Karnov

Karnov looks at a monster-infested landscape and brings a ladder. The circus strongman can breathe fire, but his collection of boots, bombs, wings, and other peculiar equipment is just as important to getting through the next dangerous stretch.

The NES adventure mixes side-scrolling shooting with a useful amount of rummaging through your supplies. It has a strange-looking hero, a generous supply of hostile creatures, and plenty of moments when the right item is more helpful than another hurried jump.

Platform: NES

Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Fireballs give Karnov a reassuring answer to an approaching enemy, but the terrain is rarely content to let him stand still and shoot. Pillars, raised ledges, and creatures attacking from awkward positions keep the next few steps uncertain. His unusual collection of equipment gives you a few more ways to deal with the problem.

A ladder can put a high platform within reach or offer a way around an enemy. Boots improve his jump, bombs can clear certain obstacles, and other items help with the swimming and flying sections. You need to pay attention to what is available instead of treating every pickup as another number on a score counter.

That equipment makes the game more interesting than a straight run of fireball exchanges. Deciding when to use an item gives the journey a small element of preparation, although selecting the right tool is another thing to manage while you are already watching for enemies.

The original NES booklet is especially useful for learning what those small item symbols mean. Once the options become familiar, a troublesome ledge can turn into a much more manageable bit of the route. There are still plenty of chances to get careless and lose the advantage.

Karnov: pillars and a stone-throwing enemy complicate the opening stage on NES.

Graphics

Karnov’s orange figure looks cheerfully improbable against the early stage’s purple sky and tall, patterned pillars. The stone-throwing enemy below him is an equally odd little creature. It is a curious world, with more personality in its strange inhabitants than in some of its repeated surfaces.

The icy stage changes the picture considerably, filling the slope with jagged blue blocks beneath a pale sky. Enemies and fireballs remain bright spots against it. The scenery is coarse in places, but the change from warm orange structures to cold blue rock helps the journey feel less uniform.

Karnov: the journey reaches an icy landscape on NES.

Story

The Treasure of Babylon has been hidden in the village of Creamina for centuries. The dragon Ryu finally discovers it, steals the treasure, and leaves monstrous followers behind to trouble the countryside.

The villagers turn to Jinborov Karnovski, better known as Karnov. A former circus strongman with the ability to breathe fire is an unusual choice of rescuer, but a useful one when the route is full of creatures that need persuading to move.

Karnov sets out to recover the treasure and confront Ryu. The trip leads through increasingly strange surroundings, with his circus talents and improbable bag of equipment doing much of the practical work.

Overall Experience

Karnov is more memorable for its peculiar hero and equipment than for the basic business of jumping and shooting. The ladder in particular gives an ordinary-looking obstacle a different set of possibilities, which makes experimenting with the items worthwhile.

It can also feel rather awkward while you are learning those possibilities. Keeping track of equipment adds a layer of hesitation to an action game that is already asking you to watch the ground and the enemies. The rougher-looking scenery does not always make the journey especially inviting.

There is a distinctive NES oddity here for anyone willing to learn its habits. It may not become your most comfortable platformer, but a fire-breathing strongman carrying a ladder is at least difficult to confuse with the rest of the shelf.