《超惑星戰記》（日版名：超惑星戦記 メタファイト，英文版名：Blaster Master）是由日本Sunsoft開發的經典動作射擊平台遊戲，最初於1988年6月17日在日本紅白機（Famicom）上發售，之後同年11月登上北美市場。以其流暢的操作手感、創新的雙重玩法設計、精緻的畫面與出色的音樂而聞名，同時也因高難度與缺乏存檔或密碼系統而被許多玩家視為當年最具挑戰性的作品之一。後來衍生出多部續作，包括2000年的《メタファイトEX》以及2017年的重製版《超惑星戰記ZERO》，並曾由美國作家Peter Lerangis小說化，納入Scholastic的“Worlds of Power”系列之中。

《超惑星戰記》的劇情在日本版與美版中存在顯著差異。在日版的設定中，故事發生於宇宙曆2052年，舞台位於名為「索菲亞第三行星（Sophia the 3rd）」的星球。這顆星球原本是繁榮的文明中心，卻因帝王「GOEZ」率領的「Inbem暗黑星團」入侵而陷入毀滅危機。僅有逃至衛星「NORA」的科學研究院倖存，他們集結力量開發出一台對抗外敵的終極兵器——超行星萬能戰鬥車「金屬攻擊者（Metal Attacker）」。這台戰車由天才少年駕駛員凱恩·加德納（Kane Gardner） 駕駛，他的使命是孤身反擊GOEZ的侵略軍，拯救自己的母星。

而在歐美版的改編版本中，劇情完全改寫成一個科幻冒險童話：主角傑森（Jason） 的寵物青蛙弗雷德（Fred） 有一天跳出魚缸，意外碰觸到一個輻射容器後變異並掉入地洞。傑森追隨青蛙一路墜入地下洞窟，在那裡發現一輛被遺棄的神秘戰車 「索菲亞三世（SOPHIA THE 3RD）」。他隨即駕駛這台機械，對抗盤踞地底世界的輻射變種生物，並展開拯救弗雷德與擊敗邪惡頭目Plutonium Boss的冒險。
這段戲劇化的開場動畫在當時以8位元畫面呈現，被譽為「任天堂史上最具代表性的開場之一」，奠定遊戲的經典地位。世界由八個大型關卡構成，融合兩種截然不同的玩法模式：

1. 橫向卷軸射擊模式 —— 駕駛戰車「索菲亞三世」在地下世界探索與戰鬥。戰車具備主炮與三種特殊武器：追蹤導彈、閃電雷射（Thunder Break）以及多彈頭飛彈（Multi Warhead Missiles）。戰車能夠左右、上下開火，並隨著擊敗頭目而獲得新功能，如攀牆、懸浮與水下移動。
2. 俯視迷宮模式 —— 可讓傑森離開戰車，進入地洞內的小門或狹窄通道，切換為俯視視角。此時操作方式變為射擊迷宮遊戲，需擊退敵人並尋找強化武器零件。傑森可使用槍與手榴彈，並可透過收集道具升級武器威力，但若受傷則會降級。

結構屬於非線性設計，需不斷回到前一區域以開啟新道路，並利用不同的戰車能力進行探索。每個關卡皆有頭目，擊敗後可獲得新的移動模組或火力升級，使遊戲節奏富有層次與策略性。同時以其「極高難度」著稱。只有有限的生命與繼續次數，若全數失敗則需從頭開始，沒有任何密碼或儲存功能。這種挑戰性雖使部分玩家挫折，但也讓它在動作遊戲史上留下深刻印象。

在推出後迅速獲得國際間高度評價。評論家普遍讚賞其「雙重視角設計」的創意，流暢的操作手感、立體的關卡結構以及Sunsoft特有的高品質音樂。遊戲的畫面細膩、色彩飽滿，特別是在8位元時代的限制下，仍能呈現出深邃的地底世界感。

在北美市場，以「Blaster Master」之名推出後，甚至比原版《Metafight》更受歡迎，成為Sunsoft在西方的代表作之一。雖然部分評論批評遊戲難度過高、續關系統不夠友善，但這反而成為其魅力所在，讓其被視為「真正考驗玩家技巧」的經典之作。多年後，仍被譽為紅白機時代最具創意的動作射擊遊戲之一。不僅開創了「車體與駕駛分離」的雙模式玩法，還啟發日後無數類似設計的探索型動作遊戲如《洛克人ZX》《銀河戰士》系列等。

隨著2017年重製版《Blaster Master Zero》的推出，這款1988年的老遊戲再度被新世代玩家所認識，證明了它在遊戲史上不可取代的地位——一部結合科幻冒險、機甲戰鬥與人類勇氣的傳奇之作。

Blaster Master (Japanese title: 超惑星戦記メタファイト, romanized as Chou Wakusei Senki: Metafight) is a run-and-gun platforming game developed and published by Sunsoft. It was first released in Japan on June 17, 1988, for the Famicom, and later in North America in November 1988 for the NES under the localized title Blaster Master. The game became one of Sunsoft’s most celebrated titles on the system, known for its combination of side-scrolling and top-down gameplay, innovative mechanics, and memorable soundtrack.

Storyline

The Japanese version (Metafight) and the Western version (Blaster Master) feature entirely different stories.

In the Japanese version, the story is set in the year 2052 on the distant planet Sophia the 3rd, which has been attacked and conquered by the evil emperor Goez and his Inbem Dark Star Cluster. The planet’s only surviving research facility, located on its satellite NORA, develops a powerful all-purpose combat vehicle called Metal Attacker (NORA MA-01) to fight back. The vehicle’s pilot is a young genius named Kane Gardner, who launches a desperate counterattack to liberate his world.

In the Western localization, the story was completely rewritten. It follows a boy named Jason, whose pet frog Fred escapes from its tank, leaps onto a radioactive chest, and mutates into a giant creature before falling into a mysterious hole in the ground. Jason chases after Fred, falling into an underground world teeming with radioactive mutants. There, he discovers a tank called SOPHIA THE 3RD, designed to fight these mutants. Using the tank’s firepower and technology, Jason sets out to rescue Fred and destroy the mutant leader known as the Plutonium Boss.

Despite its unusual premise, the Western version’s quirky and cinematic opening became iconic, often cited as one of the most memorable intros in NES history.

Gameplay and Mechanics

Blaster Master combines side-scrolling platform action with top-down exploration, offering a unique dual gameplay system for its time. The game consists of eight stages, each featuring a vast area to explore, enemies to defeat, and a boss guarding key upgrades necessary to progress.

While piloting SOPHIA THE 3RD, the player navigates side-scrolling levels, jumping across platforms, shooting at enemies, and collecting power-ups. SOPHIA is equipped with a main cannon that fires in multiple directions and several limited special weapons, including Homing Missiles, Thunder Break (a lightning blast), and Multi-Warhead Missiles. Collecting ammunition and hover energy is vital to survive and reach higher areas.

At various points, Jason can exit the tank and enter small doorways that lead to top-down labyrinths. These segments require navigating maze-like rooms, defeating mutants, and finding key items. Inside these rooms, Jason fights bosses to gain essential vehicle upgrades—such as wall-climbing, ceiling-driving, hovering, or underwater mobility—allowing access to new areas in earlier stages.

The game is non-linear, encouraging exploration and backtracking once new abilities are obtained, much like early Metroid-style gameplay. However, its high difficulty, absence of passwords or save points, and punishing enemy encounters made it notorious among players. Many fans remember using the famous “grenade glitch”, an exploit that allowed bosses to be defeated by freezing the game while a grenade continuously inflicted damage.

Reception and Legacy

Upon release, Blaster Master received widespread praise for its tight controls, innovative dual gameplay design, and atmospheric 8-bit graphics and music. Critics and players admired its balance between vehicle combat and on-foot exploration, describing it as one of the most technically polished NES games of its time.

However, it was also criticized for its brutal difficulty, lack of save features, and lengthy backtracking, which made completing it challenging without external help. Despite this, the game gained a cult following, especially in North America, where it outshone its Japanese counterpart Metafight in popularity.

The game’s success led to several sequels and remakes, including:

• Blaster Master: Blasting Again (PlayStation, 2000)
• Blaster Master Zero (Switch/3DS, 2017) — a modern reimagining by Inti Creates
• Blaster Master Zero 2 and Zero 3, continuing the franchise into the 2020s

The NES original was later novelized by Peter Lerangis as part of the Worlds of Power book series published by Scholastic.

Overall Evaluation

Blaster Master is remembered as one of the most ambitious and creative platform shooters of the 8-bit era. It blended exploration, action, and science fiction storytelling in a way few NES games had attempted. While the Japanese Metafight offered a more traditional mecha-sci-fi narrative, the Western version’s surreal “boy and his frog” tale became a nostalgic hallmark of late-80s gaming culture.

Today, it stands as a defining example of Sunsoft’s technical and creative mastery on the NES—difficult, daring, and deeply influential in the evolution of hybrid action-adventure games.