Skyblazer (SNES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
697A playthrough of Sony Imagesoft's 1994 action-platformer for the Super Nintendo, Skyblazer.
Skyblazer is a spiritual successor of sorts to Sony Imagesoft's excellent 1992 game Hook. In terms of plot, it is entirely unrelated. However, being built on the same foundation, anyone that has played Hook will immediately recognize the distinctive animation style and feel of the controls. Both were, after all, developed by Ukiyotei.
That's not to say that Skyblazer is a mere clone of Hook, though. The game pulls much of its philosophical musings and main figures from its Hindu influence, and the music is filled with all sorts of traditional, Eastern instruments that lend the experience a somewhat exotic, orchestral flair. It then combines this with ideas we saw in Actraiser 2 - not only are you the son of [God], but you also will cull your powers from the enemies you've defeated.
There isn't too much about Skyblazer that you would call original outside of its cultural leanings - most of the gameplay mechanics have appeared in other games (Mega Man X, ActRaiser, Castelian/Battletoads, etc.) many times before - but rarely do they come together as well as they have in Skyblazer. The controls are fluid, varied, and intuitive, the occasional puzzles are woven well into the stage designs, and the occasional flying stage does wonders for breaking up the platforming sections. The only complaint I can muster is that the game is far too easy, but that never got in my way of totally enjoying it.
The graphics and sound are also excellent. The player character and the minor enemies, though on the small side, all animate well, and some of those bosses put on some impressive shows of SNES wizardry - some will expand and fill the screen as they take damage (remember the giant face from The Legend of the Mystical Ninja?) while others will smash you by flipping the stage around you (just like the one in Hook). Most of them are quite memorable, and for me, ended up becoming the high point of the game.
Skyblazer is a game well worth playing. The production values are excellent, the gameplay is clean, and most importantly, it's a lot of fun. If you liked Hook, this obscure gem is an easy choice.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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