<s>
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
,	O
known	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
,	O
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
platform	O
video	O
game	O
by	O
Taito	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
April	O
20	O
,	O
1990	O
,	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
March	O
1991	B-Application
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
spawned	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
Power	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
released	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
colony	O
of	O
New	B-Application
Earth	I-Application
in	O
the	O
year	O
2191	O
and	O
follows	O
NOVA	O
,	O
the	O
Chief	O
Security	O
Officer	O
of	O
a	O
supercomputer	B-Architecture
called	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
must	O
restore	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
—	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
taken	O
offline	O
by	O
aliens	O
—	O
by	O
retrieving	O
data	O
tapes	O
located	O
in	O
six	O
sectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
gameplay	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Mega	B-Application
Man	I-Application
series	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
can	O
select	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
six	O
levels	O
to	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Armed	O
with	O
a	O
boomerang	B-General_Concept
,	O
players	O
must	O
complete	O
all	O
six	O
levels	O
,	O
overcoming	O
obstacles	O
and	O
defeating	O
any	O
enemies	O
in	O
the	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
shoot	O
energy	O
blasts	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Power	B-Application
Blades	I-Application
"	O
in	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
8	O
directions	O
and	O
through	O
most	O
surfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
object	O
is	O
to	O
restore	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
by	O
going	O
into	O
each	O
of	O
six	O
sectors	O
of	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
,	O
accessing	O
their	O
databases	O
,	O
and	O
recovering	O
their	O
data	O
tapes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
is	O
armed	O
with	O
a	O
boomerang	B-General_Concept
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
fire	O
in	O
all	O
eight	O
directions	O
,	O
destroying	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
each	O
sector	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
upgrade	O
the	O
power	O
,	O
range	O
,	O
and	O
number	O
of	O
boomerangs	B-General_Concept
by	O
collecting	O
various	O
power-ups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
also	O
has	O
a	O
password	O
feature	O
which	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
restart	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
a	O
specific	O
checkpoint	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
,	O
players	O
can	O
go	O
through	O
the	O
six	O
sectors	O
in	O
any	O
order	O
via	O
a	O
stage	O
select	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
all	O
six	O
tapes	O
have	O
been	O
gathered	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
gains	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
's	O
control	O
center	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
destroy	O
the	O
alien	O
overlord	O
and	O
restore	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
back	O
to	O
its	O
original	O
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
aspect	O
of	O
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
that	O
sets	O
it	O
apart	O
from	O
Power	B-Application
Blazer	I-Application
and	O
Power	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
2	I-Device
is	O
that	O
if	O
the	O
player	O
falls	O
off	O
the	O
screen	O
they	O
will	O
die	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2191	O
,	O
New	B-Application
Earth	I-Application
has	O
a	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
that	O
holds	O
a	O
secret	O
database	O
of	O
the	O
colony-planet	O
'	O
s	O
functioning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
day	O
,	O
aliens	O
attack	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
,	O
making	O
the	O
Master	O
control	O
program	O
malfunction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	O
,	O
a	O
lord	O
of	O
the	O
ancient	O
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
is	O
summoned	O
to	O
take	O
care	O
of	O
the	O
situation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
is	O
a	O
glowing	O
energy	O
boomerang	B-General_Concept
that	O
Nova	O
uses	O
to	O
defend	O
himself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
's	O
Control	O
Center	O
,	O
Nova	O
first	O
has	O
to	O
obtain	O
tape	O
units	O
from	O
the	O
six	O
sectors	O
surrounding	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
six	O
sectors	O
have	O
been	O
disarmed	O
,	O
Nova	O
must	O
fight	O
his	O
way	O
through	O
the	O
Control	O
Center	O
,	O
destroy	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
and	O
restore	O
order	O
to	O
the	O
society	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
is	O
a	O
reworked	O
and	O
localized	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
Family	O
Computer	O
game	O
Power	B-Application
Blazer	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
also	O
by	O
Taito	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
title	O
for	O
North	O
America	O
was	O
Power	O
Mission	O
,	O
after	O
reworking	O
the	O
game	O
they	O
went	O
with	O
the	O
name	O
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
changes	O
included	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
agents	O
who	O
needed	O
to	O
be	O
tracked	O
down	O
in	O
each	O
stage	O
,	O
power-ups	O
that	O
allowed	O
you	O
to	O
throw	O
multiple	O
boomerangs	B-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
throw	O
your	O
boomerang	B-General_Concept
in	O
any	O
direction	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
power	O
suit	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
equipped	O
by	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
screen	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
features	O
a	O
picture	O
of	O
NOVA	O
that	O
closely	O
resembles	O
promotional	O
images	O
of	O
Schwarzenegger	O
in	O
the	O
1984	O
film	O
The	B-General_Concept
Terminator	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Power	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
first	O
received	O
coverage	O
in	O
the	O
Western	O
markets	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
first	O
displayed	O
at	O
the	O
Summer1990	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
in	O
Chicago	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
called	O
Power	O
Mission	O
and	O
featured	O
different	O
character	O
sprites	O
from	O
the	O
finished	O
version	O
;	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
magazine	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
mega	O
action	B-Application
in	O
the	O
tradition	O
of	O
Mega	B-Application
Man	I-Application
II.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
featured	O
article	O
and	O
was	O
on	O
the	O
cover	O
in	O
the	O
April1991	O
issue	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
.	O
</s>
