We know that anniversaries are important, they represent a moment in which to take stock of the past years, verify the objectives achieved, analyze one's path or simply let oneself be carried away in nostalgia by past memories. Often these occasions are celebrated in various ways, e Blizzard he decided to commemorate his 30th anniversary through a collection of 3 of its old glories. Blizzard Arcade Collection is a package containing old titles of the software house of the 16-bit era. The games in question are The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing e Blackthorne, presented here in different versions. The first 2 are present in the version SNES e Sega genesis , while for Blackthorne we are talking about the 32-bit SNES version (Sega Mega Drive 32X); in addition, all presented a definitive edition with improved graphics and sound and extra content. Among other things, there are some useful features such as rewinding the time for 10 seconds, saving and mapping the keys freely.
Le definitive edition made by Blizzard have also been translated into Spanish. To close the package we find the possibility to view original sketches, boxes and manuals, advertisements, photos during the development phases, background, information about the games (such as description of the characters and synopsis of the stories), interviews with developers about the creation of the titles and a music player with which to listen to soundtracks. In short, we are talking about rather interesting additions, which complete the collection and which are in line with the commemorative function of the project.
Blizzard is his signature trio
The Lost Vikings can be summed up in a puzzle game with platform elements. In the game you control 3 Vikings: Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce e Olaf the Mighty. These, during the night, are abducted from their homes in the village by an alien spaceship; the three manage to escape but will find themselves traveling between various historical eras and parallel universes, thus ending up having to find a way to return home and defeat the aliens. In short, we are talking about an undoubtedly interesting narrative opening, but it would have been interesting to see a greater characterization of the 3 protagonists, perhaps inserting a greater number of lines between our three heroes. The aim of each level is to reach the exit of the picture with all 3 Vikings, while completing various puzzles where it will be necessary. combine the peculiarities of all three characters, each of which has a unique and well-differentiated set of skills. Erik is characterized by a higher movement speed, the ability to jump and destroy specific walls via a loaded warhead on the run. Baleog has a sword and a bow with which to take out enemies. Finally, Olaf is equipped with a directional shield in front and at the top thanks to which he can parry close and ranged attacks, as well as glide.
To complete the puzzles it is necessary to take advantage of the uniqueness of each character and the synergies that will be created. Just to give some examples, Erik will be able to climb on Olaf's shield to get to points otherwise unreachable, Baleog will have the task of cleaning the level of different creatures or activating remote buttons through the arc and Olaf will protect the other two from distant bullets while these are deputies to carry out some other task. The puzzles are well thought out and various, however these will never be particularly complex and the most experienced players will almost immediately understand how to advance. Objects scattered throughout the levels complete the formula, with some simply supporting, such as healing or armor, while others are necessary to complete the levels, so much so that using them inadvertently at the wrong time will preclude passing certain sections, effectively presenting blocking situations, in fact triggering some annoying trial and error mechanics. The same situation will arise in the event of the death of one of the characters, since the possibility of resurrecting is not contemplated, a detail that could generate some moments of frustration.
In the levels there is also space for some platform sections, in particular in the role of Erik and Baleog. The enemies are quite varied, some will attack from a distance, others will fly, while still others will be invulnerable from behind. An element that could generate tedium is summarized in some phases where it will be required to change characters very often, this due to the fact that the change is not immediate, but the camera will move slowly each time. The gameplay, however, works and entertains, although some mechanics appear slightly outdated. It should be noted that it is possible to complete the adventure in co-op. There are 37 levels in the SNES version and 41 in the Sega Genesis version, for an adventure that will last little more than a couple of hours, a longevity certainly not exciting which however appears proportional to the variety of mechanics present. The original versions are pleasing to the eye, while the definitive edition prepared by Blizzard improves the models, all flanked by a color palette appears more vivid. Certainly do not expect a real graphic remake in step with the times, but this was not the aim of the developers, who rather wanted to get closer to the original game experience, however limiting certain aspects (this applies to all three games of the offer). It should be noted that all the original versions of the games run at a reduced resolution, while the music - albeit good - tends to be quickly forgotten.
Drift to the sound of rock and metal
Rock N Roll, another Blizzard creature that few will remember, is a racing game in isometric view in a sci-fi setting. At the beginning of the career mode (the only one available), in which you have to win the two cups present on each planet and then advance to the next one, you can select a character and one of the 2 vehicles that can initially be purchased. Each digital alter ego is slightly differentiated from the others for some passive bonuses to the statistics, but these have not turned out to be particularly characterized; although at first glance this may seem like a defect, it is actually a wise choice, as radically differentiating the characters could have generated some problems in the balance. The foundations of the gameplay are the classic ones of the genre, although the disturbing element of the opponent is central. In fact, it is possible to have a number of resources to hinder the other contenders. Each car has a cannon capable of damaging other vehicles, traps to be placed to slow down the opponents and a useful jump to dodge the pitfalls of others, skills which, however, will be activated only once per lap. These additions contribute to making the gameplay dynamic and unpredictable, forcing you to pay constant attention and use the possibilities available strategically and wisely.
Il guidance system it works well, without an excessive elastic effect when cornering, although players not used to this type of view in a racing game may initially take a few minutes to feel comfortable, but once mastered it will be natural to pilot the vehicles. The courses are quite short, which allows for hit and run play sessions, and do not present particular flashes of level design revealing itself more like an alternation of straight and curved lines. The maps also suffer from a certain repetitiveness both in the construction and in the setting; in fact each planet has a unique biome, and until the end of the two cups present on each of them you will find yourself in settings that are practically all the same visually. At the end of each race you will get points and money determined on the basis of positioning, the former will be used to move on to the next cup once collected in sufficient numbers, the latter will instead be spent between one race and another to upgrade the cars (for example by increasing their armor or by increasing the number of resources at the start of the race) or to purchase new vehicles.
Upgrades are a pleasant element of this Blizzard production, capable of giving a certain degree of strategic and personalization to the experience. The gameplay has aged quite well, making it fun and enjoyable even today. There colonna sonora is one of the main strengths of the production, with songs taken from the class of the genre rock e metal. Also pleasant are the sound effects and comments from the commentator of the race. Technically, the SNES and Sega Genesis versions are not overly unpleasant to the eye, even if there is a certain (and obvious) obsolescence. The work of the definitive edition is good, the models are more defined, the backgrounds more detailed and there is a cleaner and more functional HUD. The career mode can be completed in about 4 hours, a satisfactory longevity given the genre, a shame only for the absence of any additional mode, with just the presence of an option dedicated to multiplayer for four players. The definitive edition also features new special effects and music tracks in CD quality. In short, Rock n Roll Racing is still a pleasant game today and more than a few laps of the track is highly recommended.
26 years at Blizzard and hear them all
Last but not least, we find in this collection "Made in Blizzard" Blackthorne, action-adventure that has suffered a lot from the passage of time. The title sees as the protagonist the prince of Androthi, a human race inhabiting the planet Tull, who is sent by his father to Earth through a spell to save him from the onslaught of the evil one Sarlac and his army. Once the protagonist has grown up, he will then have to free his people and defeat them Sarlac. Let's start in our analysis, stating - as mentioned above - that the game has unfortunately aged badly, with mechanics that appear obsolete and woody. Basically, the game explores levels studded with enemies to be defeated with our trusty shotgun while completing environmental puzzles. The fights are based on a system of coverings through which you can hide until you wait for the right moment to hit the enemies; also interesting is the fact that you can shoot both in front and behind. In the exploration phases you will find objects or magnetic cards, often released by enemies, useful for overcoming the various puzzles that will appear before us. In-game it will also be possible to interact with some slaves to obtain information on the plot, on the resolution of the puzzles or again, to receive various objects.
Unfortunately, the movements of our digital alter ego are rather woody, leading to rather frustrating play sections; furthermore, holding the gun in hand will preclude a whole series of actions (for example it will not be possible to run, jump or enter the doors), a peculiarity that in the long run generates a strong tedium. The distribution of the checkpoints, among other things, is not particularly generous and this often leads to a strong sense of frustration. The title lasts approximately 2 hours, in proportion to what it has to offer in terms of playability. The art direction is quite inspired and the settings appear sufficiently varied. The technical component is the main strength of the game, the animations were state-of-the-art for the time the game was released and are still very enjoyable today. Here, too, the definitive edition improves the models and the color palette, however even the original versions are pleasant. The music turned out to be good, the same goes for the sound effects. As mentioned, Blackthorne is a badly aged title in terms of gameplay, but if you want to get some culture on Blizzard, we still recommend you try it.
