Battle Blaze
| Battle Blaze | |
|---|---|
Cover art of North American version | |
| Developers | Aicom Electronics Application (Eleca) |
| Publishers | |
| Composers | Megumi Matsuura Masaki Kase[1] |
| Platform | Super NES |
| Release | |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Modes | Single player Multiplayer |
Battle Blaze (バトルブレイズ) is a 1992 medieval fighting game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System by Sammy Studios.[2] Players use swords, morningstars, knives, and other weapons to beat up their opponents. The player can either play in a colosseum or on a quest. The eventual goal is defeat the Dark Lord who lives in a castle in the sky.
Plot
A land known as Virg was under the command of a powerful king. Every king was selected at the "Tournament of Champions". A demon from Hell, was hell-bent on world domination, so he sent five phantoms to possess every combatant in the tournament. The demon turned the contenders into enemies where they would have them battle one on one (similar to battle royale). The phantoms possessed every contender except for one. As one phantom ambushed Durill, the strongest of the competitors, an unknown disease struck him. Durill ended up defeating the phantom, but collapsed due to mind poisoning. After he died, his son Kerrel vowed to avenge his father, and defeat the evil demon.
Characters
- Kerrell (known in Japan as Faud) - This is the main hero of the game. He vowed to avenge his father, and destroy the dark lord.
- Shnouzer (known in Japan as Shazzer) - This is the leader of the mountain beast pack. He is widely regarded as the most feared competitor, as he has good close-combat skills.
- Adrick (known in Japan as Werleck) - The knight from Naxus, who relies on his long-reaching Dark Blade (known in Japan as Hell Blade).
- Tesya (known in Japan as Filea) - An agile warrior from Flynn, who uses twin daggers as her weapon of choice.
- Lord Gustoff - The half-orc ruler of a peaceful farm village, makes use of a morningstar/flail combination weapon.
- Lang - The twin brother of Kerrell. He has the same ability set as his brother. Only appears in The Battle mode.
- Autarch (known in Japan as Gilformoth) - The game's final boss, only encountered in The Hero mode. A powerful demon whose claws are as deadly as any sword. Seeks to wipe out the champions and conquer all of Virg. Not playable outside cheat mode.
Cover art
The illustration from the Japanese cover art was made by Yasushi Torisawa.[3]
Development
The North American release was originally announced for October 1993, but did not hit shelves until January 1994. According to American Sammy, a combination of bugs in the game, Nintendo's "lengthy approval process", and American Sammy's move from California to Illinois caused the game to be delayed.[4]
Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 5/10[5] |
| Famitsu | 6/10, 3/10, 5/10, 5/10[6] |
| GameFan | 79%, 79%, 70%, 80%, 69%[7] |
| Super Play | 7/10[8] |
| Total! | 59%[9] |
| VideoGames & Computer Entertainment | 4/10[10] |
| Control | 47%[11] |
| Electronic Games | 82%[12] |
| SNES Force | 33%[13] |
| Super Action | 67%[14] |
| Super Pro | 64%[15] |
The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked Battle Blaze ninth in popularity in its July 1992 issue.[16] The game received mixed reception from critics.[5][6][7][8]
References
- ^ @sizokmr (October 4, 2013). ""Battle Blaze" Composed by Megumi Matsuura and Masaki Kase" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Battle Blaze". Kotaku. 2024-11-11. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
- ^ Battle Blaze Japanese cover art Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine at MobyGames
- ^ "Cart Queries". GamePro. No. 65. IDG. December 1994. p. 15.
- ^ a b Weigand, Mike (October 1993). "Review Crew - Major Mike's Game Roundup: Battle Blaze". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 51. Sendai Publishing. p. 36.
- ^ a b "New Games Cross Review: バトルブレイズ". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 177–178. ASCII Corporation. May 8–15, 1992. p. 38.
- ^ a b Cockburn, Andrew; Stratton, Tom; Halverson, Dave; Off, Greg; Rickards, Kelly (January 1993). "Fight Special". GameFan. Vol. 1, no. 3. DieHard Gamers Club. pp. 63–69.
- ^ a b "What Cart?". Super Play. No. 1. Future Publishing. November 1992. pp. 86–90.
- ^ Dyer, Andy (August 1992). "SNES Reviews: Battle Blaze". Total!. No. 8. Future Publishing. p. 38.
- ^ Meston, Zach (August 1992). "Video-Game Reviews: Battle Blaze". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. No. 43. Larry Flynt Publications. pp. 52–54.
- ^ "The Global Story". Control. No. 7. Maverick Magazines. March 1993. pp. 82–87.
- ^ Chamberlain, Ross (June 1993). "Video Game Gallery: Battle Blaze". Electronic Games. Vol. 1, no. 9. Decker Publications. p. 62.
- ^ "Guide Directory Enquiries". SNES Force. No. 1. Impact Magazines. July 1993. pp. 92–97.
- ^ "Crusty Library". Super Action. No. 5. Europress. February 1993. pp. 104–113.
- ^ "A-Z of Import Games". Super Pro. No. 1. Paragon Publishing. December 1992. pp. 94–97.
- ^ Tezuka, Ichirō (July 1992). "Super Soft Hot Information: Super Famicom". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. pp. 241–243.