Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo – Frantic Retro Space Blasting

Do you miss the retro shoot ‘em ups of yesteryear? Do you long for a game that has that nostalgically punishing nature of classic space shooters? Do you feel a yearning to blow-up every asteroid or piece of space junk you see? Well you may be in luck as Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo blasts its way on to PC and consoles with its merger of retro and modern space shooter mechanics.

Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo Edition

Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo is a retro inspired space blaster created by solo developer Ste Wilson for the UK based game studio, Bare Knuckle Development. It is a massive expansion of the original Super Mega Space Blaster Special which launched on Steam in June 2019. This time the game will not only come to Steam but also PS4 and Nintendo Switch. The game features more game modes, more space blasters, more challenges, more music, upgradable weapons… you get the idea it’s a bigger game. With all these additions and a multi-platform launch can the game live up to its retro space blasting claims?

Frantic Retro Blasting

The game offers five game modes, three of which support local cooperative play and two are local  two-player competitive modes. In ‘Save the Colony’ the player is tasked with rescuing cute astronauts (called blastronauts in the game) by picking them up and dropping them in a rescue ship. In ‘Protect Mother’ the player must prevent a huge mothership at the bottom of the screen from being destroyed. In ‘Survival Mode’ the aim is to, well, survive for as long as possible with constantly depleting fuel and ammo. In all these modes the player must use their retro piloting skills to evade and destroy incoming asteroids and alien-spacecraft and eventually a massive boss. The game features quite a few weapons, from the lightsabre-like laser, to dual homing missiles; there’s enough fire power to blast your way out of a tricky situation.

Hidden Depth

On the surface Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo appears to be a pretty simple retro space shooter but the game actually boasts some quite complicated mechanics. The initial space blasters have only a forward-facing cannon, but later ships include turrets which instantly turns the game into a twin stick shooter. In some game-modes combos grant the player rewards, in others the ship is constantly moving adding an additional challenge to the gameplay. In ‘Survival Mode’ the edges of the screen are lethal whereas in ‘Save the Colony’ they allow the player to warp to the opposite edge of the screen a la Pac-Man. The depth and variety of mechanics adds to the challenge and forces the player to learn them in order to master the retro space blaster. The player is rewarded through coins which they can gain through blasting baddies or completing challenges. The coins can be spent on better space blasters and upgrades in the shop.

Easy to play hard to master

From reactions to the original game and testing feedback on the ‘Turbo Edition’ the developer has dubbed the game the “easy to play hard to master space blaster”. Trying to blast aliens whilst dodging asteroids and carrying a blastronaut to the rescue-ship can be quite difficult. With enough practice, the right space blaster, and a few upgrades players will find themselves blasting through armies of enemies, completing challenges, hoarding coins and eventually destroying the boss. The game offers an addictive, challenging blast of nostalgia for anyone longing for some retro space shooting action just don’t expect it to be easy.

Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo  will launch on 14^th January 2020 on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. For more information about the game check out the game’s webpage.

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