Tag: Inti Creates

Team Up & Destroy Monsters With Friends & Strangers In ‘Dragon: Marked For Death’!

by The_acz

This morning’s Nintendo Nindie Showcase was a sight to see.

So many talented developers bringing some of the weirdest and coolest games to the Switch is something exciting both Nintendo and fans themselves. One of the stand-out developers doing an amazing job at this is Inti Creates. From Blaster Master Zero to Mighty Gunvolt Burst (and the soon to be released Azure Striker Gunvolt Collection on Switch.), they’ve been doing an absolutely fantastic job delivering some short, but fun Switch experiences. Their new game is a bit different though. Meet Dragon: Marked For Death, a 4 player co-op action game that you can play locally with friends, or online with strangers. 

Worried about the project? Don’t be! If you’re a fan of the stellar Megaman Zero series or Megaman’s 9 & 10, rest easy. Ryota Itoi, director of the previously stated games is helming this new project. On top of that, it’s very exciting to see a 4 player couch co-op action game being released in this day and age. Reminds me of the stellar arcade co-op beat em ups that Konami made. The game is set to release sometime this Winter as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, with more info coming in the near future. 

Geekscape Games Review: ‘Mighty Gunvolt Burst’ Review: Mightier Than ‘Mighty Number 9’

by The_acz

Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch
Also Available For: Nintendo 3DS

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

MSRP: $9.99 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been about a year since the disaster that was Mighty Number 9.

From constant mismanagement of the project, to not being direct or open enough with their backers, this once anticipated revival of a dead series quickly faded back into obscurity. Developer Inti Creates however was a shining light. Released as a small $5 budget title, Mighty Gunvolt was  short and easy, but also fun that most fans were expecting out of Mighty Number 9. Now flash forward to a year later and Inti Creates has made a longer and much more polished follow up to the game, that in my opinion is what the original MN9 should have been to begin with.

Mighty Gunvolt Burst features 2 playable characters, Beck and Gunvolt. While you go through the same stages in with both characters, both characters play extremely differently. Beck is as you remember him from MN9. His controls are tight and precise. His movements have a nice pace and he can stop on a dime. Just like Megaman, whenever you don’t make a jump or overshoot something, it’s always on you and not the game. Beck also has a wide variety of weapons at his disposal, and this is where the game gets interesting.

 

The gimmick for Beck’s story is the ability to freely customize your own weapons. You can change everything from number of bullets fired, rate of fire, bullet size, and much more. It can become super addicting trying out dozens of different combinations. One of the best parts is that you can actually change and customize your weapons during a stage! This opens the door for a lot of experimenting and trial and error. There have been times when I’ve been stuck in a boss battle and I’ll spend 10-15 minutes trying to create a new weapon to defeat them.

Gunvolt is the second character, and as previously stated, his gameplay is completely different and focused on other things. Gunvolt primarily takes use of another new feature in the game called the Burst mechanic. You earn a burst when you defeat an enemy up close. The more you keep a burst combo going, the stronger Gunvolt’s secondary weapon will be! It’s really fun getting a 15 burst combo going and then debating whether or not you want to risk one more encounter to get it higher. Both characters are different enough that even going through the same levels feel different and refreshing.

If I had any gripes on this game it’d probably be that the boss battles are pretty imbalanced. Some of them feel a bit too long. It just sometimes feels like your barely scratching a dent in them and it can be a bit annoying. On the other hand some stages and bosses can feel a bit too short and easy as you just blaze through a level or 2 in a row. Other than that, the game is structurally sound.

Overall, Mighty Gunvolt Burst is what Mighty Number 9 should have been. The game features a much stronger emphasis on trial and error gameplay than story. Couple that with some fun and addicting gameplay mechanics like burst and custom weapons, and this game is easily worth the $10 asking price. If you’ve been itching for a fun successor to Mega Man after feeling high and dry by Beck’s previous outing, this game is much mightier than the last.

Final Verdict: ★★★★

‘Blaster Master Zero’ Gets New Characters & Modes In A Free Update!

by The_acz

About a month ago, I reviewed Blaster Master Zero for the Nintendo Switch. (review here)

It was a fun game that successfully brought the BM series back into the public eye and also made it accessible to both old fans and newcomers alike. Developer Inti Creates isn’t just content with letting it sit on the sidelines though, as they dropped a big surprise today that the game has gotten a free update! The first thing that’s been added is Destroyer Mode. This acts essentially as a hard mode, making enemies harder to damage and having to use your weapons more effectively.

The second update is much more exciting as it introduces EX Character Mode which let’s you play as other Inti Creates characters such as Gunvolt from Azure Striker Gunvolt, and Ekoro from Azure Striker Gunvolt and Gal Gun. Both characterrs will start out as a free add for a special promotional period, but afterwards become paid DLC, but for only $1.99. Check out the trailer below for more info. Have you picked up Blaster Master Zero yet?

Geekscape Games Review: ‘Blaster Master Zero’: A Blast From The Past!

by The_acz

Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch
Also Available For: Nintendo 3DS

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

MSRP: $9.99 

After almost 30 years since the original NES game, and a handful of sequels that seemed to lose sight of what the series was, Blaster Master Zero is a great return of an old series that seems to have been forgotten in the last couple of years, and we couldn’t be happier for its return.

Blaster Master Zero serves almost as a reboot of the series, but also a sequel of sorts. Your goal remains the same though as you’ll once again be guiding Sophia III through 8 metroidvania inspired areas as you blast your way through a variety of enemies and bosses all in the name of trying to find your pet frog Fred. The story is full of camp and pretty cheesy, but it does the job and is pretty enjoyable throughout the game’s 10 Hour campaign. 

One of the best things about BMZ is its art style. Developer Inti Creates did an amazing job on the sprite work. All the areas you remember from the original Blaster Master are here and they’re looking just as vibrant and colorful as ever. Same can be said for the characters as they look great during cinematic cut-scenes and even in their portraits.  Music is also very nice as the tracks are all updated versions of the original music, and don’t stay their welcome too long as by the time a track is starting to wear on you, you’ll already be in another area with a new song.

One of the most notable things about the Blaster Master series is the gameplay shift that happens when you exit Sophia to enter a dungeon area. All of a sudden the gameplay shifts to a top down side scroller with a completely different arsenal at your side. you start off with a basic blaster, but can constantly upgrade your gun by picking up power ups dropped by enemies, although you can easily lose those upgrades if you get hit too much. This makes for an initial approach that encourages being more methodical during boss encounters than just run and gun. 

As stated earlier, the game is in the metroidvania genre. This means you’ll be re visiting previous areas multiple times, but finding new paths through them thanks to the great variety of weapons and sub weapons you receive from defeating bosses. Can’t reach a dungeon because you can’t jump underwater? Get through the next couple of areas and then return later. Another nice touch with the game is that just like its NES counterpart, the game doesn’t bombard you with tutorials and instructions like a lot of modern games love doing. When you start the game you’re thrown into the world without hesitation. Don’t worry though, you can always check the controls in the pause menu by pressing -, and later you can even get hints from your assistant Eve on the sub menu screen with +.

Sadly the game is far from perfect and has a couple of notable issues. While at first its smart to be more methodical with the top down gameplay as to not lose your weapon upgrades, this becomes an issue later on in the game as you can easily collect a power-up that allows you to take damage without losing an upgrade. This would be fine, but the recharge rate on the shield is a bit too fast. As a result, not only will you be plowing your way through dungeons with the most powerful upgrade, but this also causes boss battles to be way too easy and a bit anti climactic. 

Not only that, but some of the bosses are also nothing but a variety of regular enemies that constantly spawn in a room, and there’s a bit too much for us. The ending of the game also suffers as it pulls a pretty dirty trick on the player at the end of the game. Let’s just say that you’ll be wanting to 100% the game on your first run through. 

Overall, Blaster Master Zero is a great comeback for the series, and we wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the franchise return for a couple of more games. While the bosses, and final act of the game do weigh it down a bit, the game is still tons of fun to play and experience. If you’re a Blaster Master fan or even a newcomer to the series, don’t hesitate to strap into Sophia III and get blasting.

Final Verdict: ★★★★ 

‘Blaster Master Zero’ Exclusively Coming To Nintendo Switch & 3DS!

by The_acz

In a bit of fun and surprising news, it turns out that we’re getting a brand new Blaster Master game!

Today during the Nindie showcase, Inti Creates and Sunsoft announced that they’ll be releasing a brand new Blaster Master game for the Nintendo Switch and 3DS in the form of Blaster Master Zero. The game will bring back a lot of the classic gameplay styles from the original NES game like side scrolling shooter and top down action stages. The game will also include a new co-op mode for you and a friend. The best part? The game is launching next week on March 9th! Check out the trailer below and get ready to do some blasting.

Anime Expo 2016: The ‘Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack’ Ushers In A Physical Release This September

by Josh Jackson

Azure Striker Gunvolt is one of the highlights of the 3DS eShop. The developer behind 2D platforming classics like the Mega Man Zero series took their expertise and showed that they didn’t need Mega Man to shine, creating some compelling mechanics that showed how creative minds can reinvigorate an old genre. With the second game on the way, it looked like the team wanted to give us all an interesting way to catch up.

At Anime Expo 2016, the team announced that they were partnering up with Yacht Club Games, (the group behind the excellent Shovel Knight), to deliver both the first and second games to store shelves as physical copies. Called the Striker Pack, $29.99 will get you both the first and second game one one cartridge, which will mark the first time the series is being released outside of digital platforms. Taking some obvious inspiration from their previous works, the simple, yet effective action platforming made it more important to tag enemies for long range damage instead of shooting them to death. With the second game introducing a second character who locks on by dashing into his foes, these two play styles seem to be suited for both the defensive and offensive player.

With the anime being announced during the same panel, it looks like Gunvolt is making big moves. Check out the game in action below, then make sure to check back with us as we post our hands-on impressions of the new mechanics from the show floor. Are you planning on picking up the game when it releases on September 30? Let us know in the comments!