In the early days of the Switch eShop, one of the first indie darlings to resonate with audiences was Blaster Master Zero, an enhanced remake of the NES classic. What began as an already solid remake quickly grew into something much more substantial thanks to a series of paid content drops and free updates that widened the scope of the game considerably with the addition of new modes and playable characters, demonstrating that Inti Creates had a vested interest in curating a new fanbase around the long-dormant IP.
Though hindsight is always 20/20, few could’ve predicted the surprise release of an original sequel, Blaster Master Zero 2, mere minutes after its first reveal on a Nintendo Direct, but fans were understandably ecstatic at the opportunity to further the adventures of Jason and Eve. Luckily, Inti Creates pulled out all the stops this time; Blaster Master Zero 2 rises to meet the high bar set by its predecessor and surpasses it in just about every way. This is pure, retro platforming goodness at its finest.
Blaster Master Zero 2 picks up right where the ‘true ending’ of its predecessor left off, with Eve’s body slowly being corrupted by mutant cells that will eventually kill her. The only cure for this alien affliction is evidently located on Planet Sophia, which is also the place from which Eve and the Sophia tank originally came. What follows is an intense race against time as Jason endeavours to cross the universe to save his friend’s life, encountering all sorts of opposition and turmoil as he learns that Eve and he are not the only android-and-pilot combo flying super tanks around the stars.
Compared to Blaster Master Zero, there’s a bit more of a focus on story here, with each new sector of the stars acting as a sort of chapter in the duo’s desperate adventure, and while the writing isn’t exactly what we would call stellar, it’s certainly a cut above the kind of storytelling one comes to expect from retro platformers of this ilk. Characters develop in sometimes surprising ways and the narrative occasionally touches, on a surface level, on some rather heavy themes, bringing a kind of gravitas to the narrative that’s much appreciated. Also, through conversations between Eve, Jason, and the various characters they encounter in their travels, the world-building gradually reveals the scope of the much larger universe this adventure is set in, setting the stage for many potential sequels if Inti Creates chooses to go that route.
Much akin to the story, the gameplay also picks up right where the original left off, ratcheting up the difficulty and throwing in a whole new wealth of gameplay improvements and additions that evolve the side-scrolling action in new and interesting ways. Rather than the large, mostly interconnected world of the previous game, Blaster Master Zero 2 takes things to the next level by offering a quasi-open world that places greater emphasis on player choice. The world is divided up into ‘areas’ that are separated by wormholes, and each area usually contains one ‘main’ world and a host of smaller, side worlds.
Once you pick a planet or ship to land on, you then take control of the all-new Gaia-Sophia tank in side-scrolling run ‘n’ gun sections that play like a bit like a slightly floatier version of Mega Man. On occasion, there will be sections of a level where the tank can’t go, requiring that Jason disembark and go it alone in his own platforming sections that usually revolve around climbing ladders and activating switches that can open new paths forward. It’s interesting how these side-scrolling portions highlight the disparity between Jason and the tank, as they really go a long way towards communicating the raw power and relative invulnerability of Sophia. When running around on foot, Jason is extremely vulnerable to enemy attacks, and jumping from what seems to be a relatively short height is usually enough to kill him outright; when you finally do get back into the driver’s seat of the tank, there’s a deeply satisfying feeling of relief to be found at the controls of a nearly unstoppable death machine.
Naturally, side-scrolling isn’t all that Blaster Master Zero 2 has to offer, as about forty percent of the gameplay is found in Jason-only dungeons that shift the perspective to a top-down cover-based shooter. Once again, there are plenty of improvements to be found in these sections compared to the original, most notably in how Jason now has a flashy counterattack that rewards risky play. When just about any enemy attacks there’s a small window in which a reticle appears above their head, and if you tap the ‘X’ button during this window, Jason will dramatically dodge out of the line of fire and respond with a powerful shot of his own. It’s the sort of mechanic that feels organically integrated into the underlying gameplay flow, making shootouts feel a little more skill-based while also allowing of the difficulty to go much higher while still being ‘fair’.
Dungeon designs have overall become more complicated in a good way, too, with the map layouts featuring interesting puzzles and lock and key situations that demand a bit more snooping around. Granted, these dungeons still don’t approach the kind of complexity that you’d expect to find in the Zelda games of old, but we appreciated there being a bit more meat to these top-down sections now and that the rewards at the end of them are often worth the struggle.
Whether playing as Jason or Sophia, level designs are noticeably varied and interesting, with each new area and planet bringing with it some new enemy types and environmental gimmicks to set things apart and keep the gameplay fresh. For example, one planet is divided into two by a series of dimensional rifts, which has turned part of the planet into a desert wasteland and the other into a frozen tundra; not only do you have to make sure not to touch any of those rifts – which will kill you instantly, tank or not – but navigating the two vastly different terrain types can prove to be an interesting challenge. Another planet is plant-based and overrun by some unusually aggressive bamboo which will actively block progress in certain places, creating an interesting maze-like environment that requires a lot of trial and error. You never know what to expect when you finally gain access to another area in Blaster Master Zero 2, and it’s to the game’s credit that it’s able to so continuously keep both the tank and on-foot section fresh with new gameplay variety every couple hours.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Blaster Master without a hefty amount of exploration, and Blaster Master Zero 2 does a great job of rewarding the player for going off the beaten path while also encouraging them to frequently backtrack to old areas. Throughout your adventure, you’ll frequently come across small maps that unlock new planetoids on the world map, which will be waiting for you whenever you opt to leave your current planet. These extra planetoids usually act as sort of ‘mini-dungeons’ that offer up a small, but focused set of challenges for both Jason and Sophia that usually end in you getting a health or SP upgrade or, more rarely, a new special weapon for one or both of them to make combat sections a little more spicy.
What’s nice about this new map system is how open-ended and non-linear it can prove to be; you aren’t usually required to go to any of these side areas unless you want to, but you can tackle them in just about any order you want and the rewards for taking that time away from the main story are almost always worth it. Plus, there’s a real sense of progress to be found in gradually upping your survivability and arsenal; many of the pickups along the way prove to be functional in more ways than one would expect, often subtly changing the way you approach the gameplay.
In terms of presentation, Blaster Master Zero 2 manages to surprise and delight; continuing the retro charm of the NES original and building on it in some subtle ways. It more or less looks just like its predecessor, but unlike that release, this one isn’t constrained by the limitations of a console that's over 30 years old. Worlds are much richer and rife with small details here, and the pixel art is truly astounding, especially in the boss encounters. One memorable boss harasses you from the background for almost an entire level, and both the boss itself and its attacks prove to be bombastic, colourful, and utterly scene-stealing as you deftly manoeuvre through the environment.
There may not be anything here that necessarily pushes the boundaries of pixel art, but it’s also difficult to think of many other retro-style games on the eShop that demonstrate a stronger grasp of the art direction. The same could be said of the chiptune soundtrack, though the music does tend more towards being forgettable. It’s not that there are any tracks here that are outright bad, but there’s also nothing nearly as memorable or iconic as the original game’s main theme; it’s the sort of chiptune soundtrack that’s just ‘there’.
Conclusion
Inti Creates has knocked it out of the park with Blaster Master Zero 2, improving on the original in nearly every conceivable way while also setting a clear path forward for what could hopefully become a flagship series for the company. Tight platforming action, memorable boss battles, plenty of extra side content, and some gorgeous pixel art make this one of the easiest recommendations on the eShop; we’d strongly encourage you to pick this one up as soon as you can. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series or are just getting into it for the first time, Blaster Master Zero 2 is a stellar and enjoyable experience from stem to stern, and just goes to further cement Inti Creates’ legacy as one of the best developers in the retro gaming business.
Comments 56
Great review, it seems a lot of people LOVE the Blaster Master games, I’m happy this lives up to its pedigree.
The real highlight of the Direct for me. Cuphead coming to Switch is great for people who don't own it already, and Cadence of Hyrule looks fantastic, but the first Blaster Master Zero is still one of my favorite games on Switch. 2 improved upon it in every way imo, a perfect sequel and so far one of the GOTY contenders for me along with Sekiro.
That's a very generous score. I felt the game was a massive step down from the first one in almost every conceivable way. The soundtrack is very mediocre, the level design is more annoying than fun at times (particularly at the planetoids), there are less upgrades, the rush counter system just felt really unwieldy when the screen was filled with enemies and the areas overall didn't feel all that interesting to me.
It's an okay game, worth the asking price, but sadly it just doesn't compare to the first one. I'd give it something like 6/10.
Easiest eShop recommendation I could give right now, it's that good.
@Spudtendo Pretty stoked about Cuphead to be honest since Switch is the only platform I have (3DS I suppose too).
Already preordered it.
This game is so dope everyone should try it. The review was spot on. Some of of the puzzles in the game had me thinking for a little while too. Awesome platforming, awesome boss battles which happen every 15 minutes it feels like, and it's only $10. Everyone needs to grab this. Definitely a surprise release i never knew I needed or wanted.
@SpottyBulborb
Oh for sure, Cuphead was absolutely the most important part of the Direct for most people and it's a smashing game. I might even double dip! I was just personally super stoked that we got a sequel to Blaster Master, and that it was released that same day.
I thought it was great, I’ll admit the music wasn’t fantastic and there weren’t as many upgrades as I’d have liked but it was a great romp through and through. It’s implied a 3rd game will be coming too, i will buy them all.
@Expa0 Oh boy, you’re so wrong.
Loved the first outing. Picked this up, but have been too busy with work to give it a try yet. Glad to see it seems to have met (or even exceeded) expectations. Can't wait to give the sequel a spin.
I still need to finish the first one, I bought it and it has sat atop my ever-growing pile of shame for some time now. I'll hold off on buying this til I actually finish the first one haha
This is game is a good time. Who knows maybe like the first one they will add characters but as of right now I have no need to go back. Plus i got the true ending so there is that.
Blaster Master Zero was a game I got because there wasn’t very much else in the Switch library at the time - but I ended up having a blast. I will definitely pick this up - but now it’s competing with a massive library, so I’m going to wait till I’ve cleared my backlog a bit. Thrilled it stands comparison with the original remake, though.
@SpottyBulborb ‘(3DS I suppose too)’ Wow, the shade! Lol sadly I know exactly what you mean. I LOVE my 3DS but I literally can’t even bring myself to turn it or the Wii U, which I also love, on anymore! The Switch is just such a leap, so slick and speedy.
Awesome game IMO - it's just as good as the first one! I highly recommend both BMZ1 and 2. Inti Creates really knows how to make retro-styled games
When I saw the 2 was out on the direct, I decided to buy the 1, and...
Wow, that one was not very good, I was left disappointed... It's good enough to not be bad, but there's waaay too much flaws to make it more than that.
I'm surprised to see praise for it here.
(Also, I jumped at that sentence "Of course, it wouldn’t be Blaster Master without a hefty amount of exploration"...
Did you really play the first one? o_O
The only exploration there is on the top-view sections are dead ends with no reward except for like one pack of health, and in the 2D sections, the side paths are barely out of the way!)
Planetoid C-2 can rot in a Space Junkyard though.
If I buy this game now, I’ll probably get Gunvolt for free later if it works like the last game.
Man that does make it tempting to not sleep on this title.
I'm not a fan of 2D platformers, but the demo (and subsequently the game itself) were the first things I played on my Switch back then, and I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm glad that the sequel apparently managed to improve upon an already highly enjoyable experience. At this price point, I'm definitely all-in with this one.
Also, I love how Nintendo now drops these kinds of gems with their Directs (you know like Bad North, admittedly not quite THAT good, but definitely also Into the Breach). It's a small thing, but it gives these games a moment in the spotlight, which they truly deserve, and it just also one aspect that makes the whole direct "tangible" in a way. It's not just something you are teased for months (or years in advance) but mere minutes or moments.
I really love that and I hope they keep doing it. One thing I would like to see, knowing it is not ever going to happen though, is have them drop a big game as this kind of surprise bomb ... Y'know, like a Zelda trailer and then bam, here you go "available on the eshop now!" I think that kind of move would market the game itself in this day and age - and all for free as well! ^^
I'll add it to my wishlist, since I played the first game recently will wait a bit before I jump in to the sequel.
Nice review, thanks! I'm much more likely to pick this up now. I'm sure Blaster Master zero 2 runs at 60fps, but while reading the review and hoping for fps being mentioned I thought about when I bought Blaster Master Zero for my 3DS thinking it might look better on 3DS because it would be in 3D. It looks like junk on 3DS! It's one of those 30fps sidescrollers. It stunned me. I couldn't believe how crappy the scrolling looked. Oh well, I got it on Switch later and will never download it and install it again on my 3DS.
Come to think of it. I remember shantae being free dlc for the 1st and I even downloaded it but for some reason i was never able to play with her. I called Nintendo and they couldn't help me. It was a really wierd situation.
I just wanna say that IntiCreates in general just kills it. I know they're an indie dev and publisher, but most things they touch turn to gold. Would not be surprised to see their company grow considerably in the coming years.
Too much to play and April is coming. Will have to wait for a sale but looks great!
I'm happy that this is as good as the first Blaster Master Zero game. I'm just glad it didn't get butcher like that garbage that is Blaster Master 2 for the Sega Genesis.
Yup, bought day 1. I enjoyed the first Blazter Master Zero game so of course I’ll like this one.
Eh, it's pretty good in a lot of areas, but virtually the whole thing felt more like a "Mission Pack" sequel than an all-new game, and for the most part I don't like that.
This is going off of my first three hours of this game, though. Hopefully I'm proven wrong in the end.
@MJInnocent haha to be fair I looooved my 3DS. Lived in China for a few years and that was my only gaming device. Have myself a good 25-30 games for it. And to be honest I gasp like the 3D
Nice, will add to wishlist!
@Expa0 as someone who wasn't crazy about celeste, hyperlight drifter, and deadcells; good on ya, even if a game is generally considered good it won't be compatible with everyone.
I gotta say something.... first, this game blew me away with how much of an improvement it is over Zero. The first one was phenomenal and this one is phenomenal x2. Second, I think the music in this one is waaaay better than in Zero. Now, true the first one was mostly remixed tracks from the NES one so as a fan, I have difficulty saying that. But this second one’s music is way better. I HATED the music in the on-foot/dungeon sections from Zero. This one is more varied. And although I do agree with the music just “being there” it’s still not a distraction. I was close to shutting the music off in Zero just because of the on-foot sections.
Wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone. It’s my favorite series and always has been.
It sounds like they upped the difficulty too much after the first game was already on the more difficult side of things. Things like minor falls to your death and mazes of instadeath terrain are just bad game design by modern standards. That could be a definite deal breaker for me.
It also sounds like they removed too much structure for my tastes with how much of an open world they made this one. I'll have to try the first game before I make my decision on this one.
@BulbasaurusRex First game was actually way too easy, that's why they added the hard mode in one of the patches; this game is definitely harder, but it's more balanced and where I'd say the first game should've been to begin with.
Also, the structure is still there, it's pretty linear moving from one area to the next, but you just have more choice in what you can do in each area.
I'd recommend you play through the first one for sure! All that post-launch support really built it up, and I'm sure they have similar plans for this sequel.
@BulbasaurusRex Far from the truth actually. As stated above, Zero 1 was extremely easy. The instadeath terrain is only in one place at the end of the game and there's actually a countermeasure for that.
I bought this the moment it became available, however it will prob be a few weeks before I can start it. I am excited to hear it carries on the legacy of the amazing first game!
Hudson have once again done an amazing job with this game and also at an incredible price point when you mark it against some of the stuff that comes out for much more money. The crying shame of this is that neither of these games have physical releases.
One little tip for newcomers for the tricky ladder sections in this game (that I didn’t know until someone mentioned it on GameFAQs): the jump button can also be used to grab ladders! You don’t need to perfectly time hitting up, you can just spam the jump button to grab on.
Playing it right now and I love it to bits; definitely worth it.
I quite enjoyed the first game, but it never really grabbed me fully. This one looks a lot more interesting so I shall pick it up as I love all things retro.
@SpottyBulborb I loved the 3D too! Especially on the New 3DS, amazing.
I loved the original Blaster Master on the NES despite thinking the game had something to do with Mad Max. Bought Zero for the 3DS, but never really played it. When I saw the Nindie announcement for Zero 2 I double dipped on the first and grabbed the second. It’s just a neat design, I wish more action games had an overworld and dungeons. Hope they do a #3.
@Seacliff That the one where you're jumping from ladder to ladder? If so, i totally agree. I feel like they knew how bad the ladder mechanics were and that was thrown in as a giant middle finger to the player. I had better luck just spamming up on the pad and crossing my fingers Jason would actually grab the damn things than trying to do it in the frame-perfect way they somehow expect you to do it otherwise. At least you can take out that turret towards the end for the return trip since getting the life-up token of course doesn't count as a checkpoint/you have to slog through it all over if you so much as fall more than .5 inches.
@BulkSlash Good to know. I was just spamming up on the d-pad to get that one life up token on the planetoid with all those ladders.
Beaten it. While I would say that the game is good and a definite recovery over the somewhat lackluster Dragon: Marked for Death, BMZ2 felt too challenging in many areas and the soundtrack wasn't as good as the first, in my opinion. Also, the game played too safe for me at times that I felt like I was playing a Mission Pack DLC of sorts. While I don't like games that come off as "Mission Pack" sequels, I still enjoyed BMZ2 regardless.
That said, I don't regret buying this game, but it's not one of those indie games I'd blindly boot up for another run.
I've finished both games. Zero 100% and Zero 2 100%.
Here are some facts that are not exactly said correctly in the review.
Zero 2 is just as easy as Zero. You can spam the X special when in the dungeons vs the faster shooting enemies to cheese them. That X special (just use the first initial one, the rest suck) is broken. By that I mean without it, you can't avoid damage from certain enemies, and with it, you can spam those enemies dead without any damage. Also using it at the right times makes most bosses easier.
The out of dungeon, in car bosses are easy too. You'll die a few times initially, I know I did, but you'll realise all their moves are well telegraphed so as long as you learn the telegraphs you can deal with every in car boss attack a head of time.
Because of the NES game. Zero being based off the NES game had a good framework to start with, so each level/area was well designed, a decent length, had great music, had a decent level theme and really fit well into the game.
Zero 2 on the other hand felt a little all over the place. The smaller planets felt a little unnecessary because you could have easily put that boss or loot item on the main planet in each zone.
Also the main planets felt a little too short so you didn't really feel satisfied when you were done with them.
Also the music from Blaster Master 2 was not as good as the original. Mind you the NES game had amazing music and Blastermaster Zero was inspired from that.
I think in my opinion Super Metroid SNES would be a better follow up to Blaster Master Zero. By that I mean a one planet game like Blaster Master Zero, but instead of a linear path between the levels, it could be more metroidvania where bosses are all over the place and there are really hidden loot items and you backtrack to new areas accessed with the better weapon you aquire along the way.
Overall I do think both Blaster Master Zero and Blaster Master Zero 2 are well worth picking up. Both are very fun and well worth the money.
In my opinion I'd give both the following scores.
Blaster Master Zero - 9/10
Blaster Master Zero 2 - 8/10
As an aside there have been quite a few Blaster Master games between the NES game and Blaster Master Zero. All of them were pure garbage. So bad they hurt to play. The NES game and two Switch games are the only 3 in the series worth playing.
If you think either Zero game is tough, go play the NES original on the NES online service on Switch. That game is similarto zero but much harder. Less save points, no in dungeon regrenerating shield and limited lives/continues before game over really do up the difficulty. In my opinion the difficulty is the only reason I don't give the NES game a 10/10. It's a masterpiece in every way. The music and diagonal screen scrolling (amazing tech for the time) were standout parts of the game.
@RetroOutcast Exactly my thought. I was wondering if they would fix the abysmal ladder gameplay from Zero 1, and not only they didn't but based a level around it - even though I have to admit it would have been very easy otherwise. The trick is indeed to mash up rather than holding it, but even after I understood that I died a dozen times... -_-
@RootsGenoa They've actually updated the game and in the notes it did say that "the difficulty of C-2 (obnoxious ladder challenge) has been adjusted". That'll be pleasant after finishing the game to 100% completion twice before that update when I go back to replay it.
Some people actually disagree with that particular decision for whatever reason. Sorry, but that's the kind of thing developers would put in a legitimate NES game just to keep kids from beating it on a rental period. Memory is no longer an issue so it just felt jarring and out of place in a game released in 2019. Had they decided to keep it the way it was...it should've been much later in the game as opposed to being like the second life upgrade.
@RetroOutcast Yes, it was all the more unfair that most life upgrades are found very late, too late in my opinion. I got the last two from two 'consecutive' planetoids (the first had also the map to the second)...
@RootsGenoa Didn't really bother me after how easy the first Zero was but at the same time...that ladder section felt like a giant middle finger and made me think the rest of the life-up tokens would be on the same level of difficulty. Nope...they go back to being pretty simple or moderately challenging to get. It was weird.
Having finally finished it, I definitely don't feel this is a step-up from the first Blaster Master Zero. While I dig some of the concepts like space exploration and all that, the actual game design is rather all over the place. Tedious boss fights make up a big chunk of it and they even make you rematch one of the most tedious bosses in the entire game on one of the planetoids. I don't mind boss rematches on Mega Man games because those are meant to be a test of how much you've learned about the game up to that point (such as robot master weaknesses), but the boss rematches here are just pure laziness. And of course there's the whole Planetoid C-2 thing which was just obnoxious. Lastly, getting the complete ending involves going through a series of silly fetch quests. Oh and most of the music is pretty bad. I only liked one song in the entire game.
Overall, meh. First BMZero was better, this one is just... not that good IMO. Definitely don't get all the hype.
@Expa0 Mind letting us know your thoughts on the third game? In a week or two I mean.
@Onion Mind letting us know your thoughts on Blaster Master Zero 3 once you have played it? Meaning how does it compare to the first two.
@the8thark I have not even read your "article" in it's entirety yet. I just hearted it because I think with the amount of work you put into it, you deserve more likes than what you have received thus far. Thank you for your input.
@Mopati I agree. For the most part I respect Nintendo Life, but they do get IGN level sloppy on occasion.
@Phostachio Have you beaten Cuphead yet?
@AmplifyMJ You did not need to use the word literally where you did. It detracts from your comment and makes you sound like a "valley boy/girl". I do not intend to be disrespectful to you. I am simply expressing my opinion. We are in the midst of the literally grammer apocalypse. The word is the most rampantly misused word in the English language among today's teens, young adults and thirty somethings. It is quite the cultural phenomenon, and one that I find to be cringe worthy. I understand that you and all of the hundred of thousands of other people who are saying and writing the word in this context are for the most part not intentionally butchering it's pedigree. I also understand the meaning that you have all ascribed to it. It has replaced the word seriously, and that is odd. Misusing the word seriously for emphasis was a bad habit, but replacing it with the word literally is far worse. For me it stands out like a sore thumb, and that makes it particularly painful for me when I hear it being used all over television and I see it being printed in novels. Just think about it. That is all i ask.
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