During my brief play of the original 8-bit Blaster Master, I remember being awed by the change in scale as I switched between piloting and going on-foot. That shift still impresses in this remake, along with the tank's floaty jump and the arcade style power-ups (qualities that both remind of and predict Cave Story). Some of the upgrades surprise with their believable side-effects, like how the flame-thrower neutralizes slippery ice floors.

But the game is laughably easy; only the end areas show moderate challenge. The formalizing and entrenching of its proto-metroidvania structure also robs the remake of the original's mystique.