MECHBLAZE

8/10 A great action platformer and worthy sequel to gigantic army. While not as good as GA, it's a fast pace action pact game that provides a good challenge. While I normal don't like Japanese mech games since they tend to try to be more like that gundam (flying around and being ridiculous instead of hulking war machines like western mech games) This is one of the exceptions and I fully recommend.

Хорошая, но коротенькая. На нормале - совсем простая и проходится буквально за полтора часа. На старте предлагают из обширного арсенала выбрать 3 пушки, с которыми предстоит бегать всю игру. Явно был расчет на реиграбельность. Патронов навалом, можно особо не экономить, но бесконечные пушки тоже весьма хороши. Сохраняться можно только в начале уровня: сдох на боссе - уровень заново, но они коротенькие, поэтому нестрашно. По сравнению со Steel Strider подтянули графон и управление - играть с геймпада всё еще неприятно, но уже вполне возможно. Из дополнительных жанров оставили только шмап. Не знаю, буду ли перепроходить, но на разок - годно.

difficult game partly due to the tricky controls you cant use your mouse and 2d side scrollers are inherently difficult. The graphics are phenomial really reminds me of cortex command one of my favorite games and the gameplay is nice i like the weapon selection and being able to dash jump

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●良かった点 １：ヴァルケンの操作が好きだったのですぐに馴染む事ができた。ヴァルケンよりやや楽 ２：複数から選べる武器のチョイスで攻略法が変わる ３：クリア後の武器解禁もあり繰り返し楽しめる ４：チュートリアルもありゲーム性や難易度バランスも丁度良かった ●ここがちょっと・・・な点 １：バルカイザー（スーパーロボット）が登場、世界観を統一して欲しかった。 　　※BGMもこの時だけ印象が違う ２：ヴァルケンみたいな戦闘中の会話演出が無い、キャラ絵も無いので寂しい ロボゲー好きなら誰でも楽しめると思います。 お勧め！！

Edit i am updating this review because the game works on the Steam Deck and it's pretty fun for what it is. it's a mech contra-like with unforgiving gameplay and mediocre overall presentation. I think it's pretty fun though, especially on handheld. Only worth the cost of a cup of coffee though.

[b]Mechblaze[/b] feels like a return to Astro Port's origins, while also fully embracing the convoluted continuity set game after game. It's a clear spiritual successor to one of their earliest games, [b]Gigantic Army[/b], forsaking the more modern elements of [b]Steel Strider[/b] to return to a [b]Valken/Cybernator[/b] mech. It's however set before either of those, taking place parallel to [b]Armed Seven[/b], and even directly involves Vulkaiser - it's like a Gundam series where suddenly Mazinger is involved, but Japan has had [b]Super Robot Wars[/b] for decades so… Hiroko Nakaya, an important character in a few other games, here assists the player, and is established (or rather retconned) to be a background character in [b]Vulkaiser[/b] and [b]Meglilo[/b]; a cutscene in the latter game is also reframed in a more serious way, in light of the development of Nakaya throughout the timeline. The mech feels heavy yet maneuverable as it should, and it now comes with unlimited dashing for no more frustration when traversing long stretches of terrain. The shield, while essential to survive some tricky situations, can't be used indefinitely and eventually breaks, with no chances of recovering it until the end of the level. A few weapons aren't available from the beginning and require certain conditions to be unlocked; fortunately it doesn't take much to get the flamethrower, one of the best weapons to use despite its short range. There is a button to hold the aim while moving but it's also possible to have it done by just keeping the fire button pressed, a choice that, along with having the dash performed with either a dedicated button or with a double tap forward or backwards, I greatly appreciated because it allows to concentrate on maneuvering and defending. In some sections the mech takes flight and it's much more maneuverable than in [b]Steel Strider[/b], in a clear callback to [b]Armed Seven[/b]. Shame that once again, weapons can be set up only at the beginning, with no chances to change the loadout between missions. The Astro Port visual style keeps being refined, nothing new in their expertise at making great mecha designs and huge bosses that are the more satisfying to see when reduced to smoking piles of metal, but I've been surprised by the level of detail of the backgrounds too. Explosions look good, as does the flamethrower. It even manages to have the first boss of [b]Vulkaiser[/b] redone in this style (with an in-universe justification to boot), and Vulkaiser itself looks distinct yet not out of place when it appears. While not especially elaborate, the levels offer a tightly paced combination of pure action, bosses, and some platforming; even health and ammunition pickups feel perfectly placed. The lack of any timer during levels made me hope this could be longer but while lasting more than [b]Gigantic Army[/b], it's also shorter than [b]Steel Strider[/b]. Maybe it's an observation due to the price, higher than previous Astro Saga releases, or maybe just because I wanted more from the game as I enjoyed it so much. Once again the story could use better exposition, given the lore built by jumping back and forth in the timeline, but I've gotten used to that and it should always be considered accessory. I may have been hasty to judge [b]Zangeki Warp[/b] as the best Astro Port game, because [b]Mechblaze[/b] comes closely tied.

this game ends with super robot ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, making it a true real robot game