Lately, I've been diving into retro-style games, the kind you just turn on, play, beat, and you're done—much like the classic NES and SNES games. These are perfect for a casual afternoon of gaming. In my search, I found a treasure trove of PS2 games and many indie titles. Among the indies, JoyMaster studio’s games caught my eye.
What stands out about JoyMaster's games is their direct parody of old franchises, many of which no longer exist. For instance, Oniken, inspired by old games like Ninja Gaiden with visuals reminiscent of Berserk. Odallus, on the other hand, evokes the older Castlevania series with its exploration aspects and somewhat clunky controls. But the game that grabbed my attention the most is their latest release, Blazing Chrome, a tribute to Contra, which thrilled me because I love Contra and similar games like Gunstar Heroes and Alien Soldier.
Blazing Chrome is essentially a 2D run-and-gun shooter, reminiscent of classic games like Contra (especially Contra Hard Corps), Alien Soldier, Metal Slug, Alien Storm, and even a bit of Forgotten Worlds. It's a retro game through and through, with beautiful pixel art cutscenes that resemble old anime. The story is straightforward: after an apocalypse, you fight the bad guys. The focus here is clearly on gameplay rather than a complex narrative.
The gameplay is frenetic, typical for this genre. You hold down the shoot button and try to survive the bullet hell. The animations are stunningly detailed, with effects like explosions and particle animations that are just delightful. The graphics evoke the Mega Drive, SNES, or even Game Boy Advance, aiming to replicate the arcade experience faithfully.
The music is fantastic, with a real 16-bit era vibe, though it was hard to appreciate fully with all the shooting and explosions and my friend and I laughing and shouting throughout the game. This actually added to the charm, bringing back the nostalgic feeling of playing co-op on the couch.
Playing in co-op was a blast. We discovered new weapons and power-ups together and felt like champions after each boss fight. I found the game relatively easy, partly because we played on normal mode with 5 lives and infinite continues. The generous checkpoints meant we could keep trying until we figured out a strategy, reminiscent of the Metal Slug console games where you die repeatedly but eventually succeed.
I wanted to try the hardcore mode, but you need to beat the campaign on normal first. While normal mode wasn't too hard, some moments were frustrating. However, thanks to the numerous checkpoints, we managed to beat it without too much trouble. Easier difficulty isn't always bad as it makes the game more accessible, but the gap between normal and hardcore modes felt too wide.
The game excels in design, with bosses that telegraph their attacks, allowing you to predict their moves. This extends to level design, where traps are introduced in a safe way before becoming challenging, teaching you mechanics without explicit tutorials.
However, the vehicle stages and special stages were a bit too fast, causing discomfort. The backgrounds moved so smoothly that our vision got messed up, making it hard to focus. A slower background could solve this while maintaining the fast-paced feel. The jetpack stage had a stunning 2D-3D effect that strained our eyes less but was still a relief when it ended. Slowing the background here would help without losing the visual impact.
Despite this, the game is nearly perfect. The main issue was the vehicle stages, and the difficulty options could be better balanced. Normal mode was too easy, and hardcore too challenging. Fewer checkpoints in normal mode would have made it more satisfying.
Overall, Blazing Chrome is an excellent game, a rare linear indie title that's not a Metroidvania. It's fast-paced, visually stunning, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys run-and-gun shooters.
What stands out about JoyMaster's games is their direct parody of old franchises, many of which no longer exist. For instance, Oniken, inspired by old games like Ninja Gaiden with visuals reminiscent of Berserk. Odallus, on the other hand, evokes the older Castlevania series with its exploration aspects and somewhat clunky controls. But the game that grabbed my attention the most is their latest release, Blazing Chrome, a tribute to Contra, which thrilled me because I love Contra and similar games like Gunstar Heroes and Alien Soldier.
Blazing Chrome is essentially a 2D run-and-gun shooter, reminiscent of classic games like Contra (especially Contra Hard Corps), Alien Soldier, Metal Slug, Alien Storm, and even a bit of Forgotten Worlds. It's a retro game through and through, with beautiful pixel art cutscenes that resemble old anime. The story is straightforward: after an apocalypse, you fight the bad guys. The focus here is clearly on gameplay rather than a complex narrative.
The gameplay is frenetic, typical for this genre. You hold down the shoot button and try to survive the bullet hell. The animations are stunningly detailed, with effects like explosions and particle animations that are just delightful. The graphics evoke the Mega Drive, SNES, or even Game Boy Advance, aiming to replicate the arcade experience faithfully.
The music is fantastic, with a real 16-bit era vibe, though it was hard to appreciate fully with all the shooting and explosions and my friend and I laughing and shouting throughout the game. This actually added to the charm, bringing back the nostalgic feeling of playing co-op on the couch.
Playing in co-op was a blast. We discovered new weapons and power-ups together and felt like champions after each boss fight. I found the game relatively easy, partly because we played on normal mode with 5 lives and infinite continues. The generous checkpoints meant we could keep trying until we figured out a strategy, reminiscent of the Metal Slug console games where you die repeatedly but eventually succeed.
I wanted to try the hardcore mode, but you need to beat the campaign on normal first. While normal mode wasn't too hard, some moments were frustrating. However, thanks to the numerous checkpoints, we managed to beat it without too much trouble. Easier difficulty isn't always bad as it makes the game more accessible, but the gap between normal and hardcore modes felt too wide.
The game excels in design, with bosses that telegraph their attacks, allowing you to predict their moves. This extends to level design, where traps are introduced in a safe way before becoming challenging, teaching you mechanics without explicit tutorials.
However, the vehicle stages and special stages were a bit too fast, causing discomfort. The backgrounds moved so smoothly that our vision got messed up, making it hard to focus. A slower background could solve this while maintaining the fast-paced feel. The jetpack stage had a stunning 2D-3D effect that strained our eyes less but was still a relief when it ended. Slowing the background here would help without losing the visual impact.
Despite this, the game is nearly perfect. The main issue was the vehicle stages, and the difficulty options could be better balanced. Normal mode was too easy, and hardcore too challenging. Fewer checkpoints in normal mode would have made it more satisfying.
Overall, Blazing Chrome is an excellent game, a rare linear indie title that's not a Metroidvania. It's fast-paced, visually stunning, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys run-and-gun shooters.