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Aero Blasters

TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16

The player controls a small craft through different levels with many enemies. Every level ends with a boss and some section speed up the gameplay, offering fast obstacle courses both horizontally and vertically scrolling. Flying orange pods release many power-ups at once, enhancing the ships with...

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Developer
Inter State

Released on
1990

Size
1–2 Players

Version
TurboGrafx-16

Requirements
NEC TurboGrafx-16

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
Hudson Soft

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

The player controls a small craft through different levels with many enemies. Every level ends with a boss and some section speed up the gameplay, offering fast obstacle courses both horizontally and vertically scrolling. Flying orange pods release many power-ups at once, enhancing the ships with new or more powerful lasers, wing men and shields. The player can also hold the fire key to charge a blast that removes all enemy bullets from the screen and deals damage to all enemies. With an unforgiving difficulty, every hit is fatal, but the game can be continued from any points as long as there are lives and credits left. The game can be played with two players cooperatively.

Aero Blasters

Overview & History

Originally released in Japanese arcades by Kaneko in 1990 under the fitting title Air Buster: The Trouble Goblins, this vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up was later ported to the PC Engine in Japan and subsequently published by Hudson Soft for the North American TurboGrafx-16 in 1992. The storyline places players in the cockpit of advanced, futuristic jet fighters—the Blasternaut and the Super Phantom—sent on a desperate mission to overthrow the evil empire of Galactic Emperor Odin before his forces annihilate the peaceful planet of air-faring inhabitants. Unlike typical somber space shooters of its era, *Aero Blasters* infuses a vibrant, sometimes whimsical sci-fi aesthetic into its eight treacherous stages, featuring mechanical beasts, floating fortresses, and bizarre alien armadas.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Aero Blasters distinguishes itself from standard bullet-hell titles through its dynamic scoring system and flexible weapon upgrade mechanics. Players collect power-ups that radically alter their forward and rear defensive capabilities, ranging from piercing laser beams and homing missiles to wide-spread plasma bursts and protective satellite options. The game shifts perspective seamlessly, occasionally altering scroll speeds and forcing pilots to navigate tight interior corridors while dodging environmental hazards like crushing pistons and electrified barriers. Unique to this entry is the ability to purchase and equip special tactical bombs between levels using collected energy crystals, adding a layer of strategic resource management to the frantic arcade action.