Rocket Knight is a 2.5D platformer relaunch of the Rocket Knight series from the 1990s, including Rocket Knight Adventures and Sparkster. Players guide Sparkster, an opossum with a jet pack, through various themed levels. The game takes place in Ethorn, in the realm of Zephyrus. Sparkster is living a peaceful agricultural life with his wife and child fifteen years after the events of the previous game when the mountain wolves attack with warships. Sparkster initially swore to preserve the kingdom at any cost but was dismayed when the king formed an agreement with the Pig Empire’s Devotindos, who had previously assaulted the realm. Regardless of the king’s previous judgments, Sparkster promptly equips his gear and returns to defend the kingdom. It also signals the resumption of his rivalry with Axel, who enjoys impeding Sparkster’s advancement and claiming credit for his triumphs.
Aside from the graphical upgrade, Rocket Knight inherits and develops some gameplay elements from previous games. Sparkster can jump and glide on rails thanks to various basic mobility options. Much more essential is the rocket pack, which allows him to launch himself into the air in multiple directions, ricocheting off walls while attacking simultaneously. Utilizing this depletes a burst meter, which takes some time to replenish, except the freezing levels, when it can only be refilled by using power-ups or standing adjacent to the fire. These rocket bursts are required to move across the groups, and in later stages of the game, exact timing is necessary to travel fast between platforms. Double tapping can combine a rocket burst with a burst drill, causing Sparkster to smash through walls. Burst can be utilized to hover in the air for a short period.
Sparkster, in addition to basic sword attacks, can employ burst to fight adversaries, burst shot to shoot a bolt of energy, burst vortex to twirl on the spot with his sword, and rail spin to attack while hanging on a rail. Many things can be destroyed, as well as several enemy projectiles. Most levels follow standard platform gameplay with checkpoints and level bosses. However, there are a few flying levels where Sparkster flies into the air constantly, and the game becomes a horizontally-scrolling shooter. One of the later levels also contains a vertically-scrolling part in a chasm, and these later levels place a lot more emphasis on platforming and quick reactions rather than just attacking monsters.
Sparkster can gather hearts throughout the stages to recharge energy, diamonds, and other lives. When all of your lives are depleted, you can try again, but you’ll have to restart the level. The primary Arcade mode follows the tale, and these levels are later made available in the Free Play mode. Sparkster, like previous titles in the series, can unlock new clothes, such as Gold Sparkster and Axel’s clothing. Global leaderboards rank high scores and completion times for individual stages and Arcade modes.
