Blaster Master Zero

Zero Recall

When you eat a great hamburger, lettuce is not the memorable part.  You’re going to remember the pillowy bun, the juicy beef, the flare of avocado, or the zesty sauce.  You may even remember the slightly burned chunks or the fact that you had to remove the tomatoes because you hate tomatoes.  But you won’t even think of the lettuce.  Even if the leafy stuff is good, you’re not going to recommend the entire burger because of it.  At most, you may acknowledge that the lettuce complimented the rest of the burger rather nicely.

As you have probably already anticipated, Blaster Master Zero is good lettuce.  At this early stage of the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan, I am able to list most of the games I own by memory.  Blaster Master Zero is one of the games I routinely forget I have.  When I see it in my library, I am reminded that I enjoyed it.  I also recognize Mr. Blaster hasn’t seen my Switch’s main menu since I beat it.  I finished it and then left it. It was good but unremarkable, and that’s how a game becomes a garnish.

What is it?

Blaster Master’s hook is that it’s split into two different styles of gameplay.  For half of the game, you pilot SOPHIA THE 3RD (supposedly pronounced like you’re screaming it), a futuristic tank with remarkable jumping capabilities.  From a 2D perspective, you will navigate the terrain by hopping around, gunning down enemies with your blaster, and unleashing secondary weapons you unlock throughout the game.  Periodically, you will encounter areas which are inaccessible to SOPHIA, at which point you hop out and take control of Jason,

Although Jason will explore some 2D sections, most of the time he will enter into labyrinth-like dungeons, where the perspective changes to an overhead view.  Jason has his own set of weapons and sub-weapons as he ventures for more upgrades.  As you collect gun capsules, your main gun gains new, more powerful capabilities, ranging from a chain-lightning blast to wall-penetrating waves.  If you take damage, your main gun loses some of these upgrades, forcing you to work with a weaker array of shots until you collect more gun capsules.

In both playstyles, you will encounter bosses, but the majority will take place in the Jason sections.  Blaster Master has some light Metrovania elements to it in that you will gain more powers as you progress which allow you to access new sections of the map.  However, most upgrades are alternative weapons or health upgrades and are optional (if you do not care about reaching the game’s “true ending”).  There are few instances of forced back-tracking, but in most cases, you won’t have to scour past areas for nooks and crannies which were previously inaccessible.

What’s good?

1. The transition between 2D and overhead perspectives is a novel gimmick. Both variations could be expanded by themselves into complete games, but they mesh well together, most notably by providing two unique approaches to a stage’s theme.  For example, in the watery Area 5, the 2D section throws fierce currents in your way, forcing you to move methodically in order to progress.  Comparatively, Jason’s segments feature narrow paths surrounded by bottomless pits, challenging you to defeat all enemies with minimal evasive capabilities.
2. Bosses steal the spotlight. In both perspectives, bosses will typically fill the screen, displaying some pretty incredible sprite work.  Whereas most of the game is relatively easy, bosses can pose some challenge, requiring you to quickly identify patterns and select the weapon most suited for vanquishing them.
3. DLC characters do impact your playthroughs. SOPHIA doesn’t change apart from her color, but each DLC character carries a new set of weapons and sub-weapons, all unlocked from the start.  Although their special abilities have limited effect on your 2D sections, each character must tackle dungeons through different means.  In the case of Shovel Knight, he chiefly attacks at close-range, but he can also deflect bullets by hitting them at the right time with his shovel.  If you have an itch to replay Blaster Master Zero, a new character is worth the two bucks.

What’s bad?

1. General enemies are unremarkable, many being simple palette swaps. Unlike the bosses, these grunts are generic (jellyfish, flies, robot soldiers, oh my) and rarely pose much of a threat.  Oftentimes, I would crash through enemies rather than kill them because health is so plentiful.
2. Level layout can be monotonous. Despite getting a fresh coat of paint, the game has few memorable environments (with the water and ice stages surprisingly being the stronger points in the game).  SOPHIA’s terrain offers few platforming challenges, and many of Jason’s obstacles involve waiting until the coast is clear.  The majority of the game felt repetitious, with each area’s gimmick only slightly impacting the actual gameplay.
3. Weapons were not created equal. Jason may use some of his gun’s abilities, but ultimately, his wave gun is by far his most powerful.  It goes through walls; its range is fantastic; and its fire rate is equally devastating.  Most enemies—including bosses—will melt when pitted against the wave gun, leaving little reason to stray to other abilities.  SOPHIA’s weapons are a little more balanced, but because enemies are so easily defeated by any weapon, it is often more of a hassle to pause and change your weapons than it is just to push through and take some damage.

What’s the verdict?

Blaster Master Zero is a competent, enjoyable game, and I imagine fans of the genre will be perfectly happy with its content.  For the general populace, there are just too few elements that set Blaster Master apart from all the other competent, enjoyable games on the Switch.  If it were not for the cult appeal of the original Blaster Master, I suspect Zero would be lost amongst the other retro indie games that are belched out each week.  Blaster Master may have been a novelty when it came out during the Switch’s first month, but in the six months since then, the Switch menu has gained many more tastier options for your consideration.

Arbitrary Statistics:

• Score: 7
• Time Played: 8 hours
• Number of Players: 1-2
• Games Like It on Switch: Cave Story+, Azure Striker Gunvolt:  Striker Pack

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