MECHBLAZE

It's a game that I want to like, but it didn't quite understand why Metal Slug worked at the premier run'n'gun shooter. So I'm going to compare this game to Metal Slug to explain what Metal Slug got right. The biggest flaw of Mechblaze is the checkpoint system. So, when you die, you go back to the last checkpoint with the damage and ammo you had before you got to the checkpoint. The result is that it creates a soft lock where if you took too much damage before you got to the checkpoint, you're near dead post checkpoint. So, say you took 80% damage, then checkpoint, then you die. You start from the checkpoint and still have 80% damage. You can't change weapons to see what would work better either; you have to start a new game to do that. Now compare to Metal Slug where where you die and run out of lives, it prompts a continue screen with a heavy machine gun power up and restocked grenades. The depending on which Metal Slug there is, there's some kind of penalty like resetting score or it just notes how many continues you took to beat the game, but it doesn't soft lock. If you were fighting a boss, it still has the damage it took during your first attempt. Sure, old Metal Slug would eat your quarters, but it made sure you wouldn't get stuck and gave you extra resources to do so. So would I recommend it? Only on discount, but I'm not that impressed by this game. It wants to be an old arcade run'n'gun, but some of its design decisions are not improvements.

ヴァルケンの操作性でやるレイノスというか、レイノスっぽいヴァルケンというか。 それでピンと来る人にだけ刺さればいい。そんなゲームです。 細かいことを言えばヴァルケンよりジャンプなどがちょいもっさりしてるかなとか粗を探せば色々出てくるけど、そんなことはどうでもいい。 このゲームはこのゲームとして楽しめばいいんです。

男の人ってこういうのが好きなんでしょ！

One of the more easily approachable games the dev has made. Easy mode really is easy and lets you get comfortable with the controls. Gets harder right away when you try for harder difficulties and learning that aiming takes it's time before it's in the backbone. I love Satazius, Gigantic Army and what not but this one i'd say is the one to start with if you are feeling a bit unsure where to start. Cons? As always a con here is that resolution is garbage so if you try to play this on a large screen then... just don't. And thats about it. Rest is just pure gold as always.

This game turned me off a little at first because I didn't understand it. It seemed similar to the gameplay style of Gigantic Army, so I thought I could play this game at a similarly brisk pace using the same strategies and do fine. I got my ♥♥♥♥ stomped, blamed it on the game, then muscled my way through to the ending and didn't pick it back up again for a long while. Recently I came back to it to compare how it plays versus other successors of the Assault Suits series. I was hot off Assault Suits Valken for the Super Nintendo and used to the more plodding and deliberate pace of it, where rushing along at the wrong time could swiftly get you swarmed by all kinds of weapons platforms at angles you aren't ready to deal with. You always had your shield, however, capable of blocking omnidirectionally regardless of what way you were facing. Mechblaze wants to take a route that sits somewhere between the two games. The Vostok is a mech that's a little good at everything, more modular than Gigantic Army's Saladin and with a faster power ramp up than the Assault Suit from Valken. The Vostok is a lot faster than either mech with its indefinite dash, but it's also a lot more fragile to sustained fire, and while your shield is a valuable tool it isn't indestructible nor omnidirectional. Additionally your melee pilebunker, while powerful, will knock you away from your enemy if it doesn't kill which can put you back into the enemy's angle of fire. What all this does is foster a game feel where the player is managing their resources in a constant tug of war with the enemies between caution and balls to the wall aggression. Sometimes you don't want to eat a shotgun blast to the shield because you know you need that shield health for a later fight in the stage, and you know you're fast enough to get in under the shotgunner's cone of fire. Sometimes you know there's a grenadier holding a choke point where it'll hit you if you rush in, so you can either try and jump the grenade on impact or just sponge it with your shield. Sometimes you know you could just rush down one of the weaker grunt mechs before it has a chance to deliver its payload, but a mech you know won't immediately die to your pilebunker is in the way, forcing you to reconsider how to work your weapons and position to your advantage. This constant series of choices and judgements created through power, limitation, and the player's own mastery of the Vostok's basics is what makes Mechblaze one of ASTRO PORT's finest titles (that I've played lol!) While the playtime is short, a modular arsenal with multiple difficulties and plenty of curveballs to the gameplay formula during its campaign give Mechblaze solid replay value. The story also has a surprising number of hype moments for fans of ASTRO PORT, especially given Mechblaze's weird transitory time period between Vulkaiser, Gigantic Army and Steel Strider, though the between level dialogue from your handler is still a bit threadbare beyond foreshadowing. Some criticisms I have: The resolution is limited. It's more flexible than Gigantic Army's "play full screen or play in a tiny box" conundrum, but it still feels archaic. The soundtrack, while fitting, doesn't have any standout tracks besides a particular event towards the endgame-- it's palatable techno metal that doesn't linger in mind for long. I feel like the tuning on the Vostok's i-frames and pilebunker could have been different. I respect their reasoning behind changing how those work compared to Gigantic Army, but I miss having reliable pilebunker rushdowns. The game balancing feels a bit backwards, with stages and fights in the middle of the game feeling more difficult than those at the end. It's especially noticable comparing it to Valken, Front Mission: Gun Hazard, Gigantic Army, and Steel Strider's own finales. All in all, I'd recommend Mechblaze to anyone who enjoys a more deliberate platformer, giant robots, or anyone who wants to support successors to the Assault Suits games and ASTRO PORT's future endeavors. It's good fun.

Most 2D side scrolling shooters ask you to run and gun. Not MechBlaze. In MechBlaze you *strut* and gun. Because you're a two-hundred tonne war machine and everyone else needs to get the f*ck out of the way.

横スクロールシューティングゲームです。 同じところが出している「Gigantic Army」とほぼ同じ見た目のゲームなのですが、前作であった問題点のほぼ全てを解決した良ゲーとなっています。 チュートリアル→ある 銃の向きを固定するボタン→ある ダッシュ操作ボタン→ある ダッシュを継続的に行うシステム→ある 武装による戦略性→ある やたら急かしてくる変な時間制限→なし ストーリー性のある演出や展開→ある こんな感じです、「重装機兵ヴァルケン」ライクのゲームである事は変わっていませんが、味方機とかも結構出てくるのでどっちかというと「重装機兵レイノス」の方が近いかもしれませんね。 ただ、SEやBGMは若干物寂しさが残る感じではあります、それ以外に関しては結構良く出来てると思います。 武装のシステムも変更されており、画面上にどの武器がどれぐらいパワーアップするか表記される事で強さの段階が分かりやすくなった上に、ダメージを食らわずにパワーアップを取り続けるとマックスパワー状態になって一定時間強力な攻撃が出来るようになってます。 敵の攻撃を避けてパワーアップアイテムを取り続ければ、爽快感抜群のマックスパワーモードで攻撃出来るので、頑張って敵の攻撃を避けるメリットがあります。 あとこれは小ネタみたいな感じですが、マックスパワー状態になった武器を切り替えて別の武器にする事で、マックスパワー状態の武器を温存する事も出来ます、ボス戦前とかにミサイルやレールガンのマックスパワー状態を維持出来てればかなり有利に戦えます。 こんな感じで、動かしてて面白いシューティングゲームになっていますので、今遊んでも遜色無い出来だと思います。 「重装機兵ヴァルケン」や「重装機兵レイノス」に思い入れがある人なら、プレイして損は無い作品だと思います。

Dans la série des jeux de Mecha d'Astro Port, celui ci est certainement leur meilleur ! Le plus aboutis en terme de mise en scène in game, de level design et game design. Il reprend les mécaniques d'un Gigantic Army en les améliorant, rendant le jeu encore plus fun (Gigantic Army étant déjà un monument de fun en soi !). Clairement un jeu à conseiller !

This is a fun game. Definitely has some Cybernator/Valken vibes. Play it on Normal- beat it in around an hour, then try it on the harder modes. Lower resolution, no cut scenes, no voice acting- pure heart and gameplay. Worth messing with for sure!

Outstanding run n' gun game. Astro Port can do no wrong.