Blaster Master

Box art for Blaster Master

Blaster Master is a platforming and run and gun NES game created by Sunsoft. It was released on November 1988, and was released in August of 2014 for the T.Y. Co. Tylersphere. It's a localization of the Japanese game Meta Fight, and was so popular here that it overshadowed the other series. The game is famous for it's inherent difficulty and lack of save points or a password system. It was supposed to have an Arcade version (hence "Authentic Arcade Edition!" appearing on the box art), but was cancelled because a skilled player could play for a very long time on a single quarter.

Changes from Meta Fight include the complete changeover of an opening and closing cinematic, the removal of Jennifer, and an entirely new storyline. Metal Attacker's name changed to the now-familiar "Sophia the 3rd, NORA MA-01".

Story

From Instruction Manual

"This game is about a guy named Jason.

"Jason had a pet frog named Fred. One day, Fred decided he had enough of being locked up in a fish bowl and made a dash for the door. As fate would have it, Jason was there when all this happened and he gave chase. Once outside, Jason was totally amazed to find Fred running toward a huge radioactive chest. As soon as Fred touched it, he grew to an enormous size , and the radioactive chest fell into the earth along with Fred. Jason tried to reach for Fred but fell into the hole along with him."

"When Fred (It should say Jason) landed, he found himself, alone next to a huge armoured vehicle. This was not just any vehicle, but one designed for the ultimate challenge against the radioactive mutants living under the Earth's crust. These mutants, created from escaped radioactive waste, are controlled by the Plutonium Boss.

"Your mission is to fight your way and destroy the Plutonium Boss before he destroys you.

"Along the way to your final encounter are many warlords ofthee underground you must destroy."

From Title Intro

On the title screen, if the player waits little, a cinematic intro will start up. Everything shown in the intro well portrays the description in the instruction manual. Although, on slide six, it looks as if Jason jumps into the hole, instead of accidently falling in.

Gameplay

Blaster Master has two modes of play. One where Jason is piloting Sophia 3rd through the winding tunnels of the underworld, and another where Jason must venture into smaller chambers to find items and take out the bosses of each area. Both the tank and Jason have eight Power bars, which represent health. These bars can be reduced to 0 before a life is lost, but one more hit will be the last.

Modes

Vehicle Mode

Sophia 3rd is more than capable to handle the dangers of the underworld. It's a tough tank, able to withstand plenty of damage, and agile enough to make most platforming easy. However, the tank cannot swim without a Dive Module, though it can still jump.

When in the tank, Jason is completely immune to harm; indeed, his health meter will be instantly restored should he enter the tank. However, Jason is terribly vulnerable outside the tank and most enemies will deal serious damage to him. Falls are equally dangerous, and Jason can't handle a long fall. Jason's gun is reduced to a simple peashooter regardless of his current Gun level and he should avoid a fight at all costs. One early advantage Jason has over Sophia is the ability to swim; whereas Sophia sinks like a rock, Jason is rather buoyant and can even fire while swimming.

Once the Hover Module has been attached, Sophia 3rd will be able to hover, rapidly consuming the bars of a Hover meter.

Jason Mode

In the overhead view inside gate chambers, Jason can move in any of the eight directions. He can toss Grenades; his throw distance is very short while still, but moving in a direction increases the range a little. The grenades are much more powerful than the standard gun and can be thrown rapidly. Unlike in the sidescrolling mode, Jason cannot swim and will lose a life if he falls in water or lava.

Jason's Gun can be upgraded considerably; it has eight bars, much like his Power bar, and collecting Gun Spheres increase the level. Jason will lose a level of Gun power if he's hit.

Powerups

Jason can collect a number of powerups for both Sophia 3rd and himself. Collecting Capsules recovers the Power bar, Hover bar, grants Gun upgrades, and increases secondary weapon usages.

Areas

In the game there are 8 different areas, each with it's own distinct theme . The areas are non-linear, meaning the player will have to backtrack to access new worlds.