At this year's Anime Expo, Inti Creates officially announced the next update to Blaster Master Zero, a remake of the NES Classic title.
The forthcoming patch will add two indie favorites as playable characters: Shantae and Shovel Knight.
How To Get Shantae And Shovel Knight For Free
Players should be able to download both characters at no charge at all but for only a limited period. You can download Shantae from July 6 to 19 and Shovel Knight from August 3 to 16. Those who miss both periods may still get both characters as paid DLC.
You should act fast and grab each character once their respective free periods start. If not, prepare to spend $1.99 for each one. Both character were originals from Inti Creates, so bundling them in Blaster Master Zero should make for an explosive indie mashup.
Shantae And Shovel Knight
In the game Shantae gains a blaster for overhead sections, and she can even bulldoze enemies when she transfigures into an elephant. Players can most especially use Shantae if they want to inflict great damage during the overworld portions, leveraging her sword attack that surrounds Shantae with a shield of blades.
Shovel Knight, meanwhile, dons his usual spade and can inflict his signature jabs. His various armor also come along, and large anchors act as his long-range attack.
While seeing both Shantae and Shovel Knight included in the game feels a bit surprising, it actually makes sense. Yacht Club Games published a physical version of Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, which Inti Creates developed. It even helped make the game amiibo-compatible.
As for Shantae's appearance, that seems to be from Inti Creates's involvement with the development of the two latest Shantae titles, so while they have nothing to do with the character, they already have experienced collaborating with the creators.
Blaster Master Zero
Hopefully Shantae and Shovel Knight won't be the last DLC for Blaster Master Zero. The game is available on the Nintendo 3DS and the Switch. Characters from games such as Bloodstained and Mighty Gunvolt Burst could make the cut, although time will tell.
Blaster Master Zero is a platformer released this past March. It focuses on Jason Frudnick, a man who goes down into a subterranean world to rescue Fred, a frog creature. Players control a vehicle called SOPHIA, along the way defeating various opponents while exploring various environments. Critics were fairly positive toward the game, with the only criticism pointed at its seemingly benign level of difficulty.
Blaster Master Zero costs $9.99 on the Nintendo eShop.
