Faster Blaster

This game started as an experimental mash-up between Metroid and Blaster Master but has grown to be something more as I have continued to polish it. It is a large non-linear action adventure game with all original 8-bit style graphics and sound complete with a final boss and ending sequence. A state of the art dynamic lighting system gives it a very unique look. The world is absolutely massive without a single load or break in the action. Full play through time is few hours and there are many save points along the way. I used my own open sourced game engine The Frank Engine and Box2D for physics. All development tools used were free or open sourced. Music is by “No Black Magick”.

Features

Huge world with no load times and many save points.
Physics based puzzles and platform gameplay.
Over 10 enemy types, several mini bosses and a final boss battle.
Modern twist on classic NES style graphics.
Detailed in-game mapping system.
Destructible terrain.
Dynamic lighting.
Supports mouse and keyboard, Xbox 360 controller, or SNES controller.
Native support for both 16/9 and 16/10 aspect ratios and any refresh rate.

Downloading

Faster Blaster – Download the latest version here. (Requires Windows and DirectX)

Controls

Movement – WASD, arrow keys, or Left Stick
Brakes & Lock Wheels – Down
Shoot – Left click or Right Stick
Jump – Space, Up, or Left Trigger
Missiles – Right click or Right Trigger (hold for homing)
Dig Gun – Middle click, Control, or Right Bumper
Pause & Show Full Map – Esc or Start
You can also use an Xbox 360 or SNES style controller

Gameplay Tips

Your blaster automatically charges up when it is not being fired.
Your weapon system automatically accounts for trajectory and relative velocity!
There are many hidden areas with missiles, energy tanks, and new weapons.
Press Esc or Start to open up the full size map and pause the game.
The blinking red dot on the full size map is your current objective.
Hold missile button to make missiles seek enemies.
Use missiles to unlock red doors.
Hold down to throw on your brakes and hang on to ledges.
Long shot upgrades increase your weapon’s range.
Bounce shot upgrades increase how many bounces it can sustain

Press

35 responses to “Faster Blaster”

kmm

06.24.11

dosen’t work on win 7 ultimate…. 24-06-2011

Reply
1. Frank
  
  06.29.11
  
  I develop it on win 7 home premium so it should work. Try updating DirectX.
  
  Reply
marcin1245

09.22.11

Great game i realy like the it. I grew up on the game “Moon Patrol” on the Atari 65XE in middle 80′ . In first 5 min I thought it is some kinda clone of it but I was wrong :D
UR game is realy big. If U do engine to this game on UR own I’m impressed.
U should do more games on this engine
Greetings

Reply
Freeware Game Pick – ‘Faster Blaster’ | The Indie Game Magazine - Indie Game Reviews, Previews, News & Downloads

10.26.12

[…] across the floor. I’ve also learnt that retro mash-ups are rad. Frank Force’s�Faster Blaster (formerly known as Mother Lover) is doubleplus extra badical, for these reasons. Take one part […]

Reply
Mr. Kim

10.28.12

Nice work there! Works perfectly fine under Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit). Cool retro touch as well. I loved the original game and with some futher polish this could be great! As a indie developer myself I would love to have contact with you for some interesting discussion.

Reply
1. Frank
  
  11.02.12
  
  Thanks, I am trying to polish it up a bit but its gotten to a point where this game has grown too far, it was not intended to be this large of a project! I’ve added a new light system recently if you get a chance to check it out again.
  
  Reply
Pixellevel » Blog Archiv » Faster Blaster – Eine Mischung aus Metroid und Blaster Master

10.29.12

[…] es als kostenlosen Download auf der offiziellen Homepage. �hnliche […]

Reply
zolointo

11.01.12

It’s so frustratingly dark all the time. I was continuously making blind jumps in the vertical shafts.

Reply
1. Frank
  
  11.02.12
  
  Thanks for the feedback! Most of what I have been doing is lighting things better. This includes not just placing lights but many other tricks to help players see the ground while also getting a sense of darkness. I hope you get a chance to check out the newest version and see if its any better.
  
  Reply
2D Light Mapping | Killed By A Pixel

11.07.12

[…] used for effects. Some small effects can use non-shadow casting lights which are essentially free. I retrofitted Faster Blaster with dynamic lighting to test out the new system, check it out and see …�Also my game engine is fully open source so if you want to take a look at the actual code or make […]

Reply
Indie Links Round-Up: In The Pen | The Indie Game Magazine - Indie Game Reviews, Previews, News & Downloads

11.26.12

[…] Blaster (PixelProspector) “Faster Blaster�is an action adventure platform shooter with physics that happens to be a nice hybrid of 2 classic […]

Reply
Freeware Game Pick � �Faster Blaster� « DIYGamer

12.10.12

[…] across the floor. I’ve also learnt that retro mash-ups are rad. Frank Force’s�Faster Blaster (formerly known as Mother Lover) is doubleplus extra badical, for these reasons. Take one part […]

Reply
Iason Skullsaber

01.04.13

This game is Fantastic!! I see a crazy amount of potential in the Frank Engine as well. i would love to see this games world get expended to a much larger map.

I do have a few questions though…
is there a feature i am not immediately seeing to start the game from the last save? I can continue from save points , but when i first start the game, i don’t see a continue option, or anyway to find my last saved game. ( this is the only gripe i have, if it could even be considered that)

and have you used ENB Series post process effects with this game? I have tried it and have gotten AMAZING results, especially with motion blur in this game almost reminiscent of Little Big planet ..

Anyway….Killer work man!!! keep it up!

Reply
1. Frank
  
  01.05.13
  
  Hey, thanks for the heads up. There was a bug I must have introduced recently when I am doing engine work causing it to not load the save on start. Basically the worst possible kind of bug. I uploaded a new version with a fix. Sorry to everyone who was effected by this!
  
  I don’t know much about ENB effects but all my code is custom written and open source. There is quite a bit of post processing going on for the dynamic lighting right now.
  
  Reply
Iason Skullsaber

01.04.13

Also, I don’t know what everyone else thinks, but i think the darker lighting is nice, and using the tank light gives a great atmosphere you don’t usually get in these sorts of games. I can understand if you make an option to change or turn off the effect for people who don’t dig it, but PLEASE do not remove it completely

Reply
Shiden

02.06.13

Game is fun! But audio in the game is reversed! I shoot stuff on the right side of the game but the sound effect comes out my left channel, same the other way. >_>

Reply
1. Frank
  
  02.08.13
  
  Thanks for the bug report! I’ve been making so many changes to the engine that a few things were bound to slip through the cracks. I thought maybe I noticed some weird sound issues but I didn’t dig in there until now. So I fixed the bug, the listener was actually not reversed but rotated 90 degrees. There is a new build up where it should be all good!
  
  Reply
  1. Shiden
    
    02.09.13
    
    Well awesome! I’m glad that my ears weren’t going crazy. :P
    
    Reply
Suminsky

04.03.13

The game is really fun to play!

Reply
1. Frank
  
  04.05.13
  
  Thanks! I am going to continue adding to it and hopefully release a final version sometime next year.
  
  Reply
tenaciousD

04.19.13

This is a great game (added to my list of great action games)

Love the unique mix of old and new graphics!

Reply
Micah Kneller

02.26.14

I like the game (the momentium thing takes a while to get used to), however, I got stuck in the chamber where you get the jet pack thing. I spent about a half an hour trying all kinds of ways to get back out before quitting. Is there a trick I’m not seeing? Thanks.

Reply
1. Frank
  
  02.26.14
  
  Thanks for playing! Yes, I just checked and that is a bug, sorry about that! I’m glad you said something because it’s a progression stopper. I just put up a new build with increased boost jump height that fixes the issue. You can keep your same save game file “blast.sav”. Let me know how it goes if you give it another shot.
  
  Reply
  1. Micah Kneller
    
    02.26.14
    
    We have a winner. It’s working now. And, of course I’m giving it another try. You merged together two of my favorite NES games. It’s like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of indie gaming. Thanks for the quick response.
    
    Reply
    1. Frank
      
      02.27.14
      
      Awesome, thanks! You might want to update again, I put up a new build that increases the boost amount a bit, there were some areas that were a bit tough.
      
      Reply
fartarget82

08.03.14

Hey, great game.

However, I’m stuck at the door before the final boss. I can’t find a way to open it (it’s protected by a white shield). I believe I have all the upgrades and weapons I can find. The only other time I found a white shield, I went through the ground below, so I never needed to disable it.

Any hints?

Reply
1. Frank
  
  08.03.14
  
  Thanks! So, maybe there is a weapon/ability you could use on the white shield to disable it…
  
  Reply
  1. fartarget82
    
    08.04.14
    
    It’s no use, I rode all over the map and didn’t find anything other than the three weapons I already had.
    
    It’s driving me mad. I’m ok with spoilers at this point.
    
    Reply
    1. Frank
      
      08.04.14
      
      Ok, maybe I need to communicate that better in game. You need to fire the laser at it to cause the segments to heat up and break. Then you can shoot at the button to open it.
      
      Reply
      1. fartarget82
        
        08.04.14
        
        Thank, completed it!
        
        The problem was the break in the shield wasn’t visible enough, because only a few sections can be broken through.
        
        Besides this, the only other problem with the game was the energy management. You have too much health, you are too easy to hit and projectiles are too difficult to avoid. This creates somewhat ‘spongy’ shooting mechanics. I would often just rush through difficult sections instead of engaging enemies.
        
        Otherwise, a great game! I really enjoyed it.
      2. Frank
        
        08.04.14
        
        Awesome, thanks! Good suggestions, I will see about tweaking the shield barriers in the next update. I am not very happy with the way health works in general, but not really sure how to fix it without major changes.
Kasima

05.04.16

I just stubled upon this little gem last weekend and immediately got hooked. This is an awesome and extremely entertaining game and I’d just like to leave a huge THANK YOU! I kinda agree with the small complaints about balancing and health system, but otherwise this didn’t really spoil the good time I had with it at all. I’m just happy that I didn’t miss it, thanks again for the great work.

Reply
1. Frank
  
  05.04.16
  
  Thanks for the kind words, it means a lot, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Someday I’d like to put a final layer of polish on it and do a more formal release.
  
  Reply
Wilbur Cobb

02.16.17

So I found my old hard drive and was going through all my olde games as sort of a nostalgia binge and I come across this marvelous frankensteins monster of a game

Then I find out it’s just a beta. I hope you finish this some day, It doesn’t if it’s within 5 days or 5 decades, just don’t let this beauty die
Also, hope you’re doing well in the industry
xx

Reply
1. Wilbur Cobb
  
  02.16.17
  
  *doesn’t matter if
  my bad :<
  
  Reply