Play Turrican Online

Turrican on the Game Boy came out in 1991, developed by Rainbow Arts. It was part of that wave of ambitious action games trying to fit a bigger console experience onto the small screen. You got a lot of game for a cartridge, with large levels that scrolled in multiple directions, which wasn't always a given on the system.

You control a heavily armed soldier, moving through alien landscapes to destroy a malevolent supercomputer. Your main tool is a versatile beam weapon that can be charged for a powerful, screen clearing blast. You also frequently morph into a tight, spiked ball to roll through narrow passages, a mechanic that breaks up the standard running and gunning. The levels are expansive, requiring careful exploration to find keys and hidden power ups, and the difficulty is persistent, with enemies respawning and tricky platforming sections. It feels like a substantial, challenging quest condensed into your hands.