Blaster Master Zero 3
- July 29, 2021
- INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
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Get on Epic Games Store"Blaster Master Zero 3" is a Metroidvania-style game where players control mutant hunter Jason and his tank, Gaia-Sophia, traversing diverse environments to defeat the evil mutants. The game features side-scrolling and top-down perspectives, with new abilities and weapons to discover. The story builds on the previous entries, with Jason uncovering a conspiracy threatening the galaxy and seeking to stop it.
Nintendo Switch
PC
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Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
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Xbox
Reviews
- Blaster Master Zero 3 offers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, with improved gameplay mechanics and a more challenging experience compared to its predecessors.
- The game features a well-crafted story that ties together elements from the previous games, providing a nostalgic experience for fans of the series.
- The new weapon system allows players to access all weapons from the start, enhancing combat variety and strategy during gameplay.
- Keyboard controls are poorly implemented, making it difficult for players to navigate the game without a controller, leading to frustration.
- The game can feel cluttered and confusing at times, particularly with the map system and the distinction between temporary power-ups and permanent upgrades.
- Some players found the difficulty spikes, especially in boss fights, to be frustrating and not well-balanced, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- story82 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Blaster Master Zero 3" serves as a compelling conclusion to the trilogy, effectively wrapping up the arcs of Jason and Eve while incorporating elements from the previous games. While the narrative is engaging and features notable twists, it is essential for players to have experienced the first two installments to fully appreciate the plot's depth and connections. Overall, the story is praised for its emotional weight and satisfying resolution, though some reviewers noted it may not reach the heights of its predecessor.
“Amazing game that wraps up the story of the Blaster Master Zero trilogy wonderfully.”
“The story is fantastic, and a wonderful way to round off the Jason saga.”
“The story itself nicely ties things together in an unexpected way.”
“The story will be confusing to those who have not played the first two games in the series.”
“Put simply, the story just isn't that interesting, or more accurately the only events of interest happen in the true ending after the game is already over.”
“Binding controls were a bit of a pain at first, the world map/dungeon maps are kind of confusing until you understand what you're looking for, and the story is forgettable.”
- gameplay80 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Blaster Master Zero 3" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its slick mechanics and integration of sidescrolling and top-down gameplay styles, while others criticize certain new mechanics and increased difficulty. Players appreciate the refined weapon system and the introduction of the VRV mechanic, although some find it confusing and frustrating. Overall, the game builds on its predecessors, offering a compelling experience that balances challenge with engaging gameplay, but it also has notable drawbacks that may detract from the enjoyment for some players.
“The gameplay is slick as ever, getting better as you go, the characters are amazing, the story kept me hooked, and while I didn't mention it in my previous reviews, hot damn the songs throughout this series are stellar, with one of my objective favorites coming from this one.”
“At last, the sidescrolling and top down sections are truly integrated, with items collected in the overworld allowing for dungeon advantages and bosses requiring fighting in both; at last, the dungeon sections have reached their apex, with dashing and counters making gameplay fast and exciting in contrast to the sluggishness that plagued its predecessors.”
“In my opinion, this is the best gameplay this series has seen so far, and it resembles much more of a metroidvania than the other two installments in the best way possible.”
“Most of the introduced/revamped mechanics feel like they're here just to genuinely make you not want to play.”
“Unfortunately, a couple of steps back from the second in some areas like having randomized dungeon layouts instead of entirely unique ones and a couple of overly gimmicky sections that bog things down.”
“A lot of frustrating mechanical changes make this a step back from the second.”
- music23 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many reviewers praising it as the best in the series, featuring catchy and memorable tracks that enhance the overall experience. While some found the music to be a bit repetitive or lacking in variety, the majority agree that it complements the gameplay beautifully and contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is celebrated for its quality and ability to elevate the action-packed gameplay.
“The music is probably the best thing about the game, with most tracks feeling quite close to Sunsoft's NES games, although a little more variety would have been nice.”
“The best gameplay and music that the series has seen so far and an amazing ending.”
“Inti Creates kept on building and building on it until the story, graphics, music, and gameplay are perfect.”
“It's an hour or two or three of otherworldly pink and magenta accompanied by relaxing music that just makes me irrationally angry when put next to the high-octane shooting gameplay.”
“Music is meh.”
“An above-average soundtrack and the tank gameplay controls as well and is as satisfying as ever.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics have received a positive reception, with many praising the stunning retro pixel art and the cohesive visual design that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some users noted issues with graphical scaling and execution, suggesting that while the visuals are impressive, there are areas that could benefit from refinement. The combination of beautiful environments and engaging character designs contributes to a visually appealing action game.
“Upgrades are more exciting, the plot thicker, graphics more stunning, challenge more interesting, music more memorable, characters deeper and more realized than ever before.”
“It has some really pretty graphics.”
“The levels, music, graphics, environments, story, everything coalesces into an action game masterpiece.”
“Jarringly stupid changes in game design, sloppy and buggy execution of graphics scaling and dialogue/cutscenes, cheap hits and a nerfed weapons system.”
“Some new graphical effects or hazards unique to it could have done a lot to set it apart.”
“- retro graphics style.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report experiencing strong emotional reactions, particularly during the game's true ending, which is praised for its beautiful themes and visuals. Many express surprise at how deeply the ending affected them, with some even shedding tears over an 8-bit game.
“I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a bit emotional at the true ending, which was beautiful both thematically and visually.”
“The true ending had me a bit emotional at points, which I also didn't expect.”
“Never thought I would get this emotional over the ending of an 8-bit game.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its stability issues, including instances of softlocking without unusual actions, buggy button mapping at launch, and poorly executed graphics scaling and dialogue. Additionally, players have noted significant design flaws and a compromised weapons system, contributing to an overall sense of instability.
“This is the only game in recent memory where I managed to softlock myself without doing any crazy glitches or acrobatics.”
“The button mapping at the game launch is also quite buggy.”
“Jarringly stupid changes in game design, sloppy and buggy execution of graphics scaling and dialogue/cutscenes, cheap hits, and a nerfed weapons system.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
While the game features enjoyable moments and improved integration of gameplay elements, many players find the grinding aspect tedious. The balance and situational use of weapons enhance player choice, but some still feel that the overall experience can become monotonous. However, the final sequences are praised for their unique challenges, contrasting with earlier frustrations.
“This game had some fun moments resembling Blaster Master Zero, but ultimately, it was just really tedious.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“While the game has potential, the amount of grinding required to progress is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is noted for being the most well-optimized in the series, offering a refined gameplay experience through improvements to the weapon systems. However, initial control issues posed challenges for some players. Overall, the optimization enhances accessibility and performance, contributing to a better overall experience.
“It's probably the hardest of the three, but it's also the most well-optimized, even if some serious control foibles at the start nearly prevented me from playing it.”
“With all the improvements made to the gameplay throughout the series, this game provides the best experience by refining the G-Sophia weapons system from Z2 and changing the overhead weapons system to give you access to all weapons from the start, with gun-level affecting performance and strength rather than determining what weapon you have.”
“It's probably the hardest of the three, but it's also the most well-optimized, even if some serious control issues at the start nearly prevented me from playing it.”
“With all the improvements made to the gameplay throughout the series, this game provides the best experience by refining the g-sophia weapons system from Z2 and changing the overhead weapons system to give you access to all weapons from the start, with gun-level affecting performance and strength rather than determining what weapon you have.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely driven by the dynamic between the characters, resulting in numerous funny moments that enhance the overall experience.
“The dynamic between the two characters creates some incredibly funny moments throughout the game.”
“The humor is cleverly woven into the dialogue, making every interaction a delight.”
“I found myself laughing out loud at the witty one-liners and hilarious situations.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While the gameplay and storytelling in the final installment provide a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, many users feel that the first two games offer greater replayability due to their abundance of side modes.
“The gameplay changes are great, and the storytelling does a good job bringing closure to the trilogy. However, I still find the first two games more replayable because they offer a variety of side modes.”
“The game offers a wealth of choices and different paths, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
“With multiple endings and character builds, this game encourages you to dive back in and explore all the possibilities.”
“While the gameplay changes are great and the storytelling did a good job bringing closure to the trilogy, I still find the first two games more replayable due to the fact that they have a variety of side modes.”
“After completing the game, I felt little motivation to replay it. The lack of meaningful choices and consequences made my experience feel final and not worth revisiting.”
“The game offers a linear experience that doesn't encourage multiple playthroughs. Once you've seen the story, there's not much incentive to go back.”
Critic Reviews
Blaster Master Zero 3 (Switch) Review
Where we're going, we don't need roads.
80%Blaster Master Zero 3 Review
Blaster Master Zero 3 heavily expects its audience to have played the first two titles in the modern Blaster Master series, so it's hard not to bring them up when writing about the former. Small localisation errors and a couple of obtuse navigation moments aside, it is the most polished title in the series and long-time fans, plus people who grew up with the NES, will appreciate the added challenge. It's never too hard to tackle, however, although it's commitment to being "retro" can be a double-edged sword in some instances, like when a death can be blamed on unintentionally sticking to a wall and then sliding down into an abyss. The gameplay loop is just as fun as it ever was, though, so more of that can't ever be a bad thing. It might get ignored for being the third instalment, or not seeming as fresh as the next retro indie darling that's hot for this week, but it really shouldn't be. This is bona fide retro goodness at its finest. Blaster Master 4Ever!
70%Blaster Master Zero 3 Review
As the conclusion to the modern take on the Blaster Master saga, Blaster Master Zero 3 hits all the notes it needs to deliver a high octane and satisfying retro platforming experience. The dark world mechanic adds a nice extra layer to the overall design, while the familiar aspects of gameplay are as polished as they’ve ever been. Inti Creates certainly could’ve stopped with the original Blaster Master Zero and that would’ve been enough, but what it’s delivered here with its third take on the franchise is nothing short of excellent. Whenever you next get a chance, be sure to add this one to your library, although we’d say so with the caveat that you should first play the preceding two entries. Really, these games are just that good.
90%
