The way I see it, anyone can make a great “shmup” and fit easily into the genre. Obviously you have legendary favorites like Treasure’s Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga, along with Cave’s vast selection of titles. But the “smaller” games from indie devs deserve some love too, including the just-released Revolgear Zero. Today, though, we’re looking at the latest from Terarin Games – a simple but wildly impressive “shmup” called Blaze of Storm.
This game looks like it would fit in the TurboGrafx-16 era – and that’s a hearty compliment, mind you. It has those old-school vibes through and through in both the visuals and the soundtrack. But its gameplay is highly addictive, especially on the higher difficulty settings. With five (well, six) helpful power-ups, there’s no enemy you can’t lay waste to.
There may not be a huge amount of options, but for an indie shooter, this one packs a punch. With three difficulty settings and online leaderboards (now working thanks to a helpful patch), Blaze of Storm has a lot to offer. And for a price just over $10 as well. Hurry up and Blaze it into your collection, especially if you’re a fan of smaller games like this.
Enter the Cyberdiver With Blaze of Storm
The game has a cybernetic approach, as you portray a “cyberdiver.” Your job is to jump into missions with a virtual touch, facing off against a plethora of enemies before entering combat with boss enemies. It’s a pretty general approach, but I love the old-school approach to it, especially with the cute anime girl lighting up your score calibrations.
Blaze of Storm features five different weapon types, from Homing to ball-rotating Satellite to the more powerful Charge shot. There’s a hidden sixth one as well, Optimal, but I’ll let you seek that one out for yourself. You can power them up accordingly alongside your main lasers and really do some damage, which is useful with the game’s harder difficulty settings. These bosses can definitely pack a punch.
The gameplay is simple but highly effective, with lots of gunpower to go around. And you can modify the controls however you see fit, whether you prefer auto-fire or having them configured to certain buttons. That’s a nice touch to have. The action spreads across seven stages, along with online leaderboards. There’s also a Caravan mode, if you feel like taking on the game with a score challenge in five-minute bursts.
It’s not overloaded with content, but it doesn’t have to be. Blaze of Storm wears its setup right there on its sleeve. It’s an old-school shooter, akin to the ones we saw in the TurboGrafx era. And it works just right in that regard. Plus the price isn’t too bad at all, currently on sale for a meager $12.
Terarin Games has been pumping out great shooters like this for some time, including the notable Raging Blasters. But Blaze of Storm is easily one of their best accomplishments, and a good way to get started with their library.
Blaze of Storm Also Has That Sweet Presentation
If you’re looking for something “next level” from Blaze of Storm, well, that’s not here. The one-person team (with some help on the soundtrack side) likes to keep things breezy, on an 8-bit/16-bit level. And I’m fine with that.
The visuals light up the screen nicely, with lots of explosions, impeccable level design and great bosses to blast apart, piece by piece. I love how they’re highlighted with these “cyberdiver” touches, so you can tell you’re stuck in a virtual world. You can also see the power-ups right there on the screen, and what each one does, so you can plot your next move accordingly. This might be annoying for some, but I think it’s a helpful guide. You know, like that side art on those classic arcade games.
As for the soundtrack, it’s wondrous. I loved the collection of tunes being presented here, each one with their own groovy beats. The sound effects aren’t over the top, nor do they need to be. They work just fine here.
Overall, if you grew up with retro shooters like I did, Blaze of Storm will have no trouble nestling its way into your heart, as it did mine.
Blaze of Glory
If you haven’t experienced Terarin Games’ forte just yet, Blaze of Storm is a fine introduction. This is easily one of the team’s best games, a short but sweet plethora of bullets and mayhem. It looks and sounds wonderful, and packs a punch with its different weapon types. There probably could’ve been a few more stages, but, eh, save them for the sequel.
Kudos to the team on celebrating its tenth anniversary in style. And here’s hoping we get more classic “shmups” to come. Nothing wrong with keeping it simple and fun. Not to mention 100.
GAMERHUB RATING: 4 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Many thanks to Terarin Games for providing us with a review code! Blaze of Storm is available now for Nintendo Switchand PC/Steam/Steam Deck.
Need more “shmup” goodness? Check out our review of R-Type Delta HD Boosted!
