Nex Machina

Housemarque, better known for the arcade shooter Resogun, released an arguably superior follow-up in Nex Machina. The latter is more of a top-down shooter akin to Robotron and Smash TV, and had Eugene Jarvis – who designed both – as a consultant. The result was an intense, action-packed arcade title with heaps of particle effects, great bosses and excellent areas. Unfortunately, Nex Machina and Housemarque’s other arcade title Matterfall reaped so little success that the developer proclaimed the arcade genre dead and focused on more mainstream genres.

Cortex – Path of Exile: Synthesis League

Leaving aside the confusing League mechanics, this encounter was about fighting several difficult bosses in a row. Each has their own one-shot mechanics; each has their own vaguely discernible moves that are tough to dodge. You don’t really know what’s happening much of the time until the fight kind of ends (or you die). But for all intents and purposes, it’s a tough fight, even for the best builds.

WARGROOVE

Position itself as a spiritual successor to the fan-favourite Nintendo series Advance Wars, Wargroove had a lot to live up to, and for the most part, it met those expectations expertly. And among the many things that endeared Chucklefish’s strategy title to the masses was its difficulty- Wargroove is a challenging game, and nearly every fight, every skirmish in the game is an uphill battle. And while Wargroove does occasionally become a bit too harsh with its difficulty, by and large it maintains a pretty healthy and consistent balance.

NOTE: This interview was held prior to the game’s launch.

"Boss battles are the big thing in all our games, we care a lot about them and we always pack our games with LOTS of them. As a run’n’gun we used a lot of encounters to guarantee that we’re always throwing some new to the player. This is essential for a run’n’gun."

How much will the gameplay style differ depending on which of the two characters players are playing as?

The first two characters in Blazing Chrome are basically the same, it’s just a skin, like in Metal Slug 2, 3 and X. However, after finishing the game you unlock two new very different characters, more melee style, faster and who can jump high but cannot collect special weapons.

Can you speak to us about the variety of weapons that will be on offer to players in Blazing Chrome?

We have a normal machine gun weapon, a grenade launcher, an energy whip and a particle cannon. We choose to keep 4 weapons because we wanted to guarantee that we’re not creating useless armament, every weapon has its strong points. Besides, the 4 main weapons players can collect assist bots. These are little fellas that help you with three different types.

Attack bot: A small robot follows the player and shoot enemies, like in a shmup game.

Defense bot: These robot brothers generate a shield that protect the player; if you get hit two times you lose them.

Speed bot: This guy helps the player to run faster, jump higher and double jump! Speedrunners’ favorite.

We also feature vehicles section in every stage to guarantee a good amount of variety in gameplay.

Boss fights and set piece encounters can often make or break run’n’gun titles- how much of an emphasis does Blazing Chrome put on such encounters? Can you talk to us a bit about how you’ve designed them?

Yeah, boss battles are the big thing in all our games, we care a lot about them and we always pack our games with LOTS of them. As a run’n’gun we used a lot of encounters to guarantee that we’re always throwing some new to the player. This is essential for a run’n’gun. We spend a lot of time designing them and creating crazy encounters, it was super fun but also super difficult, but we had a great time and we hope everyone has fun with it.

"A very experienced player will probably finish the first run in 50 minutes, however most players will take more time, also after finishing you unlock new characters and new gaming modes, it’s a hell of a ride!"

About how long is an average playthrough of Blazing Chrome?

Depends of the player, a very experienced player will probably finish the first run in 50 minutes, however most players will take more time, also after finishing you unlock new characters and new gaming modes, it’s a hell of a ride!

Are there any run’n’gun games in particular that you drew inspiration from for Blazing Chrome? I imagine you hear this a lot, but the game immediately gives off Contra vibes at first glance.

Ah yes, we got inspiration from lots of titles- not just Contra, there’s Metal Slug as well and even some underground titles like Gun Force 2.

Classic run’n’gun titles were often defined by how challenging they could be- is that something we should expect to see in Blazing Chrome as well?

Definitely, Blazing Chrome has a lot of challenges, even the easiest setting will put players to the test!

As an indie developer, what are your thoughts on the Switch, which has become a haven for indies since its launch?

Switch is a great platform to feature your indie title, there’s a lot of attention! There are people who bought two or more times the same game just to have it on Switch, it’s great!

Does the game feature Xbox One X specific enhancements? What can players expect if they are playing the game on Xbox One X? Is 4K/60fps on the cards? And how has the PS4 Pro version turned out in terms of resolution and frame rate?

Well, our idea is to keep 60fps in all platforms, since Blazing Chrome is a fast action game, we have to guarantee that. Now, we don’t have an answer yet for the 4k, maybe we can see about that in a future patch, at least on PC if your desktop is set at 4k the game will upscale to 4k automatically.

"Switch is a great platform to feature your indie title, there’s a lot of attention! There are people who bought two or more times the same game just to have it on Switch, it’s great!"

How is the game running on the original Xbox One and PS4, frame rate and resolution wise?

On Xbox and PS4 Blazing Chrome is running at 1080p 60fps, however the game’s native resolution is 427×240 so basically our game upscales to this resolution.

What is the resolution and frame rate of the Switch version in docked and undocked modes?

On Switch we’re also trying to keep 1080p and 60fps in all modes, we’re still working on some tweaks to fix all kinds of performance gripes that the game may have.

The world has more or less ended in Joymasher’s Blazing Chrome, but that doesn’t mean the future can’t be awesome. With rogue machines calling the shots, it’s up to a few human survivors to fight the good fight. Blazing Chrome is out now for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Check out the release trailer here.

Featuring characters like human resistance fighter Mavra and sentient robot Doyle, players will run-and-gun through a variety of levels. Taking inspiration from classic Contra titles, Blazing Chrome features vehicles like hover-bikes and large, screen-filling bosses to battle. There are also some hidden characters to unlock for even more variety.

Local co-op gameplay is supported for two players, and the 16-bit aesthetic looks pretty darn good as you shoot through five unique environments. Blazing Chrome is also available for Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One. If you’re a subscriber, it might be worth checking out.

Joymasher’s Blazing Chrome is out tomorrow and to celebrate the same, publisher The Arcade Crew has released a new trailer. It’s not just chock-full of gameplay showcasing the game’s 2D side-scrolling action. It also features some live-action footage with budget outfits, cheesy acting and lame CG. Check it out below.

Blazing Chrome stars Marva and Doyle, two soldiers who blast their way through a variety of environments to take down an AI army gone bad. A variety of weapons, mechs that can be piloted, vehicles like hoverbikes and much more await. And of course, there are some giant bosses waiting to be killed.

Blazing Chrome is out on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One tomorrow for $16.99. It will also be available for Xbox Game Pass tomorrow along with titles like Timespinner, Unavowed and Dead Rising 4. Head here to see two of the secret characters that can be unlocked and what they’re capable of.

Microsoft had recently unveiled its next round of ID@Xbox titles for Xbox Game Pass including Undertale and My Time at Portia. Turns out they’re arriving sooner than expected – both titles will be available on Game Pass today along with Monolith Productions’ Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. That’s already quite the steal.

But that’s not all. However, recent tweets by the official Xbox Game Pass Twitter confirmed that Blazing Chrome, Dead Rising 4, LEGO City Undercover, Timespinner, and Unavowed would also be joining the service on July 11th. So whether you’re seeking open world action, side-scrolling action or adventure, this month should have you covered.

Xbox Game Pass is also available for PC, having launched last month with over 100 titles. These includes games like Imperator: Rome, Metro Exodus and much more. You can also expect The Coalition’s Gears 5 to be available on the service when it launches in September. In fact, those who pick up Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $15 gain early access to Gears 5.

https://twitter.com/XboxGamePass/status/1146404224697171975

Fancy a retro throwback to Contra (not Contra: Rogue Corps, of course)? JoyMasher has you covered with Blazing Chrome, a run ‘n’ gun action platformer that captures that signature 16-bit vibe. Even better is that the game has a release date – it’s out on July 11^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

The latest trailer is also noteworthy, because it features two secret characters. Suhaila has a robot arm, while Raijin is a ninja. Really, what more could you ask for? They join Mavra and Doyle, who are available from the outset, though how they’ll be unlocked is unknown.

Blazing Chrome features five different environments for its campaign and includes set-pieces like riding a motorcycle in a chase scene. There are enormous bosses to fight, but much like games from that era, Blazing Chrome will be tough. You might die a fair number of times before actually seeing the end. Stay tuned for more details on the game en route to release.