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BloodStorm

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For other uses of the name bloodstorm, see Bloodstorm.
BloodStorm
File:BloodStormTitle.png
Developer(s)Incredible Technologies
Publisher(s)Strata
Producer(s)Elaine Ditton
Designer(s)Chris Oberth
Composer(s)Leif Marwede
Platform(s)Arcade
Release1994 (Arcade)
Genre(s)Versus fighting
Mode(s)Up to 2 players

BloodStorm is a 1994 arcade fighting game published by Strata and developed by Incredible Technologies. It is considered by some as a quasi-'sequel' to Time Killers.

BloodStorm was dubbed as a possible "MK-killer" in an attempt to surpass rival Midway's success with Mortal Kombat, though it did not prevail. It was the last game Strata produced before the company went out of business. Home ports for the Saturn and PlayStation were announced in early 1995,[1] but were later cancelled.


Plot

Bloodstorm is set in a distant, post-apocalyptic future where the world, decimated by war and famine, has divided into eight provinces ruled by the High Emperor. At the start of the game, the Emperor is brutally assassinated by an unknown assailant, bringing he Empire to the brink of another global war. In accordance with ancient laws the ruling kings and queens of the provinces agree to gather and have a tournament, dubbed the Bloodstorm, to determine the next High Emperor, in hopes of preventing further conflict.[2]

Characters

Razor: The enigmatic leader of the Ebony Coast, a major trade hub. In the past he was a lover of Tempest, before her father forced them apart and sold him to Talon's cyborgs.[3] Now half-machine, he seeks revenge against Talon. In the end, after he gains the throne, he manages to unite the world against the warlike cyborgs and finally end the conflict.[4]

Tremor: The immortal leader of a race of underground dwellers, he seeks to end the global war and return the world to a natural state like it was prior to the nuclear conflict that nearly annihilated it.[5] In his ending, Tremor succeeds, and manages to restore the world to peace once more.[6]

Tempest: The teen daughter of the fallen Emperor and former lover of Razor, genetically engineered to be a "perfect" lifeform.[7] In the end, just as she is about to take the throne, she lets it slip she was the one who murdered the High Emperor. The people at her coronation turn on her, and she is executed on the spot for the bloodshed she caused.[8]

Talon: The vicious ruler of a marauding cyborg army, born from a virus that forced them to become more machine than human.[9] In his ending, Talon conquers the world and forces mankind to join his cyborg legions, becoming a hive mind.[10]

Hellhound: The brutal, warlike ruler of Scorch, an empire of inhuman beings who control fire. All he wishes is chaos.[11] After defeating his rivals Hellhound unleashes his pyrokinetic powers across the world, reducing the planet to ashes.[12]

Fallout: The mysterious ruler of the Death Zone: a radioactive wasteland between Polaria and Scorch surrounded by red mists. No one knows why he entered the tournament and no one ever finds out.[13] After the conflict he walks away without a word, never taking the throne, and the Empire explodes into chaos and war without a leader.<refhttp://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blosto.htm></ref>

Mirage: The rebellious ruler of Obsel, a desert nation. After being subjugated by men for centuries the women rose up and conquered the land, and Mirage is the daughter of their former leader.[14] In her ending, upon taking the throne Mirage puts her lackeys in power across the world and has all men subjugated as punishment.[15]

Freon: The decadent, vainglorious ruler of Polaria, an icy wasteland on the brink of war with Scorch. Only the Death Zone holds them both at bay.[16] After becoming the High Emperor, he puts his fellow ice people in command and ushers in an age of decadence and oppression as a despotic tyrant.[17]

Nekron: An inhuman monster who was once the scientist whose weapon sparked the nuclear conflict that nearly destroyed the world. Secretly manipulating the Empire for centuries, he now seeks to gain ultimate power by using the body of the Bloodstorm's winner as a gateway to our world.[18]

Gameplay

Fallout (Left) versus Talon (right), Talon's arm has been amputated.

As with its predecessor Time Killers, BloodStorm features many of the aspects carried down from it, such as the removal of an opponent's arms and an ‘instant kill’ attack, as well as a Special Death Move. The button layout is virtually the same. They are labeled as "back leg", "front leg", "back arm" and "front arm" respectively. A button in the center is used to make the character block. If a limb is lost in combat, its corresponding button is rendered useless.

BloodStorm is also a weapons-based fighter, though it differs from Time Killers in that the characters use weapons called "Gauntlets" that also allow them to use particular powers and attacks with them. Other than being able to bash off an opponent's arms, a technique called a ‘Sunder’ is also in the game. If executed when an opponent is stunned, it will destroy their lower body. The character will not be able to jump or use kicks, but can still move back and forth a little with the leg buttons.

Even after a successful Sunder attack, the fight can still go on, if the character's life bar is not totally drained yet. However, if both limbs are lost afterwards (if they were not already torn off prior to the Sunder attack) then s/he is almost completely helpless. (There are a few special moves that do not require arms or legs, and those can still be performed). Characters are restored back to normal form after a round is over much like Time Killers as well.

A notable feature in the game is that when an opponent is defeated, the player gains a ‘passable power’ in a style akin to the Mega Man series. These powers or weapons can be used at any time to give the player a further advantage. Also, players can save their progress in a game with a password feature by pressing buttons during the player select screen. However, since the data was saved only until the machine was turned off, it was not beneficial unless used to pick the game back up where it ended.

The game also featured 7 "secret" characters who could be found based on how a player defeated an enemy, interactions with certain environments, or codes entered after a match. These 7 characters, plus one additional character (faced after defeating the 8 main characters), were collectively known as the "Agents of Nekron." Defeating all 8 of these characters unlocked a special ending after defeating the final boss.

Development

Home ports for the Saturn and PlayStation were announced in early 1995,[1] but were later cancelled.

Reception

In North America, RePlay reported BloodStorm to be the eight most-popular arcade game at the time.[19] Play Meter also listed the game to be the seventeenth most-popular arcade game at the time.[20] According to Electronic Gaming Monthly, "BloodStorm enjoyed some success in the arcades, but it had very tough competition (MK II)."[21]

Entertainment Weekly gave the game a D and wrote that "If The Simpsons ever did a parody of Mortal Kombat, the result might be BloodStorm, a brutal fighting game in which players cut each other's arms off, launch cruise missiles at one another, and get impaled. But BloodStorm isn't funny, except in a snickering, Beavis and Butt-head sort of way — like when the screen flashes 'Cat Fight!' before two female combatants step into the ring."[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "BloodStorm Hits Home!". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 69. Ziff Davis. April 1995. p. 82. ISSN 1058-918X.
  2. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ade9hmVbDbI
  3. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Razor
  4. ^ http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blostoraz.htm
  5. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Tremor
  6. ^ http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blostotre.htm
  7. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Tempest
  8. ^ http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blostotem.htm
  9. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Talon
  10. ^ http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blostotal.htm
  11. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Hellhound
  12. ^ http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blostohel.htm
  13. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Fallout
  14. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Mirage
  15. ^ http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blostomir.htm
  16. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Freon
  17. ^ http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/a/blostofre.htm
  18. ^ https://time-killers.fandom.com/wiki/Nekron?so=search
  19. ^ "Player's Choice - Top Games Now in Operation, Based on Earnings-Opinion Poll of Operators: Best Video Software". RePlay. Vol. 19, no. 9. RePlay Publishing, Inc. June 1994. p. 6.
  20. ^ "Equipment Poll - Video & Pinball Combined". Play Meter. Vol. 20, no. 8. Skybird Publishing. July 1994. p. 11.
  21. ^ "What Ever Happened To...?". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 66. Ziff Davis. January 1995. p. 18. ISSN 1058-918X.
  22. ^ Strauss, Bob (June 17, 1994). "BloodStorm". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018.
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