Steel Assault
Steel Assault
Game
Game2019
Blazing Chrome
Developer JoyMasher
Blazing Chrome is a run and gun video game developed by JoyMasher and published by The Arcade Crew. The game was released on July 11, 2019 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is set in the post-apocalyptic future of 21XX, following a war that nearly kills off the human race. A robot army rules the world, and attempt to destroy the remnants of humanity. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
214 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 19, 2026 · last updated Oct 20, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
85
LovedLoved
154 positive · 27 negative
95% range 79–90%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 154 | 27 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 12 | 0 | 15 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
700 of 794 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
86% recommend · 162 yes, 26 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 188 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,736 of 1,989 positive).
Players widely praise Blazing Chrome as a faithful and polished homage to classic Contra games. [1][2][3] Many reviewers highlight its challenging but fair difficulty, with rewarding gameplay and satisfying boss fights. [1][4][5] Some players find the game too difficult or frustrating, citing enemy spam and limited screen space. [6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
The bottom line is it's just too difficult to be enjoyable. I love the retro look and feel. They nailed the sound and the looks, but the gameplay, enemy, and level design is just too frustratingly difficult to really enjoy. I got through it on the hardest difficulty and realized I'd spent well over 20 hours memorizing levels and bosses to beat this simple little game. I grew up in the 80's with old *intendo games …
- [1]
Definitely good Contra clone. Run and gun everything on your path. Difficult and unforgiving but also rewarding when you finally beat that last boss. Decent level design, with change of perspective and vertical movement in some stages. Great music and sounds. CRT effects to ignite your display. Plenty of weapons and lots of robot scum. Awesome soundtrack included. Retrowave approved. Make sure to drink some coffee …
- [3]
Blazing Chrome is such an amazing Contra clone that does everything right, offering balanced gameplay and fast-paced levels, along with bosses whose patterns are not so difficult to memorize but are fairly challenging. Two or three playthroughs have been enough for me to get familiar with everything and breeze through the Hardcore difficulty and get all achievements. Two of the characters are classic runners and …
- [4]
Contemporary Contra in all the right ways. Very difficult (and occasionally frustrating) encounter and boss design, but forgiving continue and checkpoint system ensures even slow-to-learn and bad reflexes players like me can see the end credits. Genuinely satisfying to complete a mission--not to mention the final boss--and a banging synthwave end credits song made the effort worth it. Additional hardcore difficulty …
- [6]
Good little Contra clone, but some areas are PURE enemy spam.
Summarised from 34 of the 221 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
86% of the 188 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Blazing Chrome. The complaint that keeps coming up: some areas have excessive enemy spam. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Blazing Chrome received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. Alex Santa Maria of GameRevolution praised the game's challenge and presentation, but criticized the "unforgiving" difficulty curve and "outdated" control scheme. Nintendo Life's Ollie Reynolds agreed that the game's difficulty was "brutal", though he praised the gameplay, visuals, and "spectacular" boss battles. Push Square's Jamie O'Neill gave the game 8/10 stars, lauding the art, unlockable characters, and set pieces, but also wrote that the difficulty of the genre "may be off-putting". Windows Central reviewer Asher Madan described Blazing Chrome as "one of the best" of its genre, praising…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 214 · most liked firstWeekend PC Game Deals: Focused specials, stealth bundles, and free heists - Neowin. Game Deals Atomic Heart – $39.59 on Steam HITMAN World of Assassination – $34.99 on Steam Aliens: Dark Descent – $29.99 on Steam DARK SOULS III – $25.98 on Gamebillet Dying Light 2 Stay Human – $25.19 on Fanatical A Plague Tale: Requiem – $24.99 on Steam Sifu – $23.99 on Steam Need for Speed Unbound – $20.99 on Steam Chained Echoes – $19.99 on Steam DARK SOULS: REMASTERED – $19.99 on Steam…
neutral · AI labelView post →Sigmoyle Source: Doyle Blazing Chrome (PC and various platforms) by JoyMasher #SigmaPosting #BlazingChrome #JoyMasher #PC Custom Sigma head by @hansungkee.bsky.social and Aburtos
neutral · AI labelView post →Definitely good Contra clone. Run and gun everything on your path. Difficult and unforgiving but also rewarding when you finally beat that last boss. Decent level design, with change of perspective and vertical movement in some stages. Great music and sounds. CRT effects to ignite your display. Plenty of weapons and lots of robot scum. Awesome soundtrack included. Retrowave approved. Make sure to drink some coffee before playing!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i really wish steam would pull their finger out and allow neutral votes, because this game is actually very good and i hate to not recommend it because the world needs more games like this and i want to support it by recommending it, however i just cant because of simple play mechanics that ruin the game, and these could easily be patched out in an update that will literally take the developer a few minutes. now let me explain: first one is so simple, yet so annoying. its weapons that function…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blazing Chrome is an homage to the old 16-bit Contra games, so it's a rather difficult sidescrolling run and jump with shooting in eight directions. It's not just that, they've added a few hoverbike sections and a jetpack section that reminds of Space Harrier in a tunnel. The graphics are appropriate to the 80s era. They even have nice parallax scrolling and nifty effects, like quick sand and heat waves. The bosses are of a good size, have avoidable attacks and could have been taken out of any…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews, so you can be updated whenever I post a new review. Overall Rating - Average ★★★☆☆ First Impressions When first considering whether I wanted a copy of Blazing Chrome (BC), I had probably considered it for a possible coop playthrough. However, my friend isn't that fond of platforming gameplay, relegating this for more of a single player title. Regardless, the occasional…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It nails the vibe. But, in the past, extreme difficulty, even on average, was a means to pad out other things the product was lacking. Like fun. Here, it is not really something I understand. In superprobotector(super contra) you had ample enough screen space to move around and avoid bullets. Here, because of the general size of the sprites it get waaaay more difficult than it has to be.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible bosses, npc and gameplay in this run and gun game . It is one of the few good run and gun games I've played lately in coop over remoteplay with my friend. I had asked for recommendations of run and gun games when Contra Operation Galuga came out and this was one of the games recommended to me, rightly so i'd say. con - the save and progression system is a pain in the keester, ruining an otherwise mindblowing game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's difficult and boring.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the best modern Contra game is still Blazing Chrome
positive · AI labelView post →Blazing Chrome is such an amazing Contra clone that does everything right, offering balanced gameplay and fast-paced levels, along with bosses whose patterns are not so difficult to memorize but are fairly challenging. Two or three playthroughs have been enough for me to get familiar with everything and breeze through the Hardcore difficulty and get all achievements. Two of the characters are classic runners and gunners, and the other two that get unlocked after beating the game on Normal…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game kicks ass i just wish it saved to the cloud so i could come back and play as the damn ninja i unlocked. Or i wish it had cheat codes to unlock all the stuff at the start, cuz i already unlocked it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've just made another video on another game from Joymasher, called "Blazing Chrome". Check it out on GOG and Steam for PC. #BlazingChrome #LinuxGaming #Joymasher youtu.be/ZxCAW4po6bU
neutral · AI labelView post →[Game Bundle] Summer Games Done Quick 2024. $12: | Game | Steam Link | |-----------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dishonored | https://store.steampowered.com/app/205100/Dishonored/ | | Hyperbolica |…
neutral · AI labelView post →An arcadey run and gun that I found more frustrating than fun as it went on. If you've played Metal Slug or Contra, then most things will be familiar to you: move right, kill anything that moves, a close-range attack usable when enemies are close, big bosses, pilotable mechs, the good stuff. Aside from the default machinegun, you can find 3 more weapons throughout the levels, but you also lose them if they're equipped when you die. You die in one hit, by the way. There's a powerup that gives…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Contemporary Contra in all the right ways. Very difficult (and occasionally frustrating) encounter and boss design, but forgiving continue and checkpoint system ensures even slow-to-learn and bad reflexes players like me can see the end credits. Genuinely satisfying to complete a mission--not to mention the final boss--and a banging synthwave end credits song made the effort worth it. Additional hardcore difficulty and modes for those that can't get enough.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is good. I can't deny it, even if I suck at it. The game is truly hard and does require more patience than I was expecting. If you like the classic Contra experience, then this game is for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Initially I was skeptical but this game surprised me: A short 5 level adventure with lots of replay value. 2-4 hours for the entire campaign on normal, pretty difficult but very fair. Has a hardcore mode (after winning normal mode) and an easy mode. Lots of enemy and boss variety, weapons, support bots and secrets. Surprising fluidity for a game that looks like it was made in the Arcade Era. Dope soundtrack and beautiful designs for virtually everything shown, including the non-gameplay…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The bottom line is it's just too difficult to be enjoyable. I love the retro look and feel. They nailed the sound and the looks, but the gameplay, enemy, and level design is just too frustratingly difficult to really enjoy. I got through it on the hardest difficulty and realized I'd spent well over 20 hours memorizing levels and bosses to beat this simple little game. I grew up in the 80's with old *intendo games like this. They were hard, but not this hard. Why do so many game companies want…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blazing Chrome is definitely one of the most polished and enjoyable modern run-and-gun experiences. With stunning pixel art, tight controls, and relentless action, it captures the spirit of games like Contra while delivering a fresh and exciting new challenge. JoyMasher’s dedication to detail and passion for the genre shine, making it a must play!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Authors made a run and gun version of Mega Man X4-6, as hinted by the damage/block effects and sounds, boss defeat effects, ride armors and a very clearly overpowered melee attack (read: Z-Saber), but didn't want to admit it. That's the reason I won't try that new Moonrider game because they're clearly at it again - I actually like both Contra and Mega Man X series, but not how they are mixed here. Feels like a quarter-gobbler arcade: enemies get cheap shots most of the time, damaging…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Exactly as advertised. Best Contra-like game currently on Steam. If you are looking for an awesome retro shoot-em up, this is it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not Contra, this absolute unbalanced garbage where you are just bombarded with everything on screen. Contra was fair and had things spaced out nicely.. There is no place on the screen to go where you will not be hit. Hardly any defense or power ups ever drop. When they do you usually die immediately after grabbing it. The power ups just seem to make the game more difficult anyway. Feels like there is major input lag with some of them.. Oddly placed enemies where they are below your…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good little Contra clone, but some areas are PURE enemy spam.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game that has a classic arcade style and plays well. Games really difficult though even with infinite continues but I managed to finish it, although platformers aren't a genre I'm generally great at. It doesn't outstay its welcome either. Overall I recommend this especially if you like a challenge, and is also my favourite run and gun style game that I have played since the old classics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Contra at home, but it’s good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blazing Chrome (down to $4.24), a 16-bit Contra homage from Brazilian retro studio Joymasher, and still their best game imo—I think they over-exaggerated the graininess of the "MD-style" visuals, but that might just be a me thing https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/blazing-chrome-switch/
positive · AI labelView post →23. Blazing Chrome by @joymasher.bsky.social and @thearcadecrew.bsky.social. Finally took the time to play this with my brother. Great co-op shooter with a good implementation of alternative weapons. Not sure how it would be as a single-player game, though, because it was a challenge with 2!
positive · AI labelView post →Great game, would be 10/10, but the difficulty is just cheap. Hitboxes are random, you die in situation where you really shouldn't, you're always at a frame / speed disadvantage. I love everything else about this game, but the cheap difficulty (coming from random and always punishing hitboxes, cheap spawns etc.) just kills the fun for me. If you're a masochist and want to learn all the quirks of each level to avoid all the cheap spawns and hitboxes, then that's how you need to play this ... and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like hard games, I like fast paced games and i was looking forward to enjoying this one but was greatly dissapointed. it's hard but doesn't feel fair at all, they fill the screen with enemies in a fast paces environment and yet, using the default weapon doesn't kill enemies, you would need to keep hitting them for a longer period of time which makes it very unenjoyable. not to mentioned that half the time i was dying it was not clear why
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Had a dream that @locomalito.com was making a Kid Icarus-inspired game and my fried Iuri (programmer of Blazing Chrome) found every secret in it in just a few seconds lol
neutral · AI labelView post →I wish there was a Meh-Thump. The controls are just not good enough for the difficulty. There are countless situations were you just know you are dead while still alive. The roll does not work in critical situation, Before the input registers, some f**king hitbox got you. The controls have a weird input lag in general. You cannot turn around and melee an enemy just behind you. Oh btw, if you play the game, dont hold but spam the fire button which will release the melee all the time (looking at…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Have only seen the first couple of missions. It certainly succeeds in being a run-and-gun akin to Contra/Metal Slug. Looks like it came straight out of the Super Nintendo or Arcade. Will have to give it a proper playthrough one day. Admittedly the genre isn't a favourite, I prefer platformers.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolute joy to play, espeically in 2-Player, I beat the whole game with a friend of mine to relive our youth where we'd spend all summer trying to slowly trying to beat Super Contra on the SNES. If you like old SNES games but want some modern Quality of Life improvements, like smoother controls, modern level design and the abillity to save progress between levels, I cannot recommend this one enough!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hell yea! One of the most metal games I've played! Old School Contra devs sure are proud. This is one of the best run n guns available, perfect pixel art, crazy action, awesome hidden mechanics, depth and intense gameplay, all topped of with a insanely good soundtrack. Their site don't lie, they know Retro. Top Notch. É os guri do sul.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you are a fan on Contra 3: The Alien Wars on SNES, then you will love this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is so lame ,they want everyone to be mechanic in movement ,souls-like game I hope the devs get cancer in the urethral and testicular cancer
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blazing Chrome is a fun little game, very similar to Contra: Hard Corps both in terms of visuals and gameplay which is pretty much the highest praise I can give a shoot-em-up. It's got multiple weapons and the ability to swap between them at any time along with a dodge roll to help avoid and pass through attacks. It's a really solid game, I don't have anything to complain about really. It is a bit generic in terms of its themes and such but its very polished and fun without being unfair. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It reminds me of the Contra games from the NES/SNES. I think this game has a lot of potential, but I am disappointed by the fact that it is just as hard and punishing as the original NES Contra games were. I think the game would be better if the character didn't die after only one hit, and the direction of the bullets could be controlled with the mouse, so the player could shoot in any granular direction, instead of just in awkward up/down/45 degrees. Otherwise great game, but sadly doesn't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blazing Chrome feels like a callback to my favorite Run n' Gun ever (Contra Hard Corps) and it's certainly up there. It didn't took its place but it is SO close. And Excellent modern run n' gun that everyone can enjoy. The music, the presentation, the enemy/boss design, the characters and playstyle: It is an excellent game. Get it, regardless if you're a fan of the genre or just looking for your first Run n' Gun!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a modern retro classic!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is literally nothing bad I can say about this game. It's a gem and I will fight you if you think otherwise.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good spiritual successor to the legacy of Contra III and Contra: Hard Corps— very fun and hard as ♥♥♥♥.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a must-have if you like Contra.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perhaps the best retro-style side-scroller I've encountered thus far. The game is exceptionally well-crafted and a delight to play, both solo and cooperatively.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In 2019, The Arcade Crew decided to make a new Contra game without Konami being attached to it. It's a fun game and a huge middle finger to Konami.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I dunno, there's so many great NES games with interesting mechanics, and totally hold up today. Stuff like the OG Mega Man series, Bionic Commando, Blaster Master, Castlevania (especially CV3), River City Ransom, Little Samson, Batman (Sunsoft version), Metal Storm, Double Dragon 2, Mighty Final Fight (IMO better than the original), Ninja Gaiden series, Contra, Tecmo Super Bowl, Shatterhand... list goes on. There's a lot of great games for the system if you can look past the graphics. And…
neutral · AI labelView post →Boot up, time screen and game over screens take too long and unskippable. Annoying back in the 1990s, unforgivable now.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Please allow me to change the movement options of my gamepad, it otherwise looks like a fantastic game but i just can't even play the game if the gamepads i use just aren't compatible with what the default gamepad settings have
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd recommend this if you're the kind of person who wants to play every Contra-like game out there. But if you're looking for a game that really captures the Contra spirit, I'd recommend Gundroid. The gameplay, music, and everything else do their job, but the game lacks a bit of polish. The weapons could be more varied, the bosses could be more creative, and the difficulty often feels like it comes from technical issues rather than good game design. Switching from fully automatic weapons to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Without a doubt this is the weakest of the 'big' retro Run'N'Gun games on Steam. Stop reading and play instead: Huntdown (2020), Broforce (2015), Valfaris (2019). I'm pretty sure you can get the original Metal Slug (1996) on Steam and that is a way better experience than this. I played 25 minutes of Blazing Chrome and I could not believe how badly designed it was. You can't switch characters without restarting the whole campaign (even on the continue screen, let alone between lives). The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great run'n'gun that's heavily inspired by Contra with some Metal Slug sprinkled in, like a mech that controls similar to vehicles in Metal Slug games. The difficulty felt like it was tuned very well, at least for co-op. I played through on normal difficulty and while it was challenging in spots, it never felt frustratingly difficult and I was able to overcome the challenge with a few tries. All of the bosses are designed in a way where you can clearly tell what is happening and they have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →And while Cannon Dancer is proper old, I would also recommend something like Blazing Chrome, which is a somewhat-recent indie game, perfectly styled after Contra-era games. youtu.be/VgdWMqMKIZ8?...
neutral · AI labelView post →Hey you!!! Come through TONIGHT, and we're going to play some Mega man.....Samurai crossover? Yeah, had this on the back burner and it's made from same people who made Blazing Chrome. Said game played very similar to Contra: Hard Corps.... and by that logic alone, I know this will be fun and hard.
neutral · AI labelView post →Very fun run and gun plataformer, the soul twin of Contra Hard Corps. The music rocks and the art is very reminiscent of the '90s Sega Genesis games. I want to play this with my little brother like when back when.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Too hard to be fun. Needs an actual easy mode for casual players. Endless continues and fast load times do help, but still much too hard to enjoy.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can still picture it like it was yesterday, the hum of voices, the flicker of monitors, the restless energy that fills every corner of PAX 2019. I was just drifting through the chaos, weaving between crowded booths and deafening speakers, surrounded by promises of “next-gen immersion” and cinematic experiences that would “change gaming forever.” It was all noise. And then, through that noise, I heard something different. I was admiring another game at publisher, The Arcade Crew's offerings,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very nice if you like the gnere. It is a difficult game even in the easy mode, but very generous with lifes/continues which makes it possible to finish. You can also choose different characters with different abbilities and even a halloween theme. 6 levels, 3 difficuties, 4 different characters, boss rush, mirror mode, and you can make the screen look like in the arcade.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Review from 2020: Does a great job of feeling like a Sega game that definitely could've came out after Contra Hard Corps. The game was short but a lot of fun and could definitely be a good time in co-op
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blazing Chrome is a 2D Run 'n Gun Action Platformer where the machines have taken control and you form a resistance team on a mission to restore peace. The game offers 6 intense stages of Run 'n Gun with enemies swarming you all from sides, just losing focus for a sec can be costly, you will be taking quick decisions and timing reactions to survive each stage challenge. The retro music and sountracks will definitely take you back to the old childhood days of contra series which is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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