Given the fact that I’m a huge fan of classic arcade games from their heyday back in the 80s, it’s always exciting to see modern games that pick up ideas they had in their gameplay and then run with them. Whether that means revising the core look and feel to elevate the old-school experience, or spicing up the action with new mechanics or twists, I’m generally game to see how classic titles can be made better through a few decades of progress in both hardware and gaming wisdom as a whole. Of course, there are also those titles that latch onto some old ideas and yet still manage to be outclassed by their originators, which is unfortunately what has happened with Blazing Trail.

While not outright acknowledging the inspiration for the general format as being from the classic Jackal, which challenged you to use your nimble jeep to destroy enemy units and save captured POWs, it didn’t take long to see enough elements to make that quite clear. The thing is, Blazing Trails doesn’t have much in common with that classic when it comes to its general look, opting for a much more zoomed-in look, and isometric angle as opposed to Jackal’s more top-down style. This does change the general feel of play, though I wouldn’t say for the better, mostly because your jeep’s movement is sluggish and a bit clumsy when trying to maneuver, making you into a big target that’s quite prone to being hit by enemy fire, even when you see it coming. 

One area it seems the developers tried to spice things up a bit with is your ride’s weaponry, which right out of the box is more abundant and diverse, with power-ups you can gain along the way making you even more formidable. The problem is that probably half of them are difficult to use well, with your missile and laser attacks being far more reliable and useful. Since the laser is on a cooldown you at least won’t be able to exploit it constantly, but given its range and power it’s absolutely the go-to weapon of choice.

The problem with the game though is mostly that it’s just too clunky and dull to be compelling to return to. Your jeep simply isn’t nimble enough to make the action more exciting, and more often than not the reasons you’ll die can be disappointingly lame, like getting stuck just bumping into someone until you die. Given my love for Jackal, the potential for a modern upcycled version of its distinctive play had me excited for a moment, but this simply can’t hold a candle even to a game made many decades ago.