The Blaster Master Zero series has been an excellent reimagining of a classic franchise, with Blaster Master Zero and Blaster Master Zero 2 breathing new life into the property. After modernizing the franchise in a reboot, then expanding on is ideas in the sequel, the series has shown the potential that Blaster Master always had but was never given the chance to show off. Now Blaster Master 3 ends the Jason trilogy, and Inti Creates managed to close things out with a bang.
Blaster Master Zero 3 continues to build on the previous games’ mechanics with both excellent Metroidvania segments and overhead dungeons galore, along with exciting new elements. Jason still has most of his weapons and abilities from the previous games, but there are plenty of new abilities and weapons to gain as well, which is refreshing, considering how most Metroidvania-style games will see their sequels give excuses for a protagonist to lose all their abilities. While it makes sense for the new tank to not have upgrades, it is nice that Jason has his personal abilities still and buck a long-running trend.
Blaster Master Zero 3 also has some great Quality of Life mechanics, such as the ability to assign skills to button shortcuts. This means that players can tap 2 of the face buttons to use currently equipped primary and secondary weapons and then occasionally use extra firepower by tapping 2 shoulder buttons. The nice thing about this is that it can be done either on foot or in the new tank G-SOPHIA SV.
Blaster Master Zero 3 takes things in a new direction with the VRV system which allows Jason to enter portals to another dimension, giving the game’s areas multiple layers. This makes Blaster Master Zero 3 much larger than the previous games, but it never feels overwhelming. There is a bit of confusion at first admittedly, but soon it becomes clear what to do and how to accomplish tasks, though some of the travelling can be a bit tedious.
A new system of dimensional travel brings with it multiple new abilities as well, and Blaster Master Zero 3 has those in abundance. Players will gain Spider Legs for G-SOPHIA SV to walk in dangerous areas, new dash abilities and powerful new weapons. In addition, there are many bonus dungeons to find in the game and many use the alternate dimension to create alternate paths that give players a lot of room for exploration.
Blaster Master Zero 3 had the task of finishing up the story of the trilogy and does so admirably here. The new characters stand out well, and players are given a satisfying conclusion to the cast’s story. Jason has achieved a degree of infamy, and this presents both opportunities and challenges for him along the way, which are depicted wonderfully.
The Story is set after Blaster Master Zero 2’s ending and manages to pull some excellent twists and bring in some familiar characters as well as some that players may not have expected. The setting is more confined than its prequel, but in many ways, this actually works out to Blaster Master Zero 3’s benefit as it allows a more restrained story for the finale after a bombastic middle act. Long-time fans will not be disappointed here, and that is what is important.
Also important to note is that the presentation took a step up, with some of the most impressive visuals in the series so far. Blaster Master Zero 3 looks far more polished than what came before and also sounds excellent. The retro-inspired soundtrack fits perfectly here and manages to top what was in the previous entries, which helps the feeling of ending on a high note.
Blaster Master Zero 3 is an excellent conclusion to the reboot trilogy and shows that Inti Creates truly understood what made the source material work. Aside from some confusion when the game first sends you into the alternate dimension, there are not a lot of flaws other than minor moments of tedium when exploring. This was the perfect exit point for the series, and also leaves the potential open for other aspects of the franchise to be explored going forward. This comes with the highest recommendation.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
Also available on Xbox One, Xbox Series, Playstation 4, PC ( Steam and Epic Games store)
Images were taken from Nintendo.com