Retro Profile: Blaster Master (NES)
Sunday, October 14th, 2007 at 6:00am by Jamie
Blaster Master was one of the more fairly well known games from back in the day. The 1980’s were a time when certain features and aspects in video games could be still be called “new”. I’ll never forget back in 1990 when my brother’s best friend came over with his NES games. One if them in the bunch was Blaster Master. Never had I seen a game that featured an armored tank with the ability to shoot heavy weaponry and jump to reach higher platforms! I also notice that many games of the 80’s like toying around with the thought of radioactive things causing a bit of havoc for the main hero.
The game play is very well balanced. When you first start exploring the first few sections of any area, you will do so mainly in the tank. There will be moments when you will have to step out of the tank to access the sub-levels and other areas that are too small for the tank to fit through or otherwise access at the time. Jason can also explore the regular over world, but he won’t get very far because he can’t survive high falls or take too many hits from enemy fire, unless he’s in the sub-level. He can, however hop back into Sofia if his energy is too low so he can replenish it and continue on.
When you enter any of the sub-levels, the prospective changes to an overhead view. There’s no platforming involved in these sections, but there are a bit more enemies to destroy in the general vicinity. The sub-levels are where the meat of the game is, because that’s where you find the bosses for each area. You must defeat them in order to gain a new enhancement or key for your vehicle. Upgrades include more powerful shots, the ability to hover, and the ability for your tank to maneuver under water. Sunsoft did a good job of making the two main aspects of the game seem equally as important as its counter part, instead of just a needless, tacked on mode of play.
What puts the icing on the cake for this game is the music. From the time you start the first area, you know that you’re in for a good ride! Every area’s music is fitting for that stage. Whether it’s the exploratory and courageous tune of the caverns or the calming sounds of the aquatic area, the music is very cool to listen to. It doesn’t sound generic in any way. All of the music tracks sound like…well…Blaster Master. My personal faves are area’s 1, 2, and 5. You will find yourself less concerned with how long the game takes to complete, and more in tune with the sounds and to me, that’s a sign of a good platformer.
Play or Stay? The only thing that would have made this game better is a password feature. There’s 8 stages total, and you probably won’t blow through the game in an hour. You may not always feel like trying to complete the game in one sitting, and it would have been nice if there was a simple save feature or something. But overall, Blaster Master has the earmarks of a true NES classic. It’s a game that’s quite enjoyable if you have the time for it.
October 14th, 2007 at 8:18 am
This game FREAKING rocks… I would soooooooooooo love a new Wii version or at least release it on the VC.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:13 am
Whoa, in the second screenshot I thought I was looking at Megaman or Samus @_@ And yes, that game was pretty sweet back in the day.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
“Blaster Master is one of the more fairly well known games back in the day.”
Yeah…I stopped reading right there.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
This game was TOO GOOD. The PSone sequel had nothing on this game at all.
October 14th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Well known my foot! I hardly meet anyone who knows what I’m talking about, yet I do wholeheartedly agree that it’s probably one of the best games made for the NES. I own it and play it here and there, and yes, passwords or saving would make the game perfect.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
The only things I know about this game come from an AWESOME book I had called Blaster Master. It’s from the Worlds of Power series. I read this thing sooo many times. Excellent. I also had Ninja Gaiden…I think I still have them around somewhere.
October 15th, 2007 at 1:39 am
one of the top 10 NES games.. waiting for it to show up on VC
October 15th, 2007 at 9:56 am
BM was the best game I’ve ever played on the NES. I loves me some Zelda and Metroid, but no game had the same feel as Blaster Master. I, too was disappointed with the PlayStation sequel. Apparently, there are other BM games, one for the GameBoy, I believe.
Anyway, I was never able to finish the game because by the time I got to the 8th stage, it was either really late, or I was so tired of playing I just gave up. A save feature would’ve been nice, but I think the game would have to be much more difficult or intricate. I finally beat BM when I downloaded Nesticle several years later. I felt bad, but it was awesome to finally see the ending.
The music? I’ll always be haunted by the intro music, the echo-y synth drums with the haunting arpeggios as the story of a boy and his frog unfolds.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Here’s the thing, guys; it’s hard to say whether it was well known or not. You see, back when it came out, there were no intertubes. All of my friends knew about this game ’cause I told them about it, so I’d have to agree it was well known. However, if you ask around non-NES-gamer circles, they won’t know what you’re talking about…
Is it as well known as Super Mario Brothers? No. Is it more known than Clu Clu Land? Probably. Cut the guy some slack, and Abras might gain from the old saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”…
October 15th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
@Flare576 If a book has a misspelled title, then you can bet I won’t be picking it up for a closer look. The same goes for blog entries. If an author wants me to read something, then he had better have the good sense to properly edit AT LEAST the first line.
October 17th, 2007 at 4:08 am
You could just watch the intro and KNOW it was the best game ever.
Boy has frog. Frog gets radioactive and huge then digs a hole.
Kid goes down hole. Finds power suit and bad ass tank.
fuck it, every kids dream.
Who needs LSD, you have NES.