A revival of a classic!
A frustrating classic, but if you had an NES and this game, you know how good the original game Blaster Master Zero was based off of was. It was an essential addition to any NES library.
And good news, Zero does most of that good stuff, and then some. Lots of quality of life improvemnts that players of the older Blaster Master games wish they had, most notibly a save feature. You don't know the relief of being able to save your game is until you've played the NES Blaster Master. If you didn't know that game inside and out, you were out fo luck.
Not so with Zero. This is a much more beginner friendly game, with less aggressive enemies, good weapon upgrades/options, great pacing, and, oh yeah, a map! Very much appreciated in a game like this. The graphics are colorful -maybe a tad too much so- and the objects in game are clearly defined, so there is very little gameplay confusion with Zero. Every once and a while, the game might throw a movement puzzle at the player, but it's never something so complex it takes hours to figure out. There is quite a difficulty spike in the final few stages comparing to the earlier ones, so expect to do some skill refining.
One thing this version of Blaster Master is lacking from the original is the soundtrack; it does not hit as hard in Zero as it did in the original. A lot of the tracks from the original were remixed for Zero, and while they can have a pleasant bop to them, they don't make one want to groove in their seat like the original did. Those stage 3 and stage 7 tunes are a dissapointment, but the gameplay is so good in Zero that it's easy not to notice, as long as you don't listen too hard.
Level design is much better this time around, with a lot of creative level gimmics the original did not have. With the movement options available to the player and the placement of most of the enemies, traversal through the "areas" can be quick and fun. There are a lot of times in the later stages especially where slowing down becomes more mandatory, but I've seen people blaze through even those levels, so with a bit of knowhow a good pace can be maintained.
My biggest gripe with the controls is how slippery the player character vehicle is. It is all too easy to slide right off a legde, or into an enemy. That's one thing I whish they omitted from the original. Other then that, the control is excellent! Grab yourself a good trusty controller and have a blast.
All in all, Zero is a pretty amazing revisioning of a beloved NES hallmark. Every fan of side-scrollers would do well to at least try this one out. Very recommended.
