~ BLAZING LAZERS ~Most of us know by now what BL's flaws are: the levels are too long, and there's too much dead space. But I will say this: during its most dangerous stretches (the most harrowing of which are to be experienced in stages 7, 8, and 9), Blazing Lazers is more intense and thrilling than any other old-school vertical I've ever played. Yes, more exciting than the likes of Sapphire, Spriggan, Sylphia, Nexzr, and Soldier Blade. It crushes all of them.
Those last few levels are genuinely tough. This game, in my opinion, gets a bum rap as being an "easy" shooter. Area 7 is wild with its projectile counts, Area 8 fills the screen with its bubbles-and-beasts assault, and Area 9 sends enemies at you from every which way before closing things out with a string of vicious adversaries.
And I don't consider the other levels to be throwaways either. Stages 3, 4, and 5 have more than enough action to keep me constantly entertained. Only Area 6, with its dancing small-fry, seems like something of a waste, but good playing and smart icon snatching during that level can set you up for success in the tougher stretches yet to come. The first two strips can drag on a bit, but the music is so amazing in both areas that I love playing through them anyway.
Actually, the game features awesome tunes from beginning to end, with intense rock numbers in stages 1, 4, 7, and 9; a beautiful Area 2 track; and some cool abstract material like the bubble level's dirge. And few other tunes get me pumped up like BL's title-screen theme does.
As far as I'm concerned, Blazing Lazers still has that magic (not to mention the coolest shoot-'em-up weapon ever in Field Thunder), and it remains my favorite vertical shooter for the TG-16.
Wreck steel contraptions and biobeasts alike.
The pace picks up significantly once you reach Area 3.
Early bosses and midbosses fall rather easily...
...but the enemy really starts to mean business later on.
Take on moai heads and a two-headed rock-dragon during the desert stage.
Field Thunder works well for annihilating the surprisingly robust bubbles. Actually, I stick with it for most levels because it's powerful and, most importantly, cool looking...
...but the other guns come in handy in certain situations. Wave-beam fire is faster and contains fewer gaps than slow-wending Thunderbolts, making it useful for disposing of Area 6's small, quick enemies, while Ring Blaster is invaluable in Area 9, where sneaky adversaries attack your flanks.
Witness the bizarre progression of the final battle.
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