The ‘90s era was the inauguration of gaming consoles to the global mainstream market, with Sega and Nintendo duking it out to see who would take home the prize as number one company. We saw the rise of the Super Nintendo (Super Famicom in Japan) and dominance of the Sega Genesis (Sega Mega Drive in Japan), with both consoles capturing the hearts and souls of young gamers everywhere. Titles like Contra introduced new dynamics to gameplay and instilled in players the feeling of rage when enemies would just wreak havoc unrelentingly. The run-and-gun genre catapulted into popularity and since its incubation, has become a full-fledged genre that provides nonstop action at every turn. Fast forward to 2019 and we can clearly see the remnants of the ‘90s being sprinkled over the current industry, giving more credence to just how remarkably potent that era’s role had on everyone growing up. Blazing Chrome is the superb culmination of the best titles the run-and-gun genre has to offer, from Metal Slug or Hard Corps: Uprising to even other notable classics like Gunstar Heroes and the super classic Rolling Thunder.

The run-and-gun genre is certainly niche, but in spite of that, the cult following surrounding these titles is vast. Blazing Chrome is essentially the newborn super child manifested from all of the classics, taking DNA from each title and creating something thrilling. The moment you boot up the game you’re instantly transported back to those days when recess was the norm, and staying up for 15 hours straight was an easy task. That nostalgia trip is the defining point about Blazing Chrome and of course, its gameplay is what helps to accentuate the point even further with its frantic fast-paced action and hair-raising boss battles. What’s even more astounding is how Blazing Chrome finds its home on the Nintendo Switch, a console that allows you to play on the go and take the action with you. More succinctly, the NES was the first console to bring run-and-gun to the forefront, and so this in a way is a simple nod from developer JoyMashers to bring the genre back home to a Nintendo console.

As you’d expect from a retro-styled game, Blazing Chrome looks stunning in its pixelated form and runs seamlessly on the Switch, whether it’s in handheld mode or on the big screen. It really does feel like you’re playing on the SNES again, with all of the craziness happening and not ever having to worry about framerate issues plaguing the experience. Each level is designed with acute attention to detail, retaining elements inspired from classics like Metal Slug and Contra while throwing in its own unique visual flair to better define itself.

You truly can’t have a run-and-gun retro experience without the right sounds and music to help bring everything together. Blazing Chrome delivers in this area extraordinarily well with its sharp-hitting sound effects, each bullet piercing the enemy core or ricocheting off the surface. You can hear everything with clarity and the uptempo music really helps to create a thrill unlike any other. Boss battles feel even more gratifying with that 90’s vibe instilled within the soundtrack, and every time you come back to the game there’s just so much more waiting for you.

Right off the bat, Blazing Chrome amps up the difficulty level with its first stage, as you jump right in with enemies attacking you with a tenacious attitude. You race through the level doing your very best not to get destroyed, gathering as many power-ups as possible to set up for the boss battle up ahead. It’s that very high octane thrill that really gets you going and itching to come back for more, because each stage poses a different threat and enemies will change their behaviors depending on how you maneuver around the stage. Missions are relatively straightforward in that your main goal is to survive at all costs, but those who fancy speedrunning and trying to go for ultimate completion will need to rely on finesse and strategy to make it through. We say this because there are moments where attacking an enemy puts you at a disadvantage, so just running forward focusing on what’s ahead is the best solution.

However, enemies aren’t stupid and will at times chase you down in spite of you trying to avoid them, so another element of tactical approach must be implemented. Power-ups provide you with even more options to deal with the onslaught and can be of great benefit if you manage to hold onto it until you reach the boss. Boss battles in Blazing Chrome are no walk in the park and do require a great deal of attention in order to memorize patterns, so being mindful of your approach is imperative. Anyone who has played Metal Slug and Contra can attest to this as memorizing enemy patterns play a major role in your success towards the end game, and benefiting you in terms of scoring more points. The only unfortunate thing about Blazing Chrome is that it’s quite short and, if you’re well versed in these types of games, you can rip right through it in under 10 hours. For beginners, the game does a great job of leading you through the early stages, providing a solid grasp of how to develop a strategy to deal with incoming threats. Each mission comes with stars attached which help to indicate the level of difficulty, so that way players can at least prepare themselves before diving in.

If it isn’t already obvious by now, we’ll make it very clear that we really love Blazing Chrome. In spite of its short duration, the game really does such a great job of capturing the run-and-gun genre with beauty and grace, while still maintaining the integrity of modern-day gaming architecture. Some games try to push the envelope and implement new gameplay mechanics to help stretch the imagination, but sometimes we feel that sticking to what works is perhaps the best way to keep players engaged. Blazing Chrome maintains that by helping to shed light on a genre that deserves more praise for its simple yet hard to master approach, and truly rewards the player for thinking carefully on the fly. Blazing Chrome isn’t a game that you shouldn’t rush through because the game will definitely rip you apart, especially for those who are coming into the genre for the first time. Taking your time and optimizing a rinse and repeat method to develop solid strategies will reward you in the long run, and really provide the best experience long term.

We hope you found our review of Blazing Chrome to be an informative one, and helped to make your purchase decision a little bit easier. This gameplay is feracious and always tests your patience which gives you that itch to come back for more. Replay value is truly endless in this game so we highly encourage those who love a great challenge to grab this one and take advantage of all the cool tools along the way!

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