Blazing Chrome

''Blazing Chrome'' is a run and gun video game developed by JoyMasher and published by The Arcade Crew. The game was released on July 11, 2019 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is set in the post-apocalyptic future of 21XX, following a war that nearly kills off the human race. A robot army rules the world, and attempt to destroy the remnants of humanity. The game follows a resistance group who fights back against them. Players can control two different characters: Mavra, a human resistance soldier, and Doyle, a robot reprogrammed to fight for the resistance.

''Blazing Chrome'' received generally favorable reviews from critics, being frequently compared to the ''Contra'' games. In 2021, an enhanced version titled ''Blazing Chrome AC'' was released in arcades on exA-Arcadia.

Gameplay

''Blazing Chrome'' is a side-scrolling run and gun with gameplay similar to ''Contra'' and ''Metal Slug''. Players take on the role of resistance fighters Mavra and Doyle, fighting off robotic enemies across multiple levels. It can be played single-player or in a two-player local cooperative mode. There are six levels in total; four are already unlocked, and two have to be unlocked. Players can run, jump, and dodge. There are four weapons in the game: a machine gun, a grenade launcher, an energy whip, and a particle cannon. Players are equipped with a machine gun at the start of each level and can pick up more weapons as they progress. Melee attacks are performed if a player attempts to shoot an enemy at close range.

Players can only be hit once, losing a life if they are shot by or touch an enemy. The amount of lives that players have depends on the difficulty selected at the start of the game. Three different assist robots can be collected in each level. Only one bot can be equipped at a time. Attack bots fire when the player fires, increasing the player's damage output. Defense bots shield the player, allowing them to take two extra hits before breaking. Speed bots increase the player's movement speed and fire rate. Speed bots also give players the ability to jump twice, allowing players to access hard-to-reach areas. Equipped bots and weapons, excluding the machine gun, will be dropped if the player dies.

Blazing Chrome AC

This arcade version adds the playable character Zaku from Oniken, another game by JoyMasher. Zaku plays more like a melee character but can throw long range grenades. Motoaki Furukawa, the music composer of Konami's ''Super Contra'', composed a new soundtrack for this version.

Development

''Blazing Chrome'' was developed by Brazilian game studio JoyMasher. After the first trailer for the game was released in March 2018, a game demo of ''Blazing Chrome'' was featured at PAX East 2018 held in April, showing off the game's mechanics. The Arcade Crew released a gameplay preview on June 28, showing two players riding hoverbikes and fighting enemies on a train. ''Blazing Chrome'' was released on July 11, 2019, for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and later for Amazon Luna on November 19, 2020.

JoyMasher primarily took inspiration from the ''Metal Slug'' and ''Contra'' games. Developer Danilo Dias, a fan of the games, wanted to combine the mechanical bosses of ''Metal Slug'' and the "speed and frenetic style" of ''Contra''. The game's backgrounds were influenced by Irem games such as ''GunForce II'', being designed to look "ruined and extremely detailed".

Reception

''Blazing Chrome'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Alex Santa Maria of ''GameRevolution'' praised the game's challenge and presentation, but criticized the "unforgiving" difficulty curve and "outdated" control scheme. ''Nintendo Life'''s Ollie Reynolds agreed that the game's difficulty was "brutal", though he praised the gameplay, visuals, and "spectacular" boss battles.

''Push Square'''s Jamie O'Neill gave the game 8/10 stars, lauding the art, unlockable characters, and set pieces, but also wrote that the difficulty of the genre "may be off-putting". ''Windows Central'' reviewer Asher Madan described ''Blazing Chrome'' as "one of the best" of its genre, praising the visuals, controls, and level variety. Madan felt that the game had a "steep" difficulty curve and criticized the campaign's short length.

Jeffrey L. Wilson from ''PCMag'' recommended the game for its co-op gameplay, visuals, and variety of power-ups and weapons, but was disappointed by the lack of online co-op and an issue with the game's platforming.

Will Borger from ''GamingBolt'' rated the game 9/10, commending the art, design, and soundtrack. He likened the game to ''Contra'', writing that ''Blazing Chrome'' "captures the feel" of the game, but also felt that it could be frustrating. Borger concluded his review by calling ''Blazing Chrome'' a "loving tribute" to the ''Contra'' and ''Metal Slug'' games.

''Destructoid'''s Chris Carter was impressed by the bosses and called the sound design "superb". Carter ended his review by writing that it "pays extreme homage to the ''Contra'' series".

''Hardcore Gamer'''s Chris Shive noted the influence that ''Contra'' had on the game, and described ''Blazing Chrome'' as "fun to play", but believed that the game did not "bring anything new" to the genre.

Neal Ronaghan from ''Nintendo World Report'' gave ''Blazing Chrome'' an 8/10, positively comparing it to ''Contra'' while praising the style and feel of the game. Ronaghan felt that the game was hindered by the occasional slowdown, and believed that using high scores was "functionally meaningless".

Notes

References

External links

Official website

{{JoyMasher

2019 video games
GameMaker games
Cyberpunk video games
Indie games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Nintendo Switch games
PlayStation 4 games
Post-apocalyptic video games
Retro-style video games
Retrofuturistic video games
Run and gun games
Science fiction video games
Side-scrolling video games
Video games about cyborgs
Video games about robots
Video games developed in Brazil
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games set in the 22nd century
Windows games
Xbox One games
JoyMasher games
The Arcade Crew games