Evel Knievel ROM

Also, be sure to check out Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX.

Evel Knievel is a game where it’s you against the stunts. It was developed by Tarantula Studios and released for the Game Boy Color in 1999. In each of the game’s 20 levels, you’ll be challenged to get your bike from the beginning to the end completely intact without a single screw-up. With a little control, you’ll jump and flip your bike over hills and bumps, riding upside down in looping slopes. But one screw up and it’s back to the beginning of the level.

Evel Knievel is all about precision – knowing when to tap what, how hard, and for how long is integral to making an enjoyable experience out of this game. Needless to say, the game puts you in the shoes of the immortal Evel Knievel, as he daredevils his way across two continents, including such memorable locales as London and Las Vegas.

The game is of the 2D side-scrolling breed, and the action is similar in feel to that of the classic Excitebike, though without its angled perspective, as there aren’t any other motorists on the track. Being all Evel, the game focuses on his execution of tricky stunts (sick rolls and long jumps, mostly), which require Herculean coordination to actually walk away from. The tracks are littered with all manner of obstacles, including ramps to soar off, junked cars to maneuver over, and loops to jump through.

The bumpy-grindy nature of the tracks requires you to constantly pay attention to nagging details, such as your bike’s level (as you’re soaring), velocity, and distance from any obstacles. Yes, the learning curve is extremely steep, especially given the amount of permutations you could apply to your bike’s mechanical makeup:

Before starting each run, you can tweak your bike’s top-speed, acceleration, braking, wheelie-factor, and rotation (which determines whether you’ll soar gracefully or spin like a hell-sent shuriken through the air). Because each stage has its ideal makeup, your success depends on how quickly you soak in the crash course. Literally. The game looks fine, and it features a catchy (if redundant) soundtrack, replete with effects for purring engines and snapping bones.