Difference between revisions of "Blaster Master"

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[[Image:Blaster Master - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
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{{Video Game
 +
| Title            = Blaster Master
 +
| Image           = Blaster Master - NES - USA.jpg
 +
| ImageDescription = Game Boy - USA - 1st edition.
 +
| Developer        = {{VideoGameDeveloper|Tokai Engineering}}
 +
| Publisher        = {{VideoGamePublisher|Sunsoft}}
 +
| PublishedYear    = 1988
 +
| PublishedMonth  = 06
 +
| PublishedDay    = 17
 +
| Platforms        = {{Platform|NES}}, {{Platform|VS. System}}
 +
| Genres          = {{VideoGameGenre|Action video game|Action}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Metroidvania|Metroidvania}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Platform shooter|Platform shooter}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Platformer|Platformer}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Shooter|Shooter}}
 +
| Themes          = {{MediaTheme|Action}}, {{MediaTheme|Adventure}}, {{MediaTheme|Science Fiction}}
 +
| Series          = ''[[Blaster Master (universe)|Blaster Master]]''
 +
| Distributions    = {{VideoGameDistribution|Commercial}}
 +
}}
  
'''''Blaster Master''''', known in Japan as '''''超惑星戦記メタファイト, Cho Wakusei Senki: Metafight, "Super Planetary War Records: Metafight"''''' is an action-adventure game developed by [[Tokai Engineering]] and published by [[Sunsoft]] for the [[NES]] in 1989. In the game, the player pilots a tank-like vehicle that can be upgraded with various power-ups like homing missiles, a hover drive, and the ability to drive along the walls.
+
'''''Blaster Master''''' is a [[science fiction]] [[Metroidvania]] game developed by [[Tokai Engineering]] and published by [[Sunsoft]] for the [[NES]] in 1988-06-17. In the game, the player pilots a tank-like vehicle that can be upgraded with various power-ups like homing missiles, a hover drive, and the ability to drive along the walls.
  
The Japanese version has an adult theme where the prosperous planet Sophia the 3rd is attacked by a barbaric race who wipe out the people leaving only an overlooked science outpost. The outpost builds a fighting machine called the "Metal Attacker." Kane Gardner pilots the Metal Attacker to defeat the tyrant Goez, and his minions. In the American version, the pet frog of a boy named Jason escapes his terrarium and jumps on a radioactive box to mutate into a large monster who sinks into the ground. Jason chases after his frog and finds an underground abandoned tank named Sophia the 3rd, along with a suit of armor that fits him perfectly. He dons the suit in search of his lost mutant frog. Just slightly different!
+
The original Japanese version has a military science-fiction theme where the prosperous planet, Sophia the 3rd, is attacked by a barbaric race who wiped out the inhabitants leaving only an overlooked science outpost. The outpost builds a fighting machine called the "Metal Attacker" piloted by Kane Gardner who uses it to fight the evil tyrant Goez and his minions. In the American version, the pet frog of a boy named Jason escapes his terrarium and jumps on a radioactive box causing it to mutate into a large monster which sinks into the ground. Jason chases after his frog and finds an underground abandoned tank named Sophia the 3rd, along with a suit of armor that fits him perfectly. He dons the suit in search of his lost mutant frog. Just slightly different!
  
Even before I played the game Blaster Master, I read the pre-teen Worlds of Power book loosely based on the game. As a child around 10 years old, I thought the book was pretty good, but as an adult, there's not much to like. It was more than enough to get me interested in the game, and a friend of mine from school had it, and I played it at his house. I enjoyed the game, but didn't get very far. Later, I remember playing it again at home with my brother and getting much further (maybe area 3?). Using cheats I have seen the entire game, but, having seen how difficult it is, I have little desire to try and beat it properly.
+
==Personal==
 +
{{VideoGameStatus
 +
| Own      = Yes. USA version.
 +
| CantOwn  =
 +
| Won      =
 +
| CantWin  =
 +
| Finished =
 +
}}
  
==Status==
+
Even before I played the game ''Blaster Master'', I read the pre-teen [[Worlds of Power]] novelization loosely based on the game. As a child around 10 years old, I thought the book was pretty good, but as an adult, there's not much to like. It was more than enough to get me interested in the game, and a friend of mine from school had it, and I played it at his house. I enjoyed the game, but didn't get very far. Later, I remember playing it again at home with my brother and getting much further (maybe to area 3?). Using cheats I have seen the entire game, but, having seen how difficult it is, I have little desire to try and beat it properly.
I own Blaster Master, but I have not beaten it.
 
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
* '''Overall:''' 5/10
+
{{Video Game Review|5|4|8|8|4|NES}}
* '''Best Version:''' NES.
+
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The game has really nice graphics and music.
+
* [[Yoshiaki Iwata]] created unbelievable background art, some of the best on the entire platform. Each stage has a unique feel and his art has a great sense of separation between foreground and background, and employs a wonderful illusion of depth and perspective. He also uses large multi-tiled seamless backgrounds despite the limitation of only 256 8x8 pixel tiles.
* The environment of each stage is unique and attractive.
+
* [[Naoki Kodaka]] created a really great soundtrack for this game. The songs complement the game nicely, but several tracks standout well by themselves.
* The idea of hopping in and out of your tank to go into rooms is a nice mechanic.
+
* The idea of hopping in and out of your tank to go into rooms is a nice mechanic. I like how there are certain parts in the side-view areas where you're forced to navigate enemies without your tank.
* The various power-ups that you get throughout the game are pretty cool.
+
* The multitude of power-ups that you get throughout the game are pretty cool.
* The large bosses are great looking and make for interesting battles.
+
* It's nice to see large boss sprites being used.
* The intro is well-drawn and utterly ridiculous.
+
* I like how the game map is not linear, but requires backtracking to progress, and how the various power-ups you find allow you to take shortcuts through old areas.
 +
* The game has well-drawn full-screen art for the beginning and ending scenes. The American intro is well-drawn and utterly ridiculous (in a good way) while the Japanese title screen is quite nice as well. The tank-in-the-tunnel game start animation is really great, and the ending is quite satisfying.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* The gun system is wretched. I like the idea of powering up your weapon and losing power as you take hits, but several of the gun upgrades are very erratic and hard to target. A similar mechanic was used in [[Fester's Quest]], and it's just as awful there too.
+
* The indoor portions of the game are a low point:
* For a game this long, and with levels so winding, a save slot or at least a password system really should have been made available.
+
** The player's character moves a bit clunky, but the enemies move pretty quickly, so you take a lot of hits.
* I don't like how monsters stop moving the moment they leave the screen, and begin moving again when to move toward them again.
+
** The gun is awful (see Ugly).
* It becomes very difficult to control Sophia when you get the walking on walls and ceiling power-ups.
+
** It seems like the player shouldn't have unlimited grenades, but since the gun is so bad, it certainly helps.
* A large amount of the same monsters are used throughout the entire game.
+
** Most of the sections are pointless and only serve to supply the player with a couple secondary weapons which aren't that beneficial anyway.
* Having infinite grenades is a bit unusual. It seems like maybe they should have been a limited resource, but considering how unreliable the gun is, it's nice to have them.
+
** Because the player's hit box is so large, it's difficult to maneuver through the narrow passages between spikes and pits.
* By looking at the top-down cave layouts, it kind of seems like the designers originally intended for the player to be able to jump, and then removed the ability before properly fixing all the levels.
+
** By looking at some of the layouts of the indoor sections, it kind of seems like the designers originally intended for the player to be able to jump, and then removed the ability without adjusting all the levels. There are rooms where it's impossible to progress without taking spike damage, and occasionally power-ups are completely unreachable. I think I would rather have a jump over the grenade (if the gun were improved).
* It's very difficult to maneuver between spikes in the top-down caves.
+
* I don't like how enemies cease moving the moment they leave the screen, and begin moving again when to move toward them again. Also, taller enemies become hidden when their lower half is off-screen which not only looks weird, but also makes them appear more suddenly when moving down.
 +
* A lot of the enemies are pretty obnoxious either because they take too many hits to kill, or are too hard to hit (like the gray worms). This requires the player to slowly ease their way through areas which is not fun.
 +
* The game doesn't limit sprites very well, which often leads to noticeable slowdowns.
 +
* For a game this long, and with levels so winding, a save slot, password system, or, at the very least, unlimited continues should have been made available.
 +
* It becomes very difficult to control Sophia when you get the walking on walls and ceiling power-ups. It would be nice if the game let you temporarily disable the power-ups when they're not helpful. In area 8, they even work against you, causing you to drive into spikes inadvertently.
 +
* There isn't as much variety in enemies and bosses as I would like. Too much of the enemies use the same or very similar AI, only with a slightly different sprite. They're also very monochromatic.
 +
* It probably would have been better design to space out the tank weapon upgrades rather than making them the first two upgrades you get.
 +
* Area 8 is a bit of a letdown. It relies mostly on spike damage inflicted due to poor controls, the graphics aren't as impressive as the previous stages, and I don't much care for the music.
 +
* The box reveals the final boss, and the manual seems like it was meant to hide its identity, but instead hides the first boss.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* In the later levels, the game becomes insanely difficult.
+
* The gun system for the indoor game portion is wretched. The idea of powering up your weapon and losing power as you take hits is a good mechanic, but most of the gun upgrades are very erratic and hard to aim. Even at full power, it's common to watch enemies walk through your barrage of bullets unharmed to collide with you. A similar mechanic was used in [[Fester's Quest]], and it's just as awful there too.
 +
* In the later levels, the game becomes insanely difficult. Expecting the player to beat the game on only a 3 lives and continues is unfair. Even if you have the maps memorized, a few mistakes can end a two-hour run.  
  
==Box Art==
+
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Blaster Master - NES - Japan.jpg|The original Japanese box art is drawn in anime style. It focuses on the tank and Kane, but there is also a girl on the box who doesn't appear anywhere in the game except in the end credits.
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Blaster Master - NES - Japan.jpg|The original Japanese box art is drawn in anime style. It focuses on the tank and Kane, but there is also a girl on the box who doesn't appear anywhere in the game except in the end credits. The lettering is fitting, and the layout certainly suggests an action game.
Blaster Master - NES - USA.jpg|The American and European box art contains a cutout from a screenshot of the final boss. Kind of a spoiler! It has a decent layout, but the boss is so abstract, it doesn't explain the game at all.
+
Blaster Master - NES - USA.jpg|The American and European box art contains a cutout from a screenshot of the final boss (spoiler alert?) atop a strange blue gradient box with a cross-hair atop a screenshot from Area 2. It has a decent layout, I especially like the lettering, but the boss is so abstract, it doesn't explain the game at all.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Documentation==
+
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Blaster Master - NES - Manual.pdf|Game manual.
+
Blaster Master - NES - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual - NES - USA.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Japan - Manual.pdf|Manual - Famicom - Japan.
 
Blaster Master - NES - V-Note's Chronicle.pdf|Fan hit book.
 
Blaster Master - NES - V-Note's Chronicle.pdf|Fan hit book.
Nintendo Power - 1988-06 - 086-087.jpg|Nintendo Power, June, blurb.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-06 - 086-087.jpg|''[[Nintendo Power]]'', 1988-06, blurb.
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 074-075.jpg|Nintendo Power, September, part 1.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 074-075.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09, part 1.
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 076-077.jpg|Nintendo Power, September, part 2.
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Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 076-077.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09, part 2.
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 026-027.jpg|Nintendo Power, November, part 1.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 026-027.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-11, part 1.
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 028-029.jpg|Nintendo Power, November, part 2.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 028-029.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-11, part 2.
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 030-031.jpg|Nintendo Power, November, part 3.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 030-031.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-11, part 3.
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 032-033.jpg|Nintendo Power, November, part 4.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 032-033.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-11, part 4.
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 034.jpg|Nintendo Power, November, part 5.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 034.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-11, part 5.
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 039.jpg|Nintendo Power, November, poster.
+
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 039.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-11, poster.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 054-055.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, Classified Information.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Ad.jpg|US Ad.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Japan - Ad 1.jpg|Japanese ad, 1.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Japan - Ad 2.jpg|Japanese ad, 2.
 +
Worlds of Power - Blaster Master - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|[[Blaster Master (book)|Novelization]].
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Maps==
+
===Maps===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Blaster Master - NES - Map - Area 1.png|Area 1.
 
Blaster Master - NES - Map - Area 1.png|Area 1.
Line 77: Line 115:
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Gallery==
+
===Screenshots===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Intro (Japan).png|Intro (Japan).
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Intro (USA).png| Intro (USA).
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 1 - Mountains.png|Area 1, mountains.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 1 - Underground Forest.png|Area 1, underground forest.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 1 - Indoors.png|Area 1, indoors.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 1 - Underwater.png|Area 1, underwater.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 1 - Guardian.png|Area 1, guardian.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 2 - Broken Bridge.png|Area 2, broken bridge.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 2 - Block Room.png|Area 2, block room.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 2 - Green Wall.png|Area 2, green wall.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 2 - Gargoyle Room.png|Area 2, gargoyle room.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 2 - Column Room.png|Area 2, cloumn room.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 3 - Construction Room.png|Area 3, construction room.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 3 - Tech Room.png|Area 3, tech room.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 3 - Lights Room.png|Area 3, lights room.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 4 - Water Surface.png|Area 4, water surface.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 4 - Sewer.png|Area 4, sewer.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 4 - Bottom of Sewer.png|Area 4, bottom of sewer.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 5 - Coral.png|Area 5, coral.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 5 - Crystal Caves.png|Area 5, crystal caves.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 6 - Snow Tunnel.png|Area 6, snow tunnel.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 6 - Snow Cave.png|Area 6, snow cave.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 6 - Ice Tunnel.png|Area 6, ice tunnel.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 6 - Ice Cave.png|Area 6, ice cave.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 7 - Lava Tunnel.png|Area 7, lava tunnel.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 7 - Lava Cave.png|Area 7, lava cave.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 7 - Volcanic Cave.png|Area 7, volcanic cave.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 8 - Organic Cave.png|Area 8, organic cave.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Area 8 - Intestinal Tunnel.png|Area 8, intestinal tunnel.
 +
Blaster Master - NES - Screenshot - Ending (USA).png|Ending (USA).
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Graphic Sheets===
 +
* [https://www.spriters-resource.com/nes/blastermaster spriters-resource.com/nes/blastermaster] - Graphic sheets.
 +
 
 +
===Fan Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Blaster Master - NES - Fan Art - Malakym.jpg|Fan art by Malakym.
 
Blaster Master - NES - Fan Art - Malakym.jpg|Fan art by Malakym.
Line 83: Line 158:
 
Zac Gorman - Blaster Master.jpg|Fan art by Zac Gorman.
 
Zac Gorman - Blaster Master.jpg|Fan art by Zac Gorman.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
{{YouTube|k0FRJzkauRk|Review - NES Works.}}
 +
{{YouTube|2HlxFZMEvl4|Longplay - Japanese.}}
 +
{{YouTube|2STUx_9bkB4|Longplay - USA.}}
 +
 +
==Play Online==
 +
{{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/nes-games/chou-wakusei-senki-metafight-japan.html|Famicom}}, {{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/nes-games/blaster-master-europe.html|NES (Europe)}}, {{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/nes-games/blaster-master-usa.html|NES (USA)}}
 +
 +
==Representation==
 +
{{Representation
 +
| Media                      = Video games
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterStatus = Fail
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterNotes  = A woman mysteriously shows up in the ending sequence of the Japanese original.
 +
| BechdelTestStatus          = Fail
 +
| BechdelTestNotes            = The game lacks dialogue.
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterStatus    = Fail
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterNotes    = Everyone is white.
 +
| QueerCharacterStatus        = Fail
 +
| QueerCharacterNotes        = There are no queer characters.
 +
}}
 +
 +
==Titles==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English || Blaster Master || ||
 +
|-
 +
| Japanese || 超惑星戦記メタファイト || Cho Wakusei Senki: Metafight || Super Planetary War Records: Metafight
 +
|}
 +
 +
==Credits==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Role || Staff
 +
|-
 +
| Directors || [[Hiroaki Higashiya]], [[Koichi Kitazumi]]
 +
|-
 +
| Manager || [[Kiharu Yoshida]]
 +
|-
 +
| Game Designer, Character Designer || [[Yoshiaki Iwata]], and Others
 +
|-
 +
| Programmers || [[Kenji Sada]], [[Kenji Kajita]]
 +
|-
 +
| Music Composer || [[Naoki Kodaka]]
 +
|-
 +
| Sound Programmer || [[Naohisa Morota]]
 +
|-
 +
| European Director || [[Akito Takeuchi]]
 +
|-
 +
| American Designer || [[Richard Robbins]]
 +
|-
 +
| Special Thanks || [[Kenji Mori]]
 +
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/blaster-master mobygames.com/game/nes/blaster-master] - MobyGames.
+
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/blaster-master}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaster_Master en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaster_Master] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaster_Master}}
* [http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/Blaster_Master_(NES) vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/Blaster_Master_(NES)] - Music.
+
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Blaster_Master}}
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php/Blaster_Master thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php/Blaster_Master] - NES Hacker Database.
+
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/Blaster_Master_(NES)}}
 +
{{Link|ROMDetectives|2=http://www.romdetectives.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Blaster_Master_(NES)}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Blaster_Master}}
  
  
[[Category: Games]]
+
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Adventure]]
 
[[Category: Platformer]]
 
[[Category: Metroidvania]]
 
[[Category: Science Fiction]]
 
[[Category: Run and Gun]]
 

Latest revision as of 15:22, 7 March 2024

Blaster Master

Blaster Master - NES - USA.jpg

Game Boy - USA - 1st edition.

Developer Tokai Engineering
Publisher Sunsoft
Published 1988-06-17
Platforms NES, VS. System
Genres Action, Metroidvania, Platform shooter, Platformer, Shooter
Themes Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Series Blaster Master
Distribution Commercial

Blaster Master is a science fiction Metroidvania game developed by Tokai Engineering and published by Sunsoft for the NES in 1988-06-17. In the game, the player pilots a tank-like vehicle that can be upgraded with various power-ups like homing missiles, a hover drive, and the ability to drive along the walls.

The original Japanese version has a military science-fiction theme where the prosperous planet, Sophia the 3rd, is attacked by a barbaric race who wiped out the inhabitants leaving only an overlooked science outpost. The outpost builds a fighting machine called the "Metal Attacker" piloted by Kane Gardner who uses it to fight the evil tyrant Goez and his minions. In the American version, the pet frog of a boy named Jason escapes his terrarium and jumps on a radioactive box causing it to mutate into a large monster which sinks into the ground. Jason chases after his frog and finds an underground abandoned tank named Sophia the 3rd, along with a suit of armor that fits him perfectly. He dons the suit in search of his lost mutant frog. Just slightly different!

Personal

Own?Yes. USA version.
Won?No.

Even before I played the game Blaster Master, I read the pre-teen Worlds of Power novelization loosely based on the game. As a child around 10 years old, I thought the book was pretty good, but as an adult, there's not much to like. It was more than enough to get me interested in the game, and a friend of mine from school had it, and I played it at his house. I enjoyed the game, but didn't get very far. Later, I remember playing it again at home with my brother and getting much further (maybe to area 3?). Using cheats I have seen the entire game, but, having seen how difficult it is, I have little desire to try and beat it properly.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
5 4 8 8 4

Best Version: NES

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • Yoshiaki Iwata created unbelievable background art, some of the best on the entire platform. Each stage has a unique feel and his art has a great sense of separation between foreground and background, and employs a wonderful illusion of depth and perspective. He also uses large multi-tiled seamless backgrounds despite the limitation of only 256 8x8 pixel tiles.
  • Naoki Kodaka created a really great soundtrack for this game. The songs complement the game nicely, but several tracks standout well by themselves.
  • The idea of hopping in and out of your tank to go into rooms is a nice mechanic. I like how there are certain parts in the side-view areas where you're forced to navigate enemies without your tank.
  • The multitude of power-ups that you get throughout the game are pretty cool.
  • It's nice to see large boss sprites being used.
  • I like how the game map is not linear, but requires backtracking to progress, and how the various power-ups you find allow you to take shortcuts through old areas.
  • The game has well-drawn full-screen art for the beginning and ending scenes. The American intro is well-drawn and utterly ridiculous (in a good way) while the Japanese title screen is quite nice as well. The tank-in-the-tunnel game start animation is really great, and the ending is quite satisfying.

Bad

  • The indoor portions of the game are a low point:
    • The player's character moves a bit clunky, but the enemies move pretty quickly, so you take a lot of hits.
    • The gun is awful (see Ugly).
    • It seems like the player shouldn't have unlimited grenades, but since the gun is so bad, it certainly helps.
    • Most of the sections are pointless and only serve to supply the player with a couple secondary weapons which aren't that beneficial anyway.
    • Because the player's hit box is so large, it's difficult to maneuver through the narrow passages between spikes and pits.
    • By looking at some of the layouts of the indoor sections, it kind of seems like the designers originally intended for the player to be able to jump, and then removed the ability without adjusting all the levels. There are rooms where it's impossible to progress without taking spike damage, and occasionally power-ups are completely unreachable. I think I would rather have a jump over the grenade (if the gun were improved).
  • I don't like how enemies cease moving the moment they leave the screen, and begin moving again when to move toward them again. Also, taller enemies become hidden when their lower half is off-screen which not only looks weird, but also makes them appear more suddenly when moving down.
  • A lot of the enemies are pretty obnoxious either because they take too many hits to kill, or are too hard to hit (like the gray worms). This requires the player to slowly ease their way through areas which is not fun.
  • The game doesn't limit sprites very well, which often leads to noticeable slowdowns.
  • For a game this long, and with levels so winding, a save slot, password system, or, at the very least, unlimited continues should have been made available.
  • It becomes very difficult to control Sophia when you get the walking on walls and ceiling power-ups. It would be nice if the game let you temporarily disable the power-ups when they're not helpful. In area 8, they even work against you, causing you to drive into spikes inadvertently.
  • There isn't as much variety in enemies and bosses as I would like. Too much of the enemies use the same or very similar AI, only with a slightly different sprite. They're also very monochromatic.
  • It probably would have been better design to space out the tank weapon upgrades rather than making them the first two upgrades you get.
  • Area 8 is a bit of a letdown. It relies mostly on spike damage inflicted due to poor controls, the graphics aren't as impressive as the previous stages, and I don't much care for the music.
  • The box reveals the final boss, and the manual seems like it was meant to hide its identity, but instead hides the first boss.

Ugly

  • The gun system for the indoor game portion is wretched. The idea of powering up your weapon and losing power as you take hits is a good mechanic, but most of the gun upgrades are very erratic and hard to aim. Even at full power, it's common to watch enemies walk through your barrage of bullets unharmed to collide with you. A similar mechanic was used in Fester's Quest, and it's just as awful there too.
  • In the later levels, the game becomes insanely difficult. Expecting the player to beat the game on only a 3 lives and continues is unfair. Even if you have the maps memorized, a few mistakes can end a two-hour run.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Screenshots

Graphic Sheets

Fan Art

Videos

Review - NES Works.
Longplay - Japanese.
Longplay - USA.

Play Online

Famicom, NES (Europe), NES (USA)

Representation

Strong female character?FailA woman mysteriously shows up in the ending sequence of the Japanese original.
Bechdel test?FailThe game lacks dialogue.
Strong person of color character?FailEveryone is white.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Blaster Master
Japanese 超惑星戦記メタファイト Cho Wakusei Senki: Metafight Super Planetary War Records: Metafight

Credits

Role Staff
Directors Hiroaki Higashiya, Koichi Kitazumi
Manager Kiharu Yoshida
Game Designer, Character Designer Yoshiaki Iwata, and Others
Programmers Kenji Sada, Kenji Kajita
Music Composer Naoki Kodaka
Sound Programmer Naohisa Morota
European Director Akito Takeuchi
American Designer Richard Robbins
Special Thanks Kenji Mori

Links

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