{"id":96455,"date":"2019-07-11T09:20:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T09:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/blazing_chrome"},"modified":"2019-07-11T09:20:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T09:20:00","slug":"review-blazing-chrome-a-truly-amazing-contra-tribute-that-2d-fans-will-adore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/07\/11\/review-blazing-chrome-a-truly-amazing-contra-tribute-that-2d-fans-will-adore\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Blazing Chrome &#8211; A Truly Amazing Contra Tribute That 2D Fans Will Adore"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/9cc43b0e6ce91\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/9cc43b0e6ce91\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97650\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97650\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>When Konami announced <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/contra_rogue_corps\">Contra: Rogue Corps<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 the latest entry in the <strong>Contra<\/strong> series \u2013 during Nintendo&#8217;s E3 2019 Direct, you could almost hear a collective groan of disappointment worldwide. Of course, the realisation that Konami is actually still investing in console games was an absolute delight, and whilst the game didn\u2019t necessarily even look bad, it just wasn\u2019t Contra \u2013 at least, not the Contra that we all know and love.<\/p>\n<p>Purists need not worry though, because developer JoyMasher has delivered just what you&#8217;re looking for with <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/blazing_chrome\">Blazing Chrome<\/a><\/strong>, a 2D run &#8216;n&#8217; gun action title that fully encompasses everything you love about Contra and <em>then some<\/em>. It\u2019s the sort of retro-inspired title that feels so astonishingly authentic that you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking it\u2019s a re-release of an early &#8217;90s title. It\u2019s <em>that<\/em> good.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97647\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97647\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Set in the year 21XX, Blazing Chrome focuses on a band of soldiers struggling to survive against the onslaught of machines (known affectionately as \u2018toasters\u2019) intent on completely wiping out humanity following a long, devastating war. This is about as in-depth as the plot wants \u2013 or needs \u2013 to go. Unfortunately though, the subtitles displayed during the short opening cutscene had a few grammatical errors. We\u2019re not entirely sure whether this was a mistake or an intentional way to match the game\u2019s retro aesthetic, but it was a bit jarring regardless.<\/p>\n<p>You initially have access to two main characters, with more unlocked as you progress. The first playable character is Mavra, a truly hardcore resistance soldier, and the second is Doyle, a deadly robot reprogrammed to join the resistance, who just so happens to sport a wonderfully over-the-top mohawk. Once you select your character, you can choose the game\u2019s difficulty, which primarily dictates how many lives you start your campaign with, along with the frequency of enemy spawns. Keep in mind that you can\u2019t choose \u2018hard\u2019 difficulty until you\u2019ve cleared the game on \u2018normal\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, like its spiritual ancestors, Blazing Chrome is all about that moment-to-moment gameplay, and it&#8217;s absolutely <em>glorious<\/em>. You start off with a fully automatic machine gun by default, which you can shoot in any direction you wish. As you progress, the game will drop new weapon pick-ups at various points of the levels, which you can keep for as long as you like, providing you manage to stay alive. These include a grenade launcher, a wave beam and a charge shot. What&#8217;s brilliant is that all of these weapons feel so darn <em>good<\/em> that any one of them could easily become your main.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97652\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97652\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>In addition to weapon pick-ups, you\u2019ll also find tools that will boost your character in several different ways. This might be a shield that will allow you to take multiple shots before depleting, an attack drone that will shoot concurrently with your own gun, or a speed boost that will also allow you to double jump. You can only carry one at a time, so learning which enemies are lying in wait may dictate which one you\u2019ll need to pick up. Crucially, nothing feels tacked on \u2013 every item or weapon you pick up feels genuinely useful, and you won&#8217;t want any of them to pass you by.<\/p>\n<p>The stages themselves are incredibly varied. You&#8217;ll find yourself traversing a speeding train, climbing dilapidated platforms and even racing across a sun-drenched landscape in a hover-bike, all whilst fending off an endless onslaught of deadly enemies. These consist of standard grunts that simply run across the screen towards you, deadly sandworms that spring from the ground, giant insect creatures that can carry you off the screen, and more. You&#8217;ll also come across bosses that somehow manage to be both stunning in design and pretty darn intimidating to boot. The first mission&#8217;s boss reminded us a lot of the giant cyclops boss from the opening level of <strong>Contra: Hard Corps<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97648\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/97648\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Blazing Chrome Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Blazing Chrome doesn\u2019t just play like classic Contra titles, but it fully looks the part too. It really nails the apocalyptic theme that\u2019s so synonymous with &#8217;80s movies and games; backgrounds are made up of deep red skies and burning skyscrapers, and character designs take direct inspiration from franchises like <strong>Terminator<\/strong> and <strong>Aliens<\/strong>. Its overall look and feel has a distinctly serious tone, but hints of playfulness are scattered throughout to keep things from feeling a bit too bleak, such as NPCs flying past in ships yelling \u201chey bro\u201d at your character.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no getting around the fact that Blazing Chrome can be an incredibly difficult experience, particularly on the higher difficulty setting. If restarting a level again and again after multiple deaths doesn\u2019t sound like your cup of tea, you might be better off with a slightly more forgiving action game, like <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/gunlord_x\">Gunlord X<\/a><\/strong>. Veterans of Contra and newcomers looking for a bit of a challenge will relish the experience, however, particularly if they&#8217;re after something to play in short sessions on the go.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>For those longing for a time when side-scrolling shooters ruled the roost, Blazing Chrome is <em>exactly<\/em> what you&#8217;re looking for. Perfect for short sessions, its slick gameplay and old-school art direction make for an astonishingly fun game full of explosions, epic set pieces and spectacular boss battles. Its brutal difficulty may not be for everyone, but if you&#8217;re up for the challenge, then get ready for one of the most accomplished 2D action titles in years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Konami announced Contra: Rogue Corps \u2013 the latest entry in the Contra series \u2013 during Nintendo&#8217;s E3 2019 Direct, you could almost hear a collective groan of disappointment worldwide. Of course, the realisation that Konami is actually still investing in console games was an absolute delight, and whilst the game didn\u2019t necessarily even look [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}