Ballblazer is a futuristic 1-on-1 sports game developed by Lucasfilm Games. Released on the NES in 1985, it drops you into a checkerboard arena in a first-person split-screen perspective. You pilot a hovercraft called a rotofoil, attempting to capture a free-floating ball (the Plasmorb) and fire it into your opponent’s goal. The game is notable for its fast, physics-based movement and dynamic, procedurally generated soundtrack that shifts based on the action.
How to play
The objective is to outscore your opponent by shooting the ball into their goal posts. The goal width shrinks as you score more points, making subsequent goals harder. You can blast the ball out of your opponent’s possession and use the arena boundaries to bank shots.
| Gamepad control: | ||
| Player 1: | Player 2: |
| ↑ | ↑ | – |
| ↓ | ↓ | – |
| ← | ← | – |
| → | → | – |
| A | X | – |
| B | Z | – |
| SELECT | Shift | – |
| START | Enter | – |
Tips
- Your rotofoil automatically faces the ball when you don’t have it, and faces the opponent’s goal when you do. Use this auto-targeting to maintain your bearings in the fast-paced arena.
- Goals scored from further away are worth more points. A point-blank shot is worth 1 point, while a long-range shot can earn up to 3 points.
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