Biolab Wars And Blazing Chrome : New Takes On A Classic Series(Double Review)
Contra is a series that has seen many changes over the years, most evident with the game Contra Rouge Corps last year, and now the series has recently returned in the form of a mobile game. But For those who want to play them in their classic form there is the Contra Collection on most modern consoles. The games in their original forms with a couple bells and whistles thrown in. But perhaps you have the collection and want something new. Well I have two titles for you today, welcome to my first ever double review. I will cover both games and help you decide if you would like to pick up one or both of these games.
(Image Source: Screen Rant)
In terms of stories, both are just like the classic series they harken back to. Save the world from a threat whether mutant or alien. The games have a couple of opening cutscenes akin to the classic games. Biolab operates more as a NES style game while Blazing Chrome is a 16 bit venture. Both emulate the graphical styles well make a variety of environments so they are not boring. They use the style but add a ton of backgrounds and details to really fit into the games. Both games have good sound design for the style they are going for and use the instrumentation well. The sound design in both really fit the high energy style they are trying to emulate, and have a ton of high octane, very rock focused music tracks, that fit the games very well.
So the presentation was great, let's dive into the gameplay, and for that I am going to talk about each individually, starting with Biolab Wars.
Biolab Wars, has you running, jumping, ducking, and collecting weapon upgrades as you traverse a ton of stages and fight bosses. You have a life bar instead of dying in one hit, and have set ammo for your weapons, and can pick up more, pick up life, or some bombs as the items for this game. This game is simple but fun, the game saves your progress for each stage and has check points but sends you back to the beginning of the stage if you game over. There is one set difficulty and multiple characters to play as , each controlling the same. I had fun with this game, and the life bar helped me deal with some of the more chaotic moments in the game. The biggest problem I had is if you lose a life you lose a weapon and in a boss fight that could make the boss fights harder, also you are on a pretty short timer, the stages are short but the timer keeps going for boss fights and can cause death.
In terms of Blazing Chrome, much like Contra you die in one hit. You pick what stages you want instead of Biolab Wars so you can pick a stage in any order. There are two characters with more to unlock and multiple difficulties. There are several weapons you can pick up and swap between, and when you lose a life you only lose the one you currently are holding. I enjoyed this game as well but it felt like stages dragged on a little with this one, and with dying in one hit, game overs hit a little harder.
I enjoyed both of these games, even with their faults. They played and felt like Contra but with some new improvements like a life bar, or different difficulty selection and keeping your power ups. Both of these games are perfect for Contra fans and retro game fans alike, looking for an old school challenge. They can get tough at times but have a decent amount of new concepts that give players enough breathing room to not grow too enrages. Both are a good time if you an action packed retro style game and go on sale often..
Biolab Wars : Fun but basic
Blazing Chrome Super fun time
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