I feel like the best way to preface all that I'm about to say is to acknowledge what this game is. A remake of the NES original Blaster Master and a love letter to the golden age of SunSoft. In those aspects, this game delivers. Fans of the original BM will not be disappointed. This game has one of the most captivating, faithful and consistent artstyles out of any retro-inspired game I've played. Even something like Cyber Shadow will every so often push the boundaries of what system its supposed to be emulating with its music, effects and so on. Everything about this game SCREAMS SunSoft in their golden age. Every little sound effect, every piece of music, the color palette for each level, I cannot express enough just how devoted Inti clearly were to finding a style that suited the original developers and running with it
So in terms of a remake, then, it absolutely succeeds. Its faithful to the original while having a fantastic upgraded style. Where it falls apart for me is that its TOO faithful to the original. This is built on an NES game that, while impressive, still FEELS like an NES game. The basic controls for the SOFIA and Jason feel great and satisfying (even if Jason is a little slow), but the level design is so often uninteresting and bland to the point where, combined with the lack of difficulty, I often felt discouraged out of pure boredom.
The first area presents itself as if the game is going to be an interconnected Metroidvania, with a tower to climb up, water to traverse etc. Yet the worlds only connect linearly by the start and end; combined with the lack of fast-travel, 100%ing feels like an absolute chore, and the game isn't satisfyingly interconnected at all.
There is absolutely a good, if very basic, foundation here, but most of the interesting design feels as if it was placed on the top-down Jason segments, which as I described feel a little too slow to live up to Inti's standards of hi-octane action gameplay. I can at least say that the game gets moving at a decent pace, there's a lot of variety in the visuals (which remain excellent) and the little tidbits of dialogue between Jason and Eve are very sweet. I really enjoy these two, and the story and world in general are enjoyable.
It feels as if every aspect of this game was just held back by the devotion to be faithful to the original game, and while I respect that for fans of said original game, it was a decision that left me feeling hollow and bored at almost all points of playing. By the time Area 7 and 8 started having more interesting enemy placement and platforming for the SOPHIA segments, I had enough health to bruteforce it. The bosses in general, with Jason especially, are also a complete joke and dont feel properly balanced. But again, I must stress: the style of this game is incredible, and I'm truly hopeful that most if not all of its faults stem from its NES roots. My disappointment with this game has only raised my expectations for the sequel, but as is this is my least favorite Inti Creates game.
This game was a great way to let Inti's staff pay respects to something they love. I'm just hoping that the sequel lets them do that while also making a good game.
[Playtime: 7 hours]
[Key Word: Restraint]
So in terms of a remake, then, it absolutely succeeds. Its faithful to the original while having a fantastic upgraded style. Where it falls apart for me is that its TOO faithful to the original. This is built on an NES game that, while impressive, still FEELS like an NES game. The basic controls for the SOFIA and Jason feel great and satisfying (even if Jason is a little slow), but the level design is so often uninteresting and bland to the point where, combined with the lack of difficulty, I often felt discouraged out of pure boredom.
The first area presents itself as if the game is going to be an interconnected Metroidvania, with a tower to climb up, water to traverse etc. Yet the worlds only connect linearly by the start and end; combined with the lack of fast-travel, 100%ing feels like an absolute chore, and the game isn't satisfyingly interconnected at all.
There is absolutely a good, if very basic, foundation here, but most of the interesting design feels as if it was placed on the top-down Jason segments, which as I described feel a little too slow to live up to Inti's standards of hi-octane action gameplay. I can at least say that the game gets moving at a decent pace, there's a lot of variety in the visuals (which remain excellent) and the little tidbits of dialogue between Jason and Eve are very sweet. I really enjoy these two, and the story and world in general are enjoyable.
It feels as if every aspect of this game was just held back by the devotion to be faithful to the original game, and while I respect that for fans of said original game, it was a decision that left me feeling hollow and bored at almost all points of playing. By the time Area 7 and 8 started having more interesting enemy placement and platforming for the SOPHIA segments, I had enough health to bruteforce it. The bosses in general, with Jason especially, are also a complete joke and dont feel properly balanced. But again, I must stress: the style of this game is incredible, and I'm truly hopeful that most if not all of its faults stem from its NES roots. My disappointment with this game has only raised my expectations for the sequel, but as is this is my least favorite Inti Creates game.
This game was a great way to let Inti's staff pay respects to something they love. I'm just hoping that the sequel lets them do that while also making a good game.
[Playtime: 7 hours]
[Key Word: Restraint]