Blaster Master
REDISCOVER RETRO GAMING - CLASSIC 8-BIT NINTENDO NES
NINTENDO NES
Game Title:Blaster Master
System:Nintendo NES
Players:1 Player
Genre:Platform/Shooter
Developer(s):Sunsoft
Release Date(s):1988 - JAP/US
1991 - EU |
Blaster Master is a platform and run and gun video game released by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in North America in November 1988 and in Europe on April 25, 1991. The game is the first in the Blaster Master series, it spawned two spin-off titles as well as two sequels.
The game features a character named Jason who follows his pet frog Fred down a hole in the earth. There he finds a tank and uses it to battle radioactive mutants. The player controls Jason and the tank SOPHIA THE 3RD through eight levels of gameplay to find the whereabouts of Fred and to defeat the mutants and their leader, the Plutonium Boss. Blaster Master has two modes of gameplay that depends on the situation and location of the player. The first mode is where the player controls SOPHIA in a two–dimensional platform mode. The second mode is where the player controls Jason while outside SOPHIA in either the same 2D platform mode or in a top-down perspective. Gameplay in the top-down perspective consists of a series of labyrinths in which players navigate and defeat enemies along the way. Gameplay is non-linear, and players must return to earlier levels in order to advance to later levels in the game. The objective is to complete all eight levels and destroy the mutants and their bosses with various weaponry such as guns, grenades, and special weapons.
Special weapons are accumulated by collecting certain objects scattered throughout the game. They have limited ammunition and include the following: Homing missiles - that, when fired, shoot 1 missile at each enemy on screen up to 4. Thunder Break - which fires a high-damage lightning bolt downward. Multi Warhead Missiles - which simultaneously fires a set of three missiles at enemies in front of and diagonally up and down. Players select their special weapon and monitor the amounts of each special weapons ammunition left by accessing the Menu Screen by pressing the Start button. Gameplay in the top-down perspective consists of a series of labyrinths in which players defeat enemies along the way. The player switches between the 2D platforming mode and the top-down perspective by leaving the tank and entering small doorways located throughout the game. While in the top-down perspective, players can move Jason in any direction and destroy mutants with a gun or with hand grenades. In this mode, players upgrade the gun by collecting gun capsules, but the gun degrades by one point if Jason receives damage from mutants or hazardous objects. Here players obtain additional vehicle functions by destroying bosses, these functions include weapon upgrades as well as abilities to swim freely underwater, drive on walls and ceilings, and hover above the ground. Jason and SOPHIA have separate power meters, and they decrease whenever they sustain damage by an enemy or any other hazardous object or whenever Jason falls from a high place. Players can replenish these power meters by collecting power capsules that appear throughout the game. Also, the player can replenish Jason's health to full at any time by re-entering SOPHIA. The player loses a life if either power meter runs out, and the game ends when all lives are lost. Players get five continues that allow them to restart the game at the same level in which they have lost all their lives. A "hover gauge" monitors the amount of thrust remaining in SOPHIA and is located on the left side of the screen above the power meter, additional thrust can be obtained by collecting hover capsules. And the Verdict is...
Blaster Master still stands as one of the true gems to come out of the 8-bit era of gaming. Its fantastic gameplay and thoroughly engaging adventure make for one amazing video game experience. Yes, the game is a bit on the difficult side, and also has a lack of save points or password facility, but it's so good you'll want to keep coming back in order to beat it. A game that was way before its time.. A must try. |