
	Platform NES Genre Side scrollin’ swamp fun Developer / Publisher Konami Year released 1989
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The Adventures of Bayou Billy

bayou billy,nes

Who wouldn’t want to tromp around in the swamp, taking out bad guys, evil birds, crocs, with the chance to drive a jeep across empty plains and whip bad guys in New Orleans? The Adventures of Bayou Billy (BB) hits just about childhood fantasy I ever had – right down to the heroine in peril, Annabelle.

The setup is simple enough: a bad guy named Gordon has nabbed Annabelle and has taken refuge at his estate and it’s up to Billy to fight his way there and rescue her. The story isn’t exactly gripping, filled with unexpected turns, erudite social comments, or political intrigue. What BB lacks in story it makes up for in shear gameplay.

Things start off simply enough with side-scrolling action; Billy punching, kicking, and jump kicking his way through the bayou. He can pick up sticks, guns, extra health, etc. to be used against the opposition. (Health is extremely limited and if you die you have to replay the section you died in.) Just as the action gets a little tired you have to shift gears. There are stages that require you to drive a jeep, blasting baddies with your cannons and flinging grenades at passing planes. Or the Duck Hunt-like areas were you have to blast them before they blast you and shoot sticks of

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dynamite out of the air. It’s this mix of action that keeps you interested right to the end – if you can get there. The difficulty level is high even with the continues, which only take you back to the beginning of the stage instead of where you died.

BB’s graphics and sound are nothing to take notice of by today’s standards, but they were near the top when 8-bit was king. I’ve never been a fan of the music found on the

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NES, excluding Bubble Bobble and any Mario game, and it’s no different with BB. What I find most amazing is that side-scrolling action games released after BB didn’t adopt any of it’s varied gameplay. Think about it for a moment. What punch ‘em up side-scrollers can you think of that contain elements other than strictly punching stuff? I can think of only one: Alien Storm on the Genesis. (And possibly Super Contra.) Some of the most celebrated games of this type – Captain Commando, Streets of Rage, Punisher, the list goes on – never deviated from the string of level after level of repetitive punch/kick action. Most of these games just presented bad guys with bigger health bars as a form of variety. What would be wrong with adding a racing level or even the occasional mini-game?

The Adventures of Bayou Billy scores a lot of points – even by today’s standards – for presenting varied gameplay. The challenge can be insane at some parts, but it’s an overall fun experience.

- Omni


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