There aren’t very many games out there that truly capture the feel of Contra. Sure, there are lots of clones and whatnot, and a few of them even manage to give some of that old school frantic action, but very few manage to actually hit the mark. The last one I can think of is Hard Corps: Uprising from Arc Systems, and that was a legitimate prequel to Contra: Hard Corps on the Sega Genesis as well as the original Contra. I mean, sure, Contra: Rogue Corps is coming, but third person 3D just isn’t the same. My expectations are understandably low.
Once in a while though, something outrageously amazing comes along and really keeps the run n’ gun genre alive. This time around, that game is Blazing Chrome. With a thin to non-existent storyline about killer robots and some seriously retro 16-bit graphics, Blazing Chrome is quite literally blazing onto the scene. Inspired heavily by Contra and Metal Slug, Blazing Chrome is every run n’ gun fan’s wet dream, with a host of baddies and popcorn enemies, multiple segmented levels, massive enemies with multiple forms, and some of the best use I’ve seen in years of vintage parallax scrolling.
Blazing Chrome follows the post-robocalyptic (think after Judgment Day in Terminator) exploits of a resistance fighter named Mavra and her robot comrade-in-arms Doyle as they, ahem, blaze some chrome. There are also a couple of hidden characters, but I haven’t managed to unlock them. There doesn’t really need to be a huge story here though, because the focus is entirely on gameplay. Mavra and Doyle are pretty much interchangeable, but their moves are great. From a close in sword swipe to nail enemies that get too close for comfort to a low roll forward to dodge under enemy shots, they’ve got it all. You’re able to shoot in all 8 directions and your main gun has autofire, so you’re pretty much good for targeting. Controls are responsive too, and that’s a good thing, since you’ll need every ounce of skill to survive some of these levels, even with infinite continues!
Right from the beginning, you start at a map screen that allows you to select any of the first four levels and shows their relative difficulty. Trust me, it’s accurate. These levels are hard as hell! Blazing Chrome is not a game that holds your hand or even gives you much of a chance. Its practice, practice, practice unless you have a steady hand and nerves of steel. A Switch Pro controller is highly recommended for this one, as the Joycons simply don’t cut it. If you have large hands like I do, you’re going to be cramping up, even in a short play session, because the slightest error sends you to your doom, and fast!
If you can manage to rain fire down upon your robot enemies long enough to survive those levels, a fifth and final level opens up to torture you to the end of the game. Needless to say with my large hands and lack of a Switch Pro controller, I haven’t made it there…yet. I’m getting closer though! And speaking of raining fire down, the weapons in this game are stunning! In addition to your main machine gun, you’re able to get a range of other high-tech goodies, including a grenade launcher, a chargeable pulse laser, some sort of wicked cool purple laser whip, and a bunch of helper robots which increase defense, speed, and attacks (sadly only one at a time). My favorite is the laser whip, but it’s definitely only useful in limited circumstances, as are all the weapons. Thankfully, the gang over at Joymasher know run n’ guns and they thought of hot swapping for Blazing Chrome. Just hit X and you’ll switch to the next weapon in your arsenal, assuming you’ve survived long enough to retain multiple weapons. Die with it and you lose it though, so be careful!
On top of all that, you also climb into giant mech suits and fly hover bikes around levels too! Seriously, it’s hard not to love how cool this game is! A swarm of angry robots on your ass and boom, you’re jumping into a mech with a giant drill hand just like a Metal Slug game! It’s got a limited life bar, but it’ll get you where you need to be if you’re good enough! And when you get to those bosses, look out! Bosses, and even the mini-bosses, have multiple forms in almost every instance. If they don’t have a second or even third form, they have multiple fire patterns which become increasingly complex as you damage them. In short, they’re tough as nails! There are a lot of bosses too, and the levels are much longer than I would have anticipated, making each stage a rewarding grind through a charnel house of robot corpses. There’s more than a hint of Alien Soldier sniffing around the background of Blazing Chrome too, that’s for sure!
There are also a host of simple gameplay and video options available to fine-tune game mechanics as well, from an assortment of CRT and HD video filters to auto-swapping of guns when they’re picked up rather than manual swap with the X button. Speedrunning and HD Rumble are also available. The ranking system wasn’t available as of this review, but I’m sure it will be by launch, as this is one that people will definitely be competing in! In fact, the only real negative to the game that I found was that its soundtrack was nothing special. It’s a generic hyper synth-metal common to most games of this type but it doesn’t really stand out in the way that the gameplay and graphics do. Visually the game is gorgeous anyway, though. With heavy parallax scrolling, lighting and particle effects, excellent physics for projectiles, and a host of intensely varied enemy designs, Blazing Chrome is a treat for the visual cortex. Everything flows together so fast and so smoothly that you barely have a chance to see the insane amount of time that was spent on the background details and design work. Rarely have I seen a retro title this polished.
In terms of the Switch specifically, Burning Chrome plays remarkably smoothly in undocked mode and I saw no slowdown in the game in either mode. It’s well-optimized and surprisingly playable on the go. I managed to actually beat level 3 portably, and I was preening like a madman. Most games this fast suffer on the small screen but I definitely did not find that to be the case here!
Blazing Chrome definitely isn’t for everyone. There’s a pretty hardcore run n’ gun community out there though and this one is going to be an instant classic there. If you’re an RPG gamer or a casual button masher that plays things like Crash Bandicoot, this might be a bit technical for you. But if you’ve ever mourned for the lack of a sequel to Contra III: The Alien Wars, weep no longer. This is the definitive spiritual successor to the genre! Also, it’s damned fun, responsive as all hell, and impressively crisp. Even though it’s a fairly short game, you’re likely to spend hours on Blazing Chrome due to the sheer difficulty involved. This will challenge you on a level with Mega Man titles and other heavy hitters and you’ll come begging for more on your hands and knees. Just don’t cut those knees on any stray robot shrapnel, as robot husks are likely to be hip deep after playing Blazing Chrome!
This review was based on a digital copy of Blazing Chrome provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes. Blazing Chrome is also available for Steam, Xbox One, and PS4. An incalculable number of robots were harmed during the making of this review. Serves them right.