Blaster Master

Overview

Jason’s frog fell down a hole. Following it, he found a tank called SOPHIA III. Blaster Master mixed vehicular side-scrolling with top-down dungeon exploration—drive the tank through large areas, then exit on foot to explore caves and battle bosses. The bizarre premise belied a carefully crafted action adventure.

Fast facts

• Developer: Sunsoft.
• Protagonist: Jason (and SOPHIA III).
• Structure: Tank + on-foot gameplay.
• Western story: Differs from Japanese version.

Dual gameplay

Mode	Perspective
Tank sections	Side-scrolling
On-foot sections	Top-down
Transitions	Enter doors/caves

SOPHIA III abilities

Upgrade	Function
Hover	Temporary flight
Wall climb	Drive up walls
Dive	Underwater movement
Crusher	Break certain blocks

On-foot combat

Weapon level	Power
Level 1-3	Short range
Level 4-5	Longer range
Level 6-7	Wave shots
Level 8	Maximum power
Damage penalty	Lose levels when hit

World structure

Area	Environment
1	Surface caves
2	Underground forest
3	Underwater
4	Ice caverns
5-8	Varied terrain

Boss battles

Location	Combat
Top-down rooms	On-foot boss fights
Pattern learning	Required for victory
Gun power	Critical for damage

Western vs Japanese

Region	Story
Japan	”Metafight” - alien invasion
West	Pet frog rescue mission
Gameplay	Identical

Design strengths

Element	Quality
Music	Memorable Sunsoft soundtrack
Exploration	Non-linear discovery
Variety	Two gameplay styles
Challenge	Demanding but fair

See also

• Metroid
• Sunsoft
• Rygar