Blast Corps. Vehicle Guide
When you look back on all the excellent and brilliant games made by Rare over the years, you’ll notice that most of these titles have a “virtual niche” that requires some practice to truly master. In the same way that Goldeneye transformed the shooter genre and that Donkey Kong Country chiseled into history how platformers should be made, Blast Corps perfected the original and unique vehicle-based action game that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts dreamt of being.
Much like those names above, Blast Corps takes some getting used to. Many game companies like to re-use and re-craft the same game controls over and over, but not Rare. Blast Corps plays like no other game out there; this guide is made to give players some advice before jumping into the stages themselves.
Let’s start from the beginning…
Dimensions: H 3.5m x L 5m
Weight: 10 tonnes
Max Speed: 60mph
This vehicle is the main weapon of the Blast Corps arsenal. Is it tough to believe that a massive construction truck would be your first bet for urban deconstruction? Those things are enormous! In real life these trucks are yards high, slow as Cranky Kong, and built to hold hundreds of tons of whatever.
In this game, Backlash is your best friend. Use him wisely and victory will be yours. Accelerate with the A button. Brake with Z. Reverse with B. To cause damage, Backlash must swerve and skid and tear through buildings with the metal loader on the back. While turning, hold the R button to skid. You will notice mirage images of your vehicle in your wake.
The idea is to slide the back end of Backlash into your target structure. Be careful not to keep sliding or you will lose control before long.
– Go over hills to gain extra momentum for maximum destruction.
– The side of the Backlash can also distribute punishment.
– The front of the vehicle is very weak, but if you can get any momentum, you can still hurt.
Dimensions: H 2.5m x L 4m
Weight: 8 tonnes
Max Speed: 70mph
Next on Blast Corps’s list of misused construction vehicles is your standard bulldozer. You’ll use this one pretty frequently in the game. Using the bulldozer is very easy, in that you run into buildings head-on and bring them down. No technique required. Skidding works but is useless. The main use of the bulldozer is to push objects around the stage to solve puzzles and clear the path.
Dimensions: H 1.5m x L 3.5m
Weight: 6 tonnes
Max Speed: 85mph
Somewhere along the line, Blast Corps got their hands on an experimental rocket car out of a 70’s spy movie, and they decided to put it to good use. The durability of Skyfall isn’t nearly as impressive as its propulsion.
A to accelerate, Z to brake, B for reverse, and L or R for Skyfall’s infamous rocket bursts! The secondary engine on this machine boosts the car forward at an insane rate, leaving behind a trail of fire and smoke reminiscent of the DeLorean. Use the boost over the edges or hills to propel yourself into the air; the idea is to fall from the sky (get it?) and crush buildings with the armored underside. It’s surprisingly effective.
– Boost just before hills or edges to get a full jump.
– Boosting on level ground directly into a building is minimally effective.
– Boost only lasts about a second. You can have a small burst or a long streak.
Dimensions: H 1.5m x L 5m
Weight: 8 tonnes
Max Speed: 70mph
One of the most unconventional machines in the game is Sideswipe, a small vehicle that has powerful side panels that shoot out with enough power to break through brick. It controls easily enough, but using the Destructo-panels is a little tricky. You should understand the controls by now. Press R to use the panels on both sides of Sideswipe. They shoot out at a distance approximately equal to the width of the machine.
– The panels do the most damage when fully extended.
– They also do damage while retracting.
– Each attack costs you energy. Blue crates are scattered across the stage so you should have plenty.
The boys in the development department of Rare are notorious for hiding clues and references in nearly every game. In Blast Corps, racing missions are required to advance. Certain vehicles are used in these missions:
– Police Car (with siren): Lousy controls but fast.
– Starsky & Hutch’s car (with 70’s riff): Fast and agile, loves to slide.
– The Dukes of Hazard Car (with patriotic horn): Same as above.
– The A-Team Van (with Mr. T voice): Pretty durable and fast, like the original.
Dimensions: H 1.5m x L 5.5m
Weight: 3 tonnes
Max Speed: 90mph
What is an action game without explosions? Out of necessity, Rare gave us a rocket-launching motorcycle to use. Ballista is available regularly in Blast Corps, so get used to how she works. She runs like any either vehicle, but the missiles can be tough to use: Press R to launch missiles. They will come out of either side of the bike alternately.
– Missiles are finite! Look around for black missile crates.
– Missiles tend to hit anything, even the weakest structures. Be careful to not have anything between you and your target.
– Hold R for a barrage!
– The front wheel does minuscule damage. Don’t bother.
– Target too far away? Launch while the front wheel is in the air and you can fire up into the air for a distanced rocket!
Dimensions: H 14m
Weight: 120 tonnes
Max Speed:
Ground 40mph: Air 70mph: Dive 300+mph
At some point during the development of Blast Corps, the blokes up in Twycross had a brilliant idea. “Oi! I’ve got a smashing idea, ol’ chaps! ROBOTS!” It came to pass that giant demolition robots would be introduced into the game play. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But you won’t complain, I promise you. Early on you’ll acquire J-Bomb. Press and hold A to lift off with its jet pack. When you are over a building, press B to flip and send J-bomb rocketing to the ground in a cataclysmic fashion.
– You can get pretty high up.
– No attacks beside bombing.
Dimensions: H 20m
Weight: 200 tonnes
Max Speed:
50mph (100mph during roll)
To the victor go the spoils as well as the best theme song. Thunderfist is the biggest robot of all. It failed military testing (hence the missing arm) so Blast Corps took it off their hands. Thunderfist is immensely powerful but must be used with care. Press A to start a roll attack. Chaos ensues.
– Give space for the roll to start. T-fist needs some room.
– The more roll attacks performed consecutively, the more powerful it gets!
– Thunderfist can damage buildings just by walking.
Dimensions: H 2m
Weight: 2 tonnes
Max Speed: 70mph
There is one more robot available here. It is very small, more like a robotic suit. This bot is a smaller, quicker Thunderfist. It controls exactly the same way, too, except it does flips when it destroys something.
Train- Track-based locomotive used mainly for hauling cargo on its back cart. Use A to accelerate, B for reverse, and Z to brake. Remember that you can only exit the train when you see the smiling face at the top of the screen.
Ferry- A few times you will have to control a ferry across waterways to transport various goods and make a path. It controls the same as the train and can only be moved forward and backward. Look for the smiling face to disembark.
Crane- As the only stationary object that can be controlled, the crane is used to move around vehicles and explosives. Put your loot onto the lift and then enter the tower. The lift will ascend automatically. Use A to push the lift further out and use B to pull it closer. Use R to drop the lift and Z to lift it.
Bonus tip!
In any truck mission, use Z to exit your vehicle. You can walk around the stage as a human in overalls. Do this to enter other vehicles to solve puzzles and save the world. You can’t do any damage, though.
Or can you?
Guide written by Kevin “PiyozR” Hartigan for Raregamer.co.uk