Blaster Master

''It is time for Jason to Master the Blasting.... And destroy them bosses!''

Blaster Master "all bosses" in 25:46.37

• This run is 17068 frames (or 4 minutes and 44 seconds) faster than BrotherMojo's current [2273M|published] run of same category. Mainly due to many improvements found over the years, which include reset-warps, Area 7 boss shortcut, as well as better lag reduction and RNG manipulation. Some small optimizations here and there also saved some time.

Run details

• Defeats all bosses
• Takes damage to save time
• Uses a game restart sequence (Reset-warps)
• Uses intentional deaths (Death-warps)
• Manipulates luck

Comments

For all technical details, I would highly recommend reading [3804S|BrotherMojo's submission], as it states all common tricks and details used in this run too.

This run restructures the category's strategies thanks to switching to Japanese version. Here are the reasons why:

Reset-warps

• Main reason why choosing this version! Resetting in US version makes you lose all your progress and start over. Japanese version however keeps all your upgrades when you reset and start from Area 1. This clearly allows for many shortcuts whenever we try to revisit Area 1 from a very far area. This proved to be useful after Area 3 and Area 6, as we needed to go back to Area 1 after defeating their bosses. Though, you do lose ammo for car's missiles and car's lightning bolt.
• Death management was revised too. Death-warps are only used if Reset-warps are not beneficial, thus some of the deaths in current published run were skipped allowing for further time save.

Area 7 shortcut

• Another huge difference between US and Japan versions is the ability to skip straight Area 7 boss. In Japanese version, if you stand on the lava while Jason's hitbox also contacts another enemy, you still take damage during the pause and un-pause fading. If Jason was perfectly timed and positioned, he can gain just enough of distance to be able to take damage during un-pause fading and gain enough i-frames to skip to the boss room. ShiningDragoon showcases it very clearly!

Better lag management and easy RNG manipulation

• Japanese version has a significantly better lag management system. Around 53 seconds were saved due to lag reduction.
• RNG manipulation was also very friendly. You can basically manipulate item drops, boss patterns, and even random enemy spawns, by pressing any directional button or Select button. Though, it is still confusing sometimes as some buttons work on certain situations and don't work on others. It was a lot easier nonetheless!

Special thanks

• Goes to BrotherMojo for his awesome and well-made TAS of this game! I recommend watching it before this run to understand how these improvements impact this category. I tried to replicate some of the funny moments in his run xD. I hope I did well :D
• And you for watching this run and reading my comments :)

''I guess Jason did it! Enjoy!''