Blazing Lazers

If you have ever wanted to know why the PC Engine had a reputation as a machine for lovers of shooting from right to left, just fire up Blazing Lazers. This vertical shooter is among the most distinctive shmups of the system's early era and to this day can get the blood pumping for anyone who loves a screen full of projectiles and explosions.

The game builds on the classic vertical shmup formula but stands out with a rich upgrade system. The player collects various types of main weapons plus support modules that change the behavior of the fire and add protective elements or firepower multipliers. The right combination of upgrades turns your ship into a maelstrom, but a single hit can strip you of the power you have gathered, so the tension grows with each successive level. The pace is brisk, there are plenty of enemies and the end-of-level bosses are among the most spectacular the genre had to offer.

For its time, Blazing Lazers dazzled with its smoothness and the amount of on-screen action. The PC Engine could throw around a large number of sprites without major slowdown, which gave the shooter a dynamism that home consoles of the day did not commonly offer. Visually the game bets on vivid cosmic scenery and striking enemy formations that make progressing a pleasantly chaotic spectacle.

In its North American release for the TurboGrafx-16, the game shone as one of the titles meant to show what the system could do against the competition. It helped build the PC Engine's reputation as a platform beloved by fans of action shooters, and in the retro community today it is regarded as one of its machine's leading shmups.

For players seeking a pure arcade shooter with an emphasis on upgrading and reflexes, Blazing Lazers is a great choice. It is accessible enough to draw you in and demanding enough to keep you at repeated attempts for a better result.

Why play it: A brisk vertical shooter that shows the PC Engine in its best shmup form, with an addictive weapon system and an avalanche of on-screen action.