Rare has made some absolute bangers over the years, perhaps too many to count, and while one could argue it’s well past its prime it’s always fun to revisit its extensive library of retro classics.
While you could harp on and on aboutBanjo Kazooie,Diddy Kong RacingorConker’s Bad Fur Day, there’s one title Rare made that’s always held a special place in my heart, and you can play it right now on Xbox Game Pass viaRare Replayand the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass.
Check out the trailer forRare Replaybelow
What is that game I hear you ask? It’s none other thanBlast Corps, an action/puzzle game all about causing as much destruction as possible, all for the right cause of course.
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Blast Corpswas first released for the Nintendo 64 back in 1997, and was actually the first game Rare released for Nintendo’’s first 3D console. Of course the partnership between the two companies started long before the N64, with the company really making a name for itself with the Donkey Kong Country games.
While there’s not much in the way of story, the objective of the game is simple: escort a nuclear warhead as it moves through several levels, ensuring nothing touches it on the way. The warhead is on a strict set course and won’t stop for anything, and if it suffers so much as a dent it’ll explode, taking you and just about everything around you with it.
In order to prevent this the player must not only escort it through the level, but also demolish anything that’s standing in its way. Hazards to the warhead are highlighted with arrows which turn red when it’s getting a bit too close for comfort. Hopping into the driver’s seat of several vehicles is the key to clearing a path, and once the warhead can travel to its destination without interruptions you’re free to either end the level or wreck some optional objects and buildings until the level ends automatically.
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The vehicles themselves are the highlight of the game, starting off with a humble bulldozer before advancing to missile-firing motorcycles, rocket-powered dune buggies and even colossal mechs which pack some serious Pacific Rim vibes. Most of the time the vehicle you use is picked for you, but there are a few levels that give you a choice before you start and sometimes some of the other vehicles are hidden in the level for you to switch to. As you can probably imagine the mechs are the most fun, with one specialising in dive-bombing buildings and the other levelling them with a giant fist.
It can feel incredibly chaotic at times, and while some levels will probably take a few tries it doesn’t impede on the fun as you’re generously awarded for your efforts with bonus levels which I’ll get to later. This is somethingBlast Corpsdoes exceptionally well, striking the perfect balance between silly fun and stress-inducing mayhem.
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The main missions are obviously the most stressful, as sometimes the game will crank the speed of the warhead up to 11 just to make you squirm more. Sometimes there’ll even be buildings that your vehicle can’t demolish so you’ll need to find and move bombs which is often easier said than done.
But then the game will throw you a bone every now and then and give you a stupid-fun type of mission. These range from doing laps around a racetrack in the bulldozer or being given a city, a mech and a time limit to flatten as much as you can for points.
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Blast Corpswill take most players around eight hours to beat, but that’s just the main game. Once you’ve wrapped up your playthrough you can either do it all again from the beginning, or stick around in search of collectables or attempt to get a better score on previous levels, which rewards you with some shiny gold medals.
So if you’d like to revisit a game from your past or play it for the very first time, there are two ways to do so. If you’ve got NSO + Expansion Pass for your Nintendo Switch you’ll be able to play it that way via the Nintendo 64 line-up of games. If you’re on Xbox, you can play it as part of theRare Replaycollection, which features 30 games from Rare’s long history as a developer. While it’s often on sale physically and digitally you’ll also be able to play it at no additional cost as part of your Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Topics:Nintendo,Nintendo Switch,Xbox,Xbox Game Pass,PC
