Blaster Master: Enemy Below

Sunsoft didn't treat its legendary NES classic carelessly, and Blaster Master: Enemy Below from 2000 is proof of that. This Game Boy Color successor cleverly revived the unusual concept of the 1988 original and brought it to the handheld in a form that pleases both those who remember and newcomers.

The game's magic lies in alternating between two entirely different perspectives. Most of the time you drive the armored vehicle SOPHIA through side-scrolling platform levels full of jumps and shootouts. But when you come across the entrance to a lair, you step out of the tank and, as a hero on foot, head into top-down sections where a boss usually waits at the end. This dual-track approach gives the game an unusual rhythm and a sense of exploring an interconnected world, setting it apart from most linear platformers of the time.

Retro gamers see Enemy Below as one of the more successful attempts to revive a famous brand on portable hardware. Sunsoft, renowned for its feel for atmosphere and sound, showed good form here and proved that Blaster Master's hybrid design works even in pocket form.