Extra Life Retro

Blaster Master: The NES Game That Made You Feel Small

This game figured out something most NES titles never bothered with: scale. Not just graphically—though driving around in a tank and then hopping out to explore on foot was wild for 1988—but emotionally. One minute you’re piloting this unstoppable metal beast, bouncing around planets, blowing through walls. The next minute you’re walking through a door, and suddenly you’re this tiny, fragile thing in a room full of enemies that want you dead.