How it Pushed the Limits…

Detailed Backgrounds

The NES can only access a limited amount of background tiles during gameplay, but you wouldn’t know it to look at the jungles in Thrilla’s Surfari. Clever graphical arrangement gives the illusion of dense, varied foliage.

Big Bosses

The game’s end of level guardians are huge, but not prone to the graphical flickering or breakup often seen in NES games. This is largely down to the use of background tiles, with sprites used when extra animation is needed.

Lavish Levels

Thrilla needs large levels to move around in because skateboarding is a speedy way to move around, and the game doesn’t disappoint. Huge drops and long horizontal runs can be found in the same stage at times.

Speedy Scrolling

When you reach the waterfall stage, you’ll need your reactions to be at their sharpest, as Thrilla’s descent is terrifyingly quick. It’s amazing that the NES can refresh the level data stored in RAM at the speed required.