Kero Blaster

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Kero Blaster.

Pre-Development Reset TweetsRemember TwitPic? Well, you're about to.

'''[[Prerelease:Kero Blaster/#gamedev Tweets | gamedev Tweets]]''' Pixel picks up the slack.

Screenshots#

Promotional Screenshots#

When Gero Blaster was announced at BitSummit, several promotional screenshots were handed out to gaming publications to drum up hype for the game. It's worth noting that the Polygon article's image filenames actually state information on the subject matter of the screenshots, sometimes information that isn't immediately obvious. In fact, given the naming scheme of the screenshots (the first number is the stage, and the second number is which screenshot from that stage it is), the images shown are very likely curated from a much larger selection of screenshots.

Image	Polygon Filename	Notes
	05_02_lv5	The filename states that this screenshot was taken in Stage 5. The machine gun-wielding alien enemies are still used as the icon for Stage 5 in the final game's level select.
	03_04_lv3	This is the only screenshot that depicts a heart drop from an enemy, so it's possible the heart bolt power-up is required for that to happen. This image was taken in Stage 3, which is confirmed in the final game by that stage's world map icon having an eel enemy as seen here.
	02_08_umbrella	From Stage 2. The umbrella at this point in development was blue, whereas the unused graphics found in the final game show it as being yellow.
	02_06_boss2	Evidently the boss of Stage 2.
	01_07_new_rms	The new weapon cutscene is completely different than in the final game. Whereas the final version flashes into a screen where the weapon is explained to the player, here a window showing the weapon with its name above it appears, and confetti rains down from the sky.
	01_06_jail	One of the rooms in which a cat princess is held captive.
	01_05_boss	The boss of Stage 1. Interestingly, it seems like the camera isn't locked here, as the gate is partially off-screen.
	01_03_shop	One of many different shops found at this point in development.
	00_03_sel_stage	A screenshot of the stage select, in all its original planet-y glory.
	00_01_prologue	A screenshot of the intro cutscene.
	00_00_title	The title screen.

GameSpark Images#

Pixel shared many exclusive screenshots with GameSpark for two of their articles on Gero/Kero Blaster.

May 28, 2013

• The buttons and text in the screenshots are in English, despite the article being in Japanese.
• The article reveals the short-lived "overheating" mechanic, which can be seen underneath the weapons as a percentage in these screenshots.
• For whatever reason, in these screenshots the bolt counter is placed way above its original spot, leaving a conspicuous gap in the status bar at the bottom.

Image	Notes
	Showcases a new frog enemy, which comes in large and small variants. The skull that enemies release when they die has been changed to an X-eyed face with its tongue sticking out.
	The umbrella icon has been turned yellow, just like how it is in the final game.
	In the top left corner is a key inside of a shrine or stone structure. In the bottom right corner, there is a new dead tree enemy which, given its placement, probably acted like a barricade of some sort that could only be destroyed with a certain weapon. But in the center is a familiar face: the metal beetle enemy ("Metalbushi" in the unit type list) would go on to appear in the final game completely unchanged from his appearance here.
	This room is full of the moving beam NPC that would go unused in the final game. The article even states as much, saying that the scaffolding is moving.
	Pixel later stated in a #gamedev post that the fairies would have led the player to somewhere in the level when freed.
	It's unknown which stage this was meant for. The closest guess is Stage 6, as the ground and the moving scaffolding in the screenshot above share the same tone of purple.

May 24, 2014

Image	Notes
	Seems to be really early concept pixel art for the game's premise of Ame the Cat being kidnapped. Kaeru doesn't even have defined cheek spots yet!
	An early Stage 5 screenshot, taken at a time when the Shoot lever wasn't added yet; instead, the player moved their finger above the arrow button to aim up, and shot by pressing the button each time, which would've been somewhat painful for mobile players.

Gameplay Footage#

Original Trailer#

Watch on YouTube

• At 0:16, there is a snowman in the bottom left corner. More intriguingly, the currently selected weapon is not known to have appeared in any other pre-release material.
• During 0:23-0:26, floating platforms with propellers similar to those found in OXOX Hotel in the final game can be seen. These platforms do not appear to be semi-solid, which may be why their graphics were changed.
• The infamous dragon boss appears between 0:26-0:30. It seems both its head and legs are its weak points.
• From 0:30 to 0:33, a mine area in Stage 4 can be seen.
• 0:37 contains an interesting scene: Kaeru peering through a jail cell with lambs in it. This may have something to do with the NewStage6 world map script.
• 0:38 shows off another cutscene: red aliens carrying Ame to another flying saucer. Judging by the purple pipes in the background, this scene is probably from Stage 6.

GameSpot Gameplay#

Watch on YouTubeThe only gameplay footage of Gero Blaster at this point in development outside of the trailer is a video on the GameSpot Gameplay Youtube channel, of all places. It showcases a few gameplay elements not seen elsewhere:

• The player apparently would have been forced to backtrack through Stage 1 after defeating the boss and rescuing the cat.
• An enemy not seen in any other screenshots is shown: a blue crocodile that looks suspiciously similar to the Sandcroc from Cave Story.
• There are invisible chests hidden throughout the stage, which the player would have uncovered by shooting. The hidden chest still exists in the final game unused, but does not form a normal chest when the player shoots it.

Notes#

References#