty difficult, along with me just not being that great at video games in general. But it's a good time. I come to this video to help me through spots that I struggle with.

[@lazaroaarongorostizasantan8240]

Mixed feelings, he still does not forget every moment of that game with just 12 years old he managed to pass it completely without help

[@charlessrensen3217]

Never made it past the piano at 1:10:00, guess i needed to find that worm for pete or something silly. Spent hours on this game with just trial and error until i suddenly found a hidden passageway or talked to the right person. Insanely frustrating, but i was hooked on it 😂

[@Diego_Aracena_Kovacevic]

What a great Game !!! I love startropics!!!

[@Anothy264]

me too

[@jonathanbradley4896]

The player makes this game look so easy, but it's actually a pretty tricky game.

[@LPetal86]

Hahaha, choice thumbnail as always. It was a treat to finally get to play this for the first time on the Switch Online service.

[@clockworkNate]

God I was horrible at this game as a kid, still kept trying and trying to play it at my grandmas place though 😂

[@Pikkabuu]

I never got further than the Ghost Village as I never found the entrance to the dungeon. Thankfully now I can see what I missed.

[@davschis877]

Learned a lot playing this game, strategy, and perseverance. Etc

[@Anothy264]

one of my favorite games on the nes

[@mariusamber3237]

Very good game... never owned it myself, as it wasn't particularly well-known in Europe as far as I'm aware, came out here with a considerable delay (I get the impression it sold 'way' better overseas) but whoever played it surely enjoyed it. Solid stuff, and the sequel's not bad either, even if it's a very late NES game!

[@castle347]

I had been stuck in the graveyard pond dungeon for a couple days. 🙏 thanks for the playthrough. I don’t know you could pause the game and use more items.

[@johnnycagethemasterofthemy925]

I've never been able to beat startropic and played it 4 years after it came out as a kid

[@bezoticallyyours83]

I'm stuck in Rock Tunnel.

[@krystalfan]

yet another game in dire need of a remake i got this game second hand and loved it to death i never finished it for years because i didn't know what that code was thank you nintendo power for saving me

[@rickn4301]

4:34 ah the cave music I remember so well

[@drzazgi666]

this game was hard as shit, I remember turning it off frustrated dozens of times!

[@xxHUNGRY4THETRUTHxx]

Nintendo's one hit wonder. Such a missed opportunity for an ongoing legacy. A remake would even be well appreciated.

[@justinperry2432]

Pretty sure the sequal is good to this

[@mrwizard5012]

1:10:20 ...Wait, the boss victory ditty is captain Bell's tune? Neat.

[@MrVariant]

28:00 lol literal leap of faith. Yoyo tests for range. Thankful for rewind

[@BB-te8tc]

The first game I ever bought with my own money. Nintendo Power had this thing in Volume 56 or so where you could direct buy games from them, so I got this. Maybe it's a pride of ownership thing, but I think I always preferred this to The Legend of Zelda.

[@dustman820]

This game gets remembered the most for if you rented this game when it first released, got it used, or borrow from someone, you would get stuck because usually you did not get the piece of paper to dunk in the water to get the frequency number to continue at a certain part of the game. It was Nintendo's way to get you to buy the game instead of renting it, buying used, or borrowing it. It is a good game and has been rereleased on the Wii Virtual Console (When it was active), Wii U VC, the NES Classic Edition, and the NES Online on the Switch

[@IraFowler3]

Anyone else notice the stairs sprite in the overworld map is the same as the Pokémon series?

[@billypoker7822]

when you bought the game, in the boX came a map. you get the map and run it under the water faucet and it will reveal stuff, i thought as a kid that was so neat.

[@Alucard24601]

Its a letter from Mike's uncle that you dip in water

[@bobcollinge4292]

The layout of the graphics reminded me of dragon warrior

[@SoulStreak64]

4:31 Wow, a warning to not turn the game off while data is saving! I didn't know the NES had those!

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Yeah for sure

[@notmomoayase]

COME ON NINTENDO! WHY WOULDN'T GAVE THIS GAME DESERVED A REMASTERED IN 2024!? NINTENDO DIRECT IS GONNA BE DISAPPOINTED REVIVING THIS GEM OF A SERIES LIKE THIS...

[@SJReid82]

Loved this game back in the day. Renting it though I could never figure out the radio frequency so I was soft-blocked from ever beating it on original hardware. Loved the second one even more. Was too bad I already had the SNES when it came out though, so didn't get around to playing it until almost fifteen years later on emulation.

[@TheSameGoobyGuy]

35:50 In my defence, how was I supposed to know to pause the game and use the magic wand?

[@axelfoley1406]

Great game! One of Nintendo's best.

[@sourcreamsanchez6012]

A live action Startropics movie would be awesome.

[@samaneta]

Joguei MUITO o Zoda's Revenge com meu irmão.... Lá atrás em 1995 meu pai se matava pra trabalhar e botar comida na mesa e não podia comprar um SUPER NINTENDO, pois na joga que parcelava só tinha um DYNAVISION III .... Pois bem, foi nosso companheirinho durante muitos anos e meu pai fez duas crianças felizes... s2

[@cratedivizion]

Damn.... been playing this on and off all day ....im only half way thru 😢

[@Calvertron]

I wish I knew you could freeze the octupus and beat the crap out of him when I was 10...

[@Dorian_Scott]

It may be rare as hell, but Startropics is amazing. Only played a bit of it on the NES Mini. Never really thought about beating it.

[@SamtheBravesFan]

I thought it was the second game that was rare.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

It's quite a game. Fun, unusual, flawed, and tougher then one may initially think.

[@PaloJaurez]

They should definitely show this game at the Nintendo Museum knowing it was never intended to release in Japan.

[@24KGoldbackGorilla]

46:00 "You sure lik silly dressed up like a girl..." ...🤣

[@DanAkers-gg6md]

This game is a masterpiece

[@EpicTyphlosionTV]

One of the NES' notoriously hard games

[@AidanArauz-v7m]

Happy New Year

[@carlozulueta-de9hd]

I saw a Japanese Walkthrough of this game and even a gameplay by Japanese players at a Japanese website‼️😃

[@wiisalute]

AVGN should review this next

[@notmomoayase]

this game deserved a sequel on the switch

[@Justin_collier]

This game was the shit! I still play it and can play it and Zelda ocarina of time is my other favorite

[@phillytheflyerable]

Love this game. One of my favorites of all time. But that damn last stage on the space ship, and last boss. Nearly had a stroke. Probably wouldnt have beating it without emulator. The controller is so fkn slow it drove me mad at the end.

[@christophereuginebeatty7950]

I gotta tell you this game was really cool and challenging. Because your weapon of choose was a yo yo.🤔make sense right😆.

[@MatthiaGryffine]

The "Lose a Life" sequence traumatized me as a kid :(

[@NintendoComplete]

The ghost floating away was a kinda creepy way to show his death. Especially when he drowns.

[@thecowboy2]

Before Metal Gear Solid for the PS1, this was the 1st game to have an important in-game item hidden in the game's physical media.

[@jrppemarti9762]

I was playing this 30 years ago, then i forgot the name and many fucking years try to find DOLPHIN game and nothing...... i was watching 100 best nes games and hear this music and relay closed in my head

[@64retrogamer11]

Cool game, this means you're also gonna play Final Fantasy on NES?

[@orlandopena903]

RIp Maui 🙏 my brother used to love this

[@MindCBase]

Hypnotic game!

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

Parrot: DO ME SO FAR, DO ME! Musicians and Composers: Solfege, anybody?

[@reallyrealbirb]

The game of all time

[@hagendf]

I rented that game and it didn't have the booklet with the submarine code. I remember I started at 000 and spent HOURS getting to 747. Haha

[@thecowboy2]

1:18:44 My Country 'Tis Of Thee.

[@NintendoComplete]

Hahaha yeah, but it was the English anthem first.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Yeah, I wasn't expecting that after finally beating captain bell's cave. It's a nice 8 bit rendition.

[@joeydamiani86]

Ron jeremy on the thumbnail

[@NintendoComplete]

There once was a man from Nantucket, C-Island...

[@joeydamiani86]

@@NintendoComplete hahahhaha I don't even know how that saying goes but I'm laughing

[@LPetal86]

I can't un-see that now.

[@NintendoComplete]

@@joeydamiani86 Can't beat a good dirty limerick 😀

[@volvoguy804]

I'm currently on the spaceship. Really struggling. Edit: Got through it! Awesome ending. Also, I wonder why they thanked Howard Philips in the credits? Marketing?

[@24KGoldbackGorilla]

The chief looks like the chubby Pablo Escobar! 😂

[@Penfold8]

I'm surprised you didn't play on the rom that fixes the music glitch in the village and the ending music.

[@Rokabur]

If the sequel had just been made for the SNES, there's probably have been more then just 2 games

[@samaneta]

eu só joguei a sequência, na locadora onde eu ia não tinha esse primeiro.... mas, faz sentido... se a sequência tivesse sido feito pro SNES teria sido bala!

[@Kickingit06]

I'm pretty sure I just bought this game on Wii U eshop before it closed today. It looked too good to pass up.

[@bobcollinge4292]

Memories

[@susanfit47]

The gameplay of StarTropics to be derivative of The Legend of Zelda, but still "very much an excellent game". It was released in 1990. This game represents Nintendo's recognition of the NES popularity that achieved in the U.S. in the late 80's-to-early 90's. I have memories of this game, but I did not owned the game myself. It's one of the great NES games of all-time.

[@MatthewBentzley-h7r]

I don't know how anyone ever beat this it looks extremely difficult.

[@xwf1000v3]

This game was good during it’s time. Didn’t have the map & all due to me renting the game & all but still liked it regardless of that. The puzzles were confusing at first but when you had guided like Nintendo Power back in the day, you know what to do. There was also a TV show called Game pro back in the day too but not sure if that was it or not. There was a Magazine of it too. The sequel was better but not sure if you did it or not. If you didn’t, please do that next if possible.

[@xwf1000v3]

Update: Did some research & you did but it was 5 years ago. You did the sequel before the original? That is a shame. Even I commented on the sequel but completely forgot about it. I’d think you should redo it since you could have been better at it but eh.

[@EternalThrylos-uz5sz]

I spent ten minutes trying to figure out how to dodge the snake at 7:57 spent about 3 game overs and all i had to do was jump

[@ExtremeWreck]

Kind of unfortunate that Japanese Nintendo fans likely wouldn't know about this cool game.

[@Anothy264]

yeah that's too bad for them cause they missed out on an amazing game

[@jacksonramsey5023]

I don't frequent it, but I've recently seen copies for sale on the Japanese YAHOO! Auctions. As of this posting, there is a copy of the sequel available with a current bid of 5,000 yen.

[@SuperMarioPlush220]

46:04 imagine saying that today!

[@theshepardthewolfandtheshe5304]

The music is similar to Ultima - quest of the avatar.

[@robsonlaranjeiras3473]

Tanto o 1 quanto o 2 receberam versões da Playtronic. Uma pena que tenham chegado tarde demais por aqui (por volta de 95/96).