- Cruise Chaser Blassty
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Cruise Chaser Blassty Developer(s) Square Publisher(s) Square Designer(s) Hironobu Sakaguchi
Kazuhiko AokiComposer(s) Nobuo Uematsu Platform(s) NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-9801, Sharp X1 Release date(s) - JP April 1986
Genre(s) Role-playing game Mode(s) Single player Media/distribution CD Cruise Chaser Blassty (クルーズチェイサーブラスティー) is a science fiction role-playing video game developed by Square for various Japanese computers, including the NEC PC-8801, PC-9801, and Sharp X1. The game featured mecha originally designed by Nagano Mamoru and music by Nobuo Uematsu, being the second video game score he ever composed. The game had an unusual battle system, which involved the player controlling a customizable mecha robot from a first-person view. It followed a group of young people from Earth caught up in a war between a solar-system spanning government and a group of rebels.
Contents
Story and gameplay
The game's story focuses on a group of young people from Earth caught up in a war between a group of rebels and a government controlling the solar system. The game is set in the future, where the majority of humanity is ruled by a group, called the Commune, that lives giant space station named Ondina orbiting the Earth, which oversees the development and expansion of humanity throughout the solar system. A group of rebels called the Inverse, based on Mars, are rebelling against what they see as an oppressive government. The primary weapons in the fight are space fighters called Cruise Chasers, which can transform into giant robots using the "Blassty" system; other types of space fighters are also used. The player may choose whether the Inverse or the Commune win, giving the game two different endings.
The game is played through a first-person perspective, with a role-playing battle system and the ability to customize the player's mecha.[1]
Development
The game was designed and written by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Kazuhiko Aoki. The graphics were made by Hiromi Nakata and Bruno Miki, and the original designs for the mecha were done by Nagano Mamoru. The programming for the game was done by Seasonal Saegusa for the PC-8801 version, Makoto Wakamatsu for the PC-9801 version, and Takashi Koyama for the X1 version.
Music
The game's music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, as his second game soundtrack after Genesis, and Takashi Uno. A vinyl album for the game, titled Cruise Chaser Blassty, was released on Apr 26, 1986, containing six tracks from the game.[2]
Legacy
The game was the fifth game that Square had published, and the third that they had developed themselves. In 1987, the game's story was serialized in Hobby Japan magazine. The story was republished as a set of three novels, titled Cruise Chaser Blassty, in 1990-1992.
References
- ^ "Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier". Hardcore Gaming 101. p. 3. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers3.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-29. Reprinted from Retro Gamer, 2009.
- ^ "Cruise Chaser Blassty". Square Enix Music Online. http://www.squareenixmusic.com/albums/c/cruiseblassty.shtml. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
External links
Categories:- 1986 video games
- Role-playing video games
- Japan-exclusive video games
- Mecha
- Square (company) games
- NEC PC-8801 games
- NEC PC-9801 games
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