Aero Blasters

About

Aero Blasters is a side-scrolling shooter where you pilot a jet-capable-of-space-travel through waves of enemies. You blast through levels collecting power-ups and taking down bosses, with the option to team up with a friend in co-op. The controls are tight and the action moves quickly, balancing horizontal scrolling with vertical maneuvers. Each level mixes ground and air combat, with the screen often packed with explosions and enemy ships. The game leans into its sci-fi setup with mechs and energy weapons, though the focus stays on straightforward shooting. What sticks out is the co-op mode, which was rare for home consoles when it released in 1990, 1991. While arcade shooters often supported multiple players, few home ported titles did the same, making Aero Blasters a standout for its time. It hit TurboGrafx-16 and Mega Drive/Genesis, with the latter version renaming it Air Buster. The story about rogue cyborgs and brain-wave-powered jets is campy but adds context for retro fans. With its dual-platform legacy and early co-op play, it’s a curiosity for those digging into 90s shooter history.

Storyline

The year is 2040 AD, and the peaceful planet Earth is facing a tremendous crisis. A group calling themselves the "Mega Load Masters" had unexpectedly launched an invasion. Through scientific advances, the M.L.M. had figures out a was to fortify their bodies with inorganic mechanisms. It was this super power which enabled them to destroy all of the nations' armies. Now they threaten to obliterate all organic life forms on the planet's surface... But one man, Charles K. Takeda, has not given up hope. As if he had known this day was coming, Takeda and a few of his friends had moved to a secluded insland in the Atlantic Ocean. Bringing with them only a few necessities, their mission was to develop one of Takeda's greatest inventions, the "Blaster System". This Blaster System would enable its pilot to freely manipulate the building blocks of matter by amplifying the distinctive brain waves humans generate. This would make it possible for humans to transcend reality by transforming matter and destroying space. At present, two super machines, Blaster 1 and Blaster 2, have been completedand fitted with Blaster Systems. Takeda's son and daughter, Mike and Holly, have been specially trained to fly the Blaster Machines. Their mission is to defeat the M.L.M and to ultimately assist their father in building the ultimate aircraft carrier, "Blaster Base." The struggle is about to begin. The two machines blast off, propelled by hopes and dreams, seeking peace through the avenue of war...