If you got to experience the late 80s arcade scene, or early NES years, you may be well-acquainted with several 2D run-and-gun shooters of the era. Ruthless games, in which the mere glance of a bullet or dubious enemy hitbox would claim another of your limited pool of lives. They required insane reflexes and multiple replays to master each level - and this was in an era that wasn’t afraid to chew through your time and spare change.

Developed by JoyMasher, Blazing Chrome is the very definition of "authentic", taking no shortage of inspiration from the Contra games - particularly Contra 3: Alien Wars - with the first level treading a fine line between homage and imitation. While it captures the look and feel of late-80s to early-90s arcade-shooters, it mercifully adds a few modern concessions that should make it more accessible (though you can go old-school if you want).


The opening level feels like it was ripped straight out of Contra 3: Alien Wars.

Running left to right (most of the time) and never letting go of the trigger, you need to gun down enemies that spawn from both sides of the screen, avoid hazards, defeat tough mini-bosses (which absorb a ton of damage and require careful observation of their attack patterns), collect power-ups (which could be new gun type or powerful utilities that only last one life), and ultimately make it to the level boss - a protracted fight with several phases. If you can, you want to tackle Blazing Chrome with a friend beside you on the couch; the added firepower is a major boost, if somewhat offset by the visual chaos on-screen.

If you can, you want to tackle Blazing Chrome with a friend beside you on the couch...

Just when you get comfortable with the run-and-gun gameplay, Blazing Chrome will mix up the formula to keep things fresh (but no less deadly).

Much like the classic Contra games, Blazing Chrome spices up the formula with the odd robot suit, hover-bike chase, auto-scroller climb-or-die moments, and the odd perspective swap - pulling the camera behind the player as you fly down tunnels in pseudo-3D combat sequences. It’ll keep you on your toes and keep you hammering the fire button, all the while desperately dodging enemies and projectiles.


The hover-bike sections look and play great, at least until the game introduces additional obstacles that had me not-so-fondly remembering Battletoads.

Unfortunately, Blazing Chrome’s authenticity also brings with it some elements that are just as annoying now as they were in the past. You have the ability to fire in 8 directions; jump, duck and roll under projectiles and enemies; melee enemies and grenades away from you (something I only ever pulled off by accident); and a brief period of invulnerability after you die and respawn; however, there were still way too many moments I found myself stuck in a corner and assailed by enemies coming in from angles I just couldn’t defend (this is mitigated somewhat in coop). Burning through lives and abusing invulnerability frames is all too often the best way forward.


You've got four levels to play through from the get-go, with the fifth and sixth unlocked sequentially. You'll need to complete ever level once to unlock even higher difficulties and new modes.

Gameplay intensity ramps up from 0 to 10 in the first minute but the controls are fluid and responsive, with several difficulty levels to choose form (which’ll grant you more or less lives and power-up drops per run). Each stage is typically comprised of three sections and a final boss, with the game only restarting you back at the beginning of a section should you run out of lives - rather than tossing you back to the beginning of the level, or entire game, old-school style. Talking of levels, there are only six of them with major boss fights at the end, but they’re broken down into the aforementioned sections, each with its own gameplay hook or mini-boss. Once you consider the multiple difficulty levels, additional modes (like boss rush), and leaderboards, there's no shortage of content to keep you coming back.

Gameplay intensity ramps up from 0 to 10 in the first minute...

Despite the restrictions of the visual style, Blazing Chrome has some impressive looking stages to battle through.

The final aspect to touch on is the presentation and once again I’d use the word “authentic”. From the opening scrawl that outlines the barebones plot, to the pixel-art visuals and extensive use of parallax scrolling, to the heavily distorted voice lines, Blazing Chrome is incredible. If I had seen this running on an old CRT, with the console hidden from sight, I’d have no problem believing this was a late 80’s run-and-gun shooter I’d missed.

With a low asking price on all platforms (and availability on the Xbox Game Pass for console and PC), Blazing Chrome is a must-buy for retro fans. It looks and plays great - albeit with a few frustrating aspects inherent to the genre - and is even more fun, and chaotic, in coop.