Blazer Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
134Game Info
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Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1987
Game Review & Impressions
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Dipping into Namco's back catalogue, Blazer stands out for both it's not-quite isometric perspective, and decision to put the player in the hotseat of a tank. Each of the game's levels feature winding paths through crumbling ruins, shadowy pine forests and belching chemical plants, each festooned with enemy vehicles, gun emplacements, not to mention the omnipresent threat of bombardment from planes in the sky above.
The player's tank has a limited amount of fuel, displayed bottom centre, which drains at a steady pace. Jerry cans of fuel can be found inside boxes secreted around the levels and, rarely, from aircraft you manage to shoot down with your ground-to-air missiles.
Located at key intersections are factories where you can upgrade your vehicle. The T2 tank has the ability to shoot in four directions at once, while the T3, a massive howitzer on tank tracks that can demolish opponents with relative ease, plus traverse sandy area with no penalty to movement. Both the T2 and T3 forgo the ability to destroy aircraft, so bear that in mind when making your selection.
Each level culminates with you leaving your tank in favour of a chopper, taking to the skies as you move to the next area. You'll need to shoot down enemy forces and bombard ground forces to rack up points, avoiding flak and shells along the way.
The first couple of levels of the game are really quite fun, and I was enjoying Blazer up until the mid-game where it became apparent the game was intent on screwing me over. Fuel pickups become ridiculously scarce, which means it becomes near impossible to progress without losing at least one life due to fuel running out. Despite multiple routes through each of the levels, these all suffer the same problem, which makes for a pretty unedifying experience.
If you do manage to make it to the final stage, there's an equally unpleasant discovery in store. Passage to the final objective is blocked by a sea mine you need to destroy, but achieving this is next to impossible. The game takes over the directional controls just prior to this point, so the only way to get past this point is to make sure you're situated in precisely the right spot and to fire your weapons so the projectiles are reaching the top of the screen before the mine appears. This is the only way to do enough damage and blow the stupid thing up before before slamming into it. It took me several goes to get this right, and even then it was down to the wire.
I find this kind of gatekeeping particularly egregious because it's such a massive middle-finger to the player. It doesn't matter how good you are, the game is going to fleece you. This spoils what is, otherwise, a fun arcade game - a real shame.
Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
00:50 Stage 1
03:02 Stage 2
09:25 Stage 3
15:00 Stage 4
#retrogaming #longplay #arcade