Gaming is not short of NES-like experiences these days; titles filled with 8-bit-style blocky pixels, beepy music, and some controllable character for you to take from the left side of the screen to the right. These games tend to chase the past from a comfortable distance, the harsh technical restrictions of almost 40 years ago something to keep in mind for stylistic reasons rather than be tied down to. Blazing Rangers is different.
Blazing Rangers by Karu_gamo, perhaps best known for their work on the Protect Me Knight series, isn’t merely NES-like, it’s a brand new NES game made for use with either original Nintendo hardware or your compatible cartridge-taking equivalent of choice.
New-retro physical releases like this are difficult to get right; if anything feels even slightly off, the whole package slides from happy nostalgia to uncomfortably knock-off. Happily the Famicom edition of Blazing Rangers we tested stands up to even a collector’s level of scrutiny, with the box as well as the cart looking and feeling as well-constructed and professionally produced as any authentic copy of Kirby’s Adventure or Salamander. The included manual is thick, detailed, and full colour, taking the time not only to go over all the gameplay tricks you need to know but even including a short comic and some stylish illustrations as well.
The game design most closely resembles the single screen arcade titles of decades gone by, games with straightforward but enjoyably skilful gameplay loops that repeat over and over in more challenging variations of themselves until the short ending sequence plays. One person can play alone or a friend can join in for some cooperative fun (impressively, both characters not only have their own strengths and weaknesses but they actually look different from each other too), with the goal of each level being to rescue all the children trapped within and then carry them safely back to the exit.
To make things difficult, stages often place these unlucky kids behind locked doors or close to roaring fires and dangerous exploding barrels, and on top of that the large points bonus you gain from bringing more than one back at a time (ideally all of them in one go) is always tempting… even if your already vulnerable firefighter slows down significantly when carrying more than one person at a time.
How hard or easy this all is also depends on whether you plumped for the nostalgically titled A or B game. The A game is a challenging but manageable run through the game’s thirty-two stages while the B game is much harder, featuring a drastically shorter timer that only replenishes if you successfully rescue children (or die trying) — and you’ll want to keep the timer looking as healthy as possible because when it hits zero the screen turns an intimidating red and the fires become more fierce and spread faster than ever before.
As a Blazing Ranger you are at least well-prepared for all the heat-based problems thrown your way, thanks to a helpful length of hose as well as a water gun capable of pushing the flames back in eight directions. Like all good retro titles, the difference between these two pieces of equipment is subtle but significant. The hose shoots out an infinite stream of water but is limited by its length (although the 5m extensions dotted throughout each level will help with this), is heavy to carry, and can’t be taken over fences either. Sudden fires and even mischievous monsters can rip it out of your hands, too, forcing you to decide on the spot whether to push on regardless or risk going back to retrieve it.
The water gun has a shorter range, limited (but refillable) supplies, and must be periodically pumped up with a frantic hammering of the 'B' button, but it also has the clear benefit of always being with you no matter where you are or how bad the fire gets. Rushing off to collect one of the randomly generated power ups that appear from time to time can also help, from the expected but always welcome 1UP to the coveted sprinkler that rains down random drops of water onto the floor below.
Even so, no matter how well you hose the stage down you’re always fighting a losing battle as stages tend to start as blazing infernos and then get quickly worse, often making you pick a dangerous route through the least-worst flames on the spur of the moment than work your way across the stage in a safe and methodical manner. Brick walls will eventually glow red-hot before crumbling away — potentially creating a shorter route to a survivor than planned — doors can burn down, and fire-breathing monsters will keep spawning no matter what you do. It’s astonishing how dynamically the levels fall apart, especially considering the hardware. No matter how carefully you play or how familiar you are with each level, you’re never in full control of your environment, and one of the great joys of the game is turning on your dusty old console and knowing for a fact each game of Blazing Rangers will play out at least a little differently from the last.
Diamonds hidden on each stage also add to the longevity, their location revealed by a brief sparkle as the level begins (and even then only if you collected a magnifying glass power up on the previous map). Looping these often tricky spots with your hose becomes a puzzle in its own right as they can often only be reached by lengthening the hose beyond its standard limits and carefully planning your route. The extra points gained from each diamond do make it worthwhile though — and there’s even a secret ending waiting for you if you manage to collect every single one.
Conclusion
Blazing Rangers is more than just another '80s-style novelty intended to sell out on pre-order and then sit on shelves never to be played — it really does feel like a new game that just happens to be on the NES and not another round of “Remembering Retro Things: NES Edition”. It aims to be more than a timid rehash of a popular modern trend or another safe retro-friendly bet. It’s simple enough for anyone to pick up the basics in just a few rounds of play but also has the depth and scoring potential to make it worth coming back to again and again, the constant pressure and slight randomness built into the game’s design forcing you to think on your feet even if you’ve cleared a level dozens of times before, and an unlockable "Extreme" mode guaranteed to challenge even the toughest Rangers. If you've got the skills — and the requisite hardware — Blazing Rangers is a real 8-bit blast.
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Comments 21
Cons: you have to read the manual.
[slam face here]
Removed - harassment
I tried the demo myself and enjoyed what I played, though I didn't come back to it.
You can grab the demo yourself too, it's a free 40KB NES ROM.
https://firstpressgames.itch.io/blazing-rangers
Removed - harassment
I love that people are doing this. It's poetry for the digital age in that you force yourself into a confined space when creating your art so that the focus has to be on mastering the tools at your disposal. You might not see it, but it's the code magic people like these guys come up with that makes a lot of AAA tiles better.
@BloodNinja
Not really. The con is valid; Super Mario Bro has a effective tutorial, and in a game doing what this game is trying to do it is a missed opportunity in it's design not to use the same type of deliberate planning.
https://medium.com/swlh/the-perfect-game-tutorial-analyzing-super-marios-level-design-92f08c28bdf7
@HeadPirate [slam head here]
I have the burning rangers song in my head now. Cool game. Would play it on Switch or everdrive
@NinChocolate same
I miss the days when games had manuals stuffed with important information.
Sounds pretty cool!
Hoping for a video review of this one. :3
Great review Kerry!
Since I played through the Famicom version, let me throw in some notes to some comments here:
@thiz The manual has some story bits and a few gameplay tips that are not communicated in the game because of limitations, so the con has a point.
However, regarding @Headpirate’s comment about teaching mechanics through game design: Blazing Rangers does that.
The game shows you a spark in the super open and easy level 1 by default, making the player curious to experiment how they can get something there.
Another non-self explanatory element, the fences which can only be crossed without the hose, are explained through natural play in another level, by placing a kid behind a fence that cannot be reached by the hose’s length.
And so on - The game design is quite on point in that regard.
The game looks cool, would love to play it. However... I've basically given up on ever receiving the copy i paid for. I would warn anyone thinking about getting a physical copy that my experience with First Press Games has been EXTREMELY bad. I've placed two orders with them. This was late last year and early this year. Their anticipated delivery date was not met, which is fine. Delays are par for the course this year. However, I sent a number of emails over half a year (more than 6) inquiring about the status and was ignored on all occasions. They had previously communicated with me via the email address I used, so there's no doubt they were received. I'm working with my bank to get my money returned now, as I have no confidence my orders will be fulfilled. So yeah... be wary of First Press Games.
Nintendo should try and get it on the NSO Nes app!
"Like all old games there’s a lot of crucial game-changing knowledge locked away in the manual"
I see that more as a pro than a con.
These days there are too many games with tutorials that overstay there welcome while not clearly explaining the game.
Plus with a manual if you missed something, at least you can quickly flip thru it to get the info.
You can't really do that with a tutorial.
In the age of the internet, any hidden knowledge in paper manuals won't matter in the long run, surely. I do miss manuals though.
Interesting review, thanks.
I think many people fundamentally misunderstand the purpose of the cons list in these reviews. They don't necessarily all apply to every player, the list includes things that the reviewer thinks might put some players off. You can read the list and decide for yourself whether you think they would bother you or not. If they don't then bully for you, go play the game.
From the screenshots, that looks like a lot of sprites on screen at once for a NES game. Wonder how they managed to pull that off without flickering.
@Yorumi Yeah.... I expect deliveries to take a while with any of the limited pressing game distributors. However, in the case of First Press its gotten to the point where I no longer believe that they intend to make good on my deliveries. They initially gave me a time frame of April for both deliveries. Its November now. Which... I could also actually totally understand, especially considering shipping constraints this year. What I can't understand is ignoring 6 emails politely asking for status updates. They also then created a tracking number for my packages that hasn't updated since August. When they finally provided a reply of some sort, it was to basically say that the shipping company never received the games. They must have gone missing before getting to them. They said they would re-send the packages (which again... think about that... the packages went missing before getting to the shipping company). When I asked for confirmation of the shipping number, they went on radio silence again. So... my perspective is delays are understandable this year. Bad customer service is not. And the service I've received is so bad, it borders on fraudulent. I've actually read a number of comments from people who've had similar experiences with FPG. So, I'm definitely under the impression that this is not unusual for them. I'm glad your delivery was received though. I've seen that some other people have also had their shipments fulfilled. It doesn't seem consistent though.
@Yorumi Yeah... that's what I was thinking too. I know the Kickstarter had success. I'm assuming you're talking about Tobu Tobu Girl. Ironically, that's one of the games I'm waiting on, though it's the post-Kickstarter version. That shows how old this order is though... I'm waiting on that, Powa! and Project Blue, in addition to Blazing Rangers. All of those have already been produced to some extant or another and I placed my first order over a year ago. So yeah, I don't feel it bodes well. I have zero confidence in the company at this point. Orders I placed with LRG, Pixelheart, and Super Rare Games, way after my order with FPG, all arrived months ago.
@Yorumi Thanks! Yeah, I hope so too. So far, it's the only company that I've had such a bad experience with.
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