We Play, Create and Review Blast Works

In era when it’s becoming increasingly rare for a 2D shooter
to be released at retail, the shmup gods have graced us with Blast Works:
Build, Trade, Destroy. As the title implies, mere bullet dodging isn’t the focus
of the game. Instead, players can unleash their creative impulses by designing
their own arcade shooters using Blast Works powerful editing tools. Later, they
can then trade and upload their designs for others to enjoy.

The core gameplay is built around Tumiki Fighters, a shooter
created by Kenta Cho, who was called one of today’s best independent game
programmers by MacWorld. In Tumiki, players would pilot a ship, along a horizontally
scrolling battlefield, while destroying enemies. As these enemies were shot
down, they would tumble off the screen. Players could pick up these cascading
wreckages and add them to their own ship, in a chaotic, ‘Katamari’-like fashion.
Players would then possess the firepower of the newly obtained vessel,
resulting in a huge ship, firing in all directions.

The original Tumiki, along with three similar titles are
present in developer Budcat Creations, Blast Works. But what makes this Wii
title so compelling is the included editor that can be used to create your own
bullet patterns, backgrounds, enemies, and player ships. A necessary balance
between flexibility and ease of use is needed for any user-created editor, and
Blast Works walks that line deftly. It will take a few hours before would-be
creators are able to articulate their design ideas into actual gameplay.
Artistic ability and experience using 3D modelers are two assets that could help
budding designers. Fortunately, templates from full games, to ship shapes, are available
for players to download at Majesco’s website, Blastworksdepot.

Overall, Blastworks suffers from a few small problems. First,
the Wiimote isn’t accurate enough for simple 3D modeling. It lacks the necessary
precision found in a mouse or tablet. While multiplayer supports up to four
players, a game can quickly dissolve into a muddled mess, as the camera doesn’t
move to capture the on-screen action appropriately. Others may be turned off by
the blocky, impressionistic, decidedly old-school graphics; however, we found
them charming.

These small caveats shouldn’t be enough to dispel gamers
interested in building their own creations. Others less artistically inclined,
or those looking for a quick shooter fix, may want to rent this title before
committing to the $40 price tag.

Final Grade: B

Congratulations to Fstop, who will be receiving a copy of Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy, shortly. Thanks to all that entered. If you didn’t win, don’t despair- we will be having a huge contest to coincide with E3 this month.