Blazing Star is a 1998 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed by Yumekobo and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home systems. It is a follow-up to Pulstar (1995), and features side-scrolling action similar to its predecessor and different ships with varying characteristics. It was made less challenging than its predecessor, and the graphic quality was improved upon.

The game was released to mixed reviews. It was commended for its graphics and boss design, and for keeping the Neo Geo shooter scene alive. It has received greater recognition in retrospective reviews when re-released on smartphones and home consoles through the ACA Neo Geo series. Critics continued to praise the boss battles and graphics, but criticized the uneven stage design.

Gameplay

thumb|left|The player uses a charge shot against a boss.

Blazing Star is a horizontally scrolling shooter similar to its predecessor Pulstar (1995) and the classic shooter R-Type (1987). Initial discussions began with the concept for a follow-up to their shooter Pulstar, however they wanted their new game to maintain a degree of independence from the original. With significant changes made to the gameplay style and setting, the team treated their new game as a gaiden and did not want to use Pulstar in the title. The publisher SNK entered the dispute, saying they did not want Yumekobo's new shooter to be associated to Pulstar in the west because it received poor reception there due to its high difficulty.

Release

Blazing Star was released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in Japan on 19 January 1998, and the Neo Geo AES home system on 26 February 1998. A Neo Geo CD release was planned but abandoned. and on the Wii via the Virtual Console in Japan on 21 August of that year. The smartphone versions include multiplayer support via Bluetooth and a practice mode that lets the player start from any stage they have cleared. As with all games released under the ACA Neo Geo brand, the game includes Hamster's additional scoring modes, screen filter options, and difficulty settings. This version later came to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One digital storefronts on 8 February 2018.

A port developed by DotEmu for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and asm.js was released by SNK Playmore as part of the Humble NEOGEO 25th Anniversary Bundle on 15 December 2015. It was also released on GOG.com on 30 May 2017.

Reception

Critics commended Blazing Star as a testament to SNK's devotion to the Neo Geo hardware and keeping classic genres such as shoot 'em ups alive. Edge wrote that side-scrolling shooters were rare to find, but the game should satisfy fans of the genre. They praised the colorful backgrounds and 3D special effects. Next Level argued that the game took better advantage of the Neo Geo hardware than Pulstar with its improved background and lighting effects.

The iOS and Android ports of Blazing Star were well-received. Pocket Gamer agreed about the controls, writing that their finger would get in the way of action occasionally. They still thought the game was addictive and "the equivalent of the machine in the corner that the hardened veterans congregate around, dropping in coin after coin as they inch their way up the leaderboards."

Reviewing the Arcade Archives release, Nintendo Life called it a "perfect port", noting that it even retained the frame rate slowdown when the screen is filled with sprites. Their biggest complaints were the game's aged pre-rendered graphics and the sharp difficulty increase in the latter stages, but they felt these were minor issues. They felt Hamster Corporation's Hi-Score and Caravan modes were perfect complements to Blazing Star. Nintendo World Report felt that it had an uneven level design, wishing the earlier levels had more stage hazards. They did however appreciate the game for maintaining a degree of simplicity without sacrificing gameplay depth, and called it "one of the more accessible and fun shoot-em-ups out there".

Legacy

Retro Gamer and Harcore Gaming 101 wrote that the game is sometimes remembered for its poorly-translated English text. Some articles, including one by linguist Ben Zimmer, have cited the game's game over message, "You fail it", as inspiring the popular interjection "Fail".

Notes

References

  • Blazing Star at MobyGames