The use of Bolas

[Matt]

I just got done watching a movie by the name of Kangaroo Jack. It doesn't relate to StarTropics at all, however one part did remind me of it. About halfway through the movie, the main characters learn how to throw bolas. It was basically two round rocks on about three feet of string, and it actually was quite similar to the ones in ST. No big deal, I just thought it might be something worth mentioning.

[Scotty D.]

Yup...bolas are real weapons. If anyone has seen the first Pirates of the Caribbean, then you will remember that a canonball-version of a bola is used by the pirates of the Black Pearl to take down the main mast of the other ship. They work pretty much that way wherever they are used.

[Coralcola]

I haven't seen Kangaroo Jack, but yeah, I did think Bolas were originally a weapon from Australia.

Is it just me, or has anyone noticed that besides from the South Pacific Islands, ST also has had a lot of influence from tribal Australia?

[Scotty D.]

No...I hadn't noticed that, coralcola. I think that's only because I'm not really familiar w/ much (if any) tribal Australia stuff.

[parrothead1983]

Nintendo was trying to think of the most interesting old school weapons for StarTropics and Zoda's Revenge.

In one of the TMNT 2003 episodes, where the turtles traveled to the place where people have been transformed into ferocious monsters, there were these special kind of bolas that this episodes antagonist was using, that not only raps around enemies, but also teleports them into a place where they work on their bodies to transform them into ferocious monsters.

Here is the Wikipedia article