Blaster Master: Enemy Below

"Often neglected, Blaster Master is considered by some to be the best game no one played."

The Blaster Master series, while it's fan base is very loyal and enjoys the gameplay, has never received the publicity it deserves...and with the way titles like Final Fantasy, Megaman, and Tekken eating up the market simply by having it's name on the title, it probably never will either. Which is a true shame for one of the greatest and most underated games and series of all time.

Graphics
Graphics in this game seem to have been stripped off the NES version and pasted straight onto a tiny little cart. The game suffers virtually no slowdown like it's predecessor and offers a variety of bright 16-bit esque colors. The game isn't full of flash and it isn't full of engrossingly amazing detail, but it's simplicity yet complex level design that is both clear and viewable makes Blaster Master one of the better looking games on the Gameboy Color. You can even say the colors are better than those of the original NES cart.

Music and Sound
Fans of the first game will truly get a joy out of this game. The music is pretty much the same, all the memorable themes and techno beats are faithfully restored. The game isn't new on music, but those new to the game's music would find it surprisingly enjoyable and charismatic of the game. The boss music is a bit altered however, it doesn't have that fast pace beat it had in the original...but it's really nothing to gripe about in an already enjoyable sound library.

Replay Value
Unfortunately, Blaster Master: Enemy Below doesn't offer too much in replay. It's much like a one and done deal. However, there are extra parts that you can upgrade your your vehicles scattered throughout the game that are optional. Whether it's to strengthen your vehicle's gun or double it's life capcity, it's nice to know it's there and to give users an extra bit of fun for their money.

Gameplay
In Blaster Master: Enemy Below, you control Jason and his vehicle...yet his vehicle is more like a jumping tank...which has got to be one of the most original ideas ever in the history of video games. You can switch between Jason and his Sophia at almost any time besides in mid-air and in the catacombs.

Like the original, EB lets you explore all the worlds as many times as you wish, while the game is divided into 8 different areas...the overall size of the world is huge. With the next area being connected with the area you visited before, EB is a very non-linear game. Say you completed Stage 3, yet Stage 4 is back in area 1...which actually expands the world of EB as you sometimes have to backtrack to go forward.

Once you start Enemy Below, it seems like the same game...yet past the first door, everything is pretty much brand new. Each stage carries the same music from the previous game(like stage 1's music was the same of the original stage 1 music) and so on. Along the way Jason will eventually have to get out of his vehicles and enter the catacombs to find the parts he needs to advance to the next area that was previously inaccessible. There are a lot of catacomb entrances throughout the game, yet only one room contains the actual item that you are in need of. However, unlike the previous game...the longest way is not always the correct way to go now. You will have to search every catacomb to find what you are looking for instead of skipping the catacombs and reaching the furthest catacomb possible in the level.

The game's bosses are both new and old, you still have the giant crab and frog...but this time a few bosses are replaced like the giant Mother Brain type creature of level 1 in the first game is now replaced with a creature that shoots out fireball triplets at you. There are also 3 noticable differences while in the catacombs now. First, you can no longer move diagonally, only vertical and horizontal...which hampers the gameplay quite a bit. Second, your grenades no longer come out as rapidly as before, they are now sluggishly slow. And third, the amount of gun levels you can hold is limited to three initially, but can be increased with the proper upgrade.

The Sophia's upgrade is also old and new, but mostly a lot of items seen before. One new upgrade is the engine booster, which allows the Sophia to ride against the wind, but other than that...nothing has changed much.

Like before, if Jason falls from a certain height...he can lose a few blocks of energy or his life. Yet unlinke the last Blaster Master, you don't have to play for hours straight to beat the game. Enemy Below incorporates a password save feature, which is useful provided you remember the password or have a paper and pen ready.

The storyline is simple, much like Super Metroid, Enemy Below lets the game take care of the story and lets the player summarize the story her or himself. This game takes off where the previous NES title ended, new mutants have emerged and it's time for Jason to stop them. Simple yes, but it's hardly noticable since the gameplay is so enjoyable.

Overall
Blaster Master: Enemy Below is one of the best games for the portable system, it's big on areas and very non-linear. The game will work on a Super Gameboy unit, but it's colors are very scarce on the peripheral. Despite that, EB is easy to control and a lot of fun to play and is a very worthy title in anyone's Gameboy Color library.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/01/01, Updated 07/01/01