Collection essentials #93: Power Blade (NES)

Here’s an example of a game that is not nostalgic for me, nor historically significant. Power Blade is on this list strictly because it’s just really freakin’ good. In this game, you play as a dude who appears to be plucked out of an ‘80s action flick, who starts out by taking on six levels (done in whichever order you wish) with his trusty boomerang.

I don’t have a ton to say about Power Blade, it’s just one of those action games that executes pretty much everything well that I would like in an action game. The controls are real solid, you can shoot in eight directions, and there are power-ups to collect to make your character stronger and more fun to control. The best power-up is a special power suit that gives your character a REALLY strong beam attack, but if you get hit three times then you lose it, so you gotta be careful! My only real complaint when I played through this game was the boss fights, which felt a little uninspired. I also felt like the game was a little on the easy side, but not so much that it made things boring. If you like 2D action games and have never played Power Blade, it’s one I highly recommend. 

There’s also a sequel that’s EXTREMELY expensive that I’ve never played, and unfortunately that one won’t be making the list. At Retro World Expo 2015 I tried to win a live auction for the sequel, but I didn’t really want to go up to the standard eBay price (which was still high but not nearly as crazy back then) and my rival went a little higher. Oh well.