Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Renny Blaster starts with the kind of character choice that immediately tells you how you will be spending your time. Fujiro Yarai is the conventional brawler, built around punches and kicks. Seishiro trades physical strength for a default ranged energy attack. Neither route turns the game into a radically different adventure, but the distinct opening stages make the first hour feel less predetermined than many straight-line beat-em-ups.

Seishiro is the more interesting pick if you like controlling space rather than simply walking into a crowd and trading blows. His weakness keeps that ranged attack from becoming a free pass, while Fujiro offers the more familiar satisfaction of getting close and fighting directly. Both also have unique elemental attacks activated by holding a button. That simple input gives combat a useful extra layer: you are not only repeating standard attacks, but deciding when it is worth committing to a stronger option.

Most stages move from left to right toward a boss battle, so Renny Blaster does not waste time pretending to be deeper than it is. The occasional light platforming break is welcome because it interrupts the steady rhythm of advancing and fighting, though the focus remains firmly on combat. If you want elaborate routes or a heavily technical fighting system, this will feel narrow. If a compact brawler with two contrasting approaches sounds good, its directness is a strength.

Graphics

The anime/manga styling fits the material well: paranormal investigators, supernatural abilities, monsters, undead, and a vampire antagonist all belong to the same pulpy horror lane. The side-view action also keeps the action easy to parse as characters push through each stage toward its boss.

Story

There is a clean, old-school urgency to the setup. A secret organization of monsters and undead is trying to seize Europe under a maniacal vampire, and both heroes are out to stop it. You know the stakes immediately, which is exactly what a beat-em-up like this needs.

Fujiro’s paranormal-investigator role gives him an obvious reason to be involved. Seishiro has the more intriguing hook: a mysterious past and supernatural abilities, paired with a fighting style that sets him apart from the standard tough-guy lead. Choosing between them adds a little flavor before their paths converge.

Once the separate opening stages are over, the shared route puts the emphasis back on the campaign’s central threat rather than branching character drama. That makes the story more of a sturdy excuse to keep moving than a reason to linger, but the horror premise is specific enough to give the fights a welcome edge.

Overall Experience

Renny Blaster is a focused supernatural brawler rather than a sprawling action game. Its strongest idea is also its simplest: start with a hero whose combat range suits your mood, then work through a linear series of monster-filled stages and bosses. The initial split is a smart touch, even if the routes soon join together.

Frustration is most likely to set in if you expect the character choice to keep producing dramatically separate campaigns, or if straightforward stage progression leaves you cold. The game’s light platforming and hold-button elemental moves add variety, but they do not change its basic commitment to side-scrolling fights.

For a gamer in the mood for a horror-themed TurboGrafx CD beat-em-up, there is enough here to justify a look. Pick Fujiro for direct melee combat or Seishiro for the more unusual ranged angle. The payoff is a short, clear-cut run through a wonderfully lurid monster conspiracy, not a reinvention of the genre.

Retro Replay Score

6.8/10