Although Turrican is best remembered as an Amiga classic, it actually started life on the Commodore 64. A technically remarkable feat for the then eight-year-old home computer, it subsequently appeared on almost every system on the market.

Often compared to Konami’s Contra, Turrican is a run-and-gun game with Metroid-esque elements. Its non-linear stages strongly encourage exploration, the eponymous hero decimating hordes of alien adversaries with a giant arsenal of sci-fi weaponry. Its pace and graphical swagger are famously complimented by Chris Huelsbeck’s masterwork soundtrack; infinitely hummable and surprisingly cinematic, the series' stirring, cinematic 80s themes are half of what makes the series so engrossing.

Turrican Anthology Vol. 1 collects just three bonafide Turrican releases: Turrican (Amiga), Turrican II (Amiga) and Super Turrican (Super Nintendo), as well as a Director’s Cut version of the same game. There’s also Mega Turrican Score Attack, a single-stage mode derived from the Mega Drive release. While the visual presentation is a tad basic, there's a veritable library of in-game options to tweak, including 50hz refresh rates, dynamic HUDs, transparency gradients, challenge modes, and detailed video adjustments.

The Amiga's Turrican I & II are blisteringly accurate ports, featuring huge, cavernous stages, immediate action and fantastic soundtracks. Utilising extravagant weaponry, you traverse enemy and mini-boss-filled worlds while mining for secrets and power-ups. Turrican’s broader layouts may not be to the liking of those who prefer more linear run-and-gun games, but the invested gamer will reap constant rewards. Turrican II is the superior entry, introducing the Metroid-inspired morph ball, but series fans will enjoy revisiting both for their rich sci-fi landscapes and stunning audio arrangements.

Super Turrican, rushed to release with recycled assets and considered the lesser of the 16-bit entries, is still an enjoyable console-friendly re-tooling. While more linear than the Amiga titles, its mechanics, music and speed still maintain a positive effect on the senses. In our opinion the Director’s Cut is a bigger, better, and more carefully structured adventure than the original, rearranging some of the layouts, adding a new world, and restoring content originally cut due to a cost-saving reduction in cartridge size. Overall, it's a decent action experience, featuring some neat uses of the machine’s Mode 7, it lacks Mega Turrican’s visual detail, grappling-hook dynamism, and explosive nature.

Which makes Mega Turrican Score Attack an odd bonus for this initial volume, since Mega Turrican appears in full in Vol. 2. The aim is to barrel through a unique stage at speed, collecting items in a bid to achieve an award-winning rank. Limited as it is, it's still great fun, providing plenty of grappling hook dynamics to toy with and something for hardcore fans to master.

A bevvy of enticing extras are on-board, too, including control configurations that mimic the original layouts, concept art galleries, jukeboxes, save states, rewind functionality, and a remastered soundtrack option from Chris Huelsbeck himself. The CRT filter for emulating an old-school screen experience works well, conjuring up some heady Amiga feels.

But, best of all are the new map functions that offer full scanning and positioning with a click of the thumb-stick, revealing hidden secrets and tons of extra lives. It’s a big plus for newcomers struggling with the occasionally bewildering mazes. On a personal note, we never liked the fact that the screen scroll in Turrican games begins when your sprite is two-thirds to the right. It doesn't allow much room to see what's coming up and is an unusual design choice.

That said, the only real downside to Turrican Anthology Vol. 1 is the limited selection of games on offer. This is a series currently spanning two volumes, which some will rightly see as unceremonious enterprising. The Turrican games exist in so many formats and in so many guises, that it would have made sense to build the ultimate compilation and serve everyone at once, perhaps including obscurities like the PC Engine, original Commodore 64, or even Atari ST entries for the sake of completeness and preservation. As it stands, while a package that provides hours of gritty action gaming, its main drawback is its hefty price tag and meagre curation in respect of multiple volumes. Still, that soundtrack though.

Scoring Policy Review copy provided by ININ Games

To be fair, I still wonder why they didn't put the C64 version on there, but still had to buy it, but it is in the backlog. Also, you get a map?? I remember sketching the maps in a school workbook in my youth.

You had me at 'Pricey'.

This looks fun, but it's the type of thing I might grab for a few bucks, not $35 ($70 if you get anthology 2 also).This can join space invaders collection on the 'waiting for 80% sale' part of my wishlist.

So basically the same games that were in the Turrican Flashback Collection only with Mega Turrican getting replaced by Super Turrican Uncut? If you're going to make a collection, do it like what Konami does and just release one entire batch of games, there's no reason to even make a volume 2 of these, these Turrican games could all fit on a 2gb cartridge.

Surprised to see no reference whatsoever to Turrican Flashback, a physical release that not long ago covered these games plus Mega Turrican, available on volume 2 this time around.

That volume 2 is the one to go if you already own Turrican Flashback, because you'll get Mega Turrican again, but also Turrican 3 and Super Turrican 2, missing in Turrican Flashback.

I bought this over Flashback release for the CD soundtrack. Whatcha gonna do?

I have the "smaller" Collection that was also released through normal Vendors.

I have fun with the Collection, but only because of the modern Stuff included, as Rewind and Save States.

Enemies often pop out very unfair and the Live goes down unforgiving. Even back then i wouldn't like the Game to play without a Trainer or Action Replay to have unlimited Lives.

Mega Turrican is the most polished of them and i would say playable without any "Cheats.

I also like the different Filters they put in. Even a black and white one haha Played the C64 back then on a B/W TV, so it was a throw back for me

I have already have Turrican Flashback. Not sure why these have been released I guess volume 2 might be worth looking at, but why not just update the Flashback content ? (Digitally speaking)

Flashback, vol 1, and vol 2... Waste of resources and time the way they handled this all. There could have been one meaty collection that just did one and got it done, even if contained system duplicates, like Contra Collection, TMNT Cowabunga Collection, etc. I got Flashback for little to nothing, unaware there would be future collections, but it's the principle. I will probably go ahead and get vol 2 since I never played T3 or ST2-- Shout out to @Moroboshi876 for the heads up.

I would have been interested for a complete package but splitting it like this and making each overprices is a simple hard pass!

I already have one Turrican collection on Switch...the principle behind this is absolutely disgusting. There is no reason this should be $35 unless it was a physical copy...and even then that is a stretch.

Also...it's really gross that they've locked the Director's Cut edition of Super Turrican behind this trash. I'd gladly buy that seperately but I'm not getting this just to have that.

While I'm at it...do yourself a favor and just get Gunlord X instead. Ten bucks and it's the best (and most likely only) Turrican clone around.

@themightyant oddly enough there was some other collection I bought on sale last winter that has Turrican 1-2, Super Turrican and Mega Turrican. It doesn't have the director's cut edition of Super, however.

Wonder if they decided to pull a Sega and delist that?

"selection of choices" 🙄

Tap here to load 13 comments

Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...

Inti Creates' New Project Is A Stunning Mash Up Of Castlevania And Mega Man

Time to purge some demons!

Sega Rolling Out New Update For Sonic Origins, Here's What's Included

Update: Full patch notes detailed

Feature: Nintendo eShop Selects - July 2022

The best of the last month's eShop games!

Review: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 - An RPG Classic That Time Hasn't Been Too Kind To

Round Up: EVO 2022 - Every Nintendo Switch Announcement & More

New fighter DLC, arcade cabinets, game updates!

Review Arcade Paradise - An Addictive Arcade Management Sim That Proves Laundry Can Be Fun

Review Mega Man Battle & Fighters - A Surprise Neo Geo Package Of Blue Bomber Beat 'Em Ups

Review Two Point Campus - A Beautifully Balanced Sim That's More 'Friend' Than 'Fiscal'

Review Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 - An RPG Classic That Time Hasn't Been Too Kind To

Mini Review MADiSON - Jump Scares Aplenty In This Effective, If Unoriginal, Horror

Best Nintendo Switch Micro SD Cards - Cheapest Memory Car...

Nintendo Switch Online Missions And Rewards: August 2022 ...

Mega Drive Mini 2 Games List - Every Genesis And SEGA CD ...

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC - Release Dat...

Where To Buy Nintendo Switch eShop Credit, Gift Cards And...

That Life-Size Lucario Plush Is Finally Available In The UK

Where To Buy The Splatoon 3 Nintendo Switch OLED Model Co...

Where To Pre-Order Bayonetta 3 On Switch

Nintendo President Says Switch Production Is "Uncertain" ...

A New Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution...

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: What Are The Differences? All ...

Where To Pre-Order Splatoon 3 On Nintendo Switch

Join 1,332,734 people following Nintendo Life:

© 2022 Hookshot Media, partner of ReedPop. Hosted by 44 Bytes.