Crusher Shot

Crusher Shot builds upon the Hyper Shot, but also enables SOPHIA III to destroy certain blocks and walls.

Appearances

Blaster Master

It's found after defeating Crabullus in Area 2 of Blaster Master.

Blaster Master: Enemy Below

Rather than being awarded from a boss fight, the Crusher Shot (mistranslated in the instruction booklet as Crasher) is a bonus collectible in Area 1 that simply doubles SOPHIA's cannon attack strength. The Hyper Shot is omitted entirely as an intermediary upgrade, and the block-breaking functionality is transferred to the Gun 1 upgrade for Jason.

Blaster Master Zero

“	This powers up SOPHIA's main weapon. You can now destroy a certain type of wall.”
	— Crusher Shot • Blaster Master Zero

As with its forebear, the Crusher Shot is gained after defeating Crabullus in Area 2. It is the final cannon upgrade that directly upgrades SOPHIA III's default attack, with Main shot upgrades in later Areas instead being selectable alternate charge shot types. Crusher Shots, which change colors and trail rings as they fly, deal 3/2 Hyper Shot damage (3x Normal Shot damage), and having the chip installed also increases the power of most charged shots and sub-weapons by a similar factor (though exact damage increases are unique to each Main shot and sub-weapon).

With Crusher Shot installed, SOPHIA's basic cannon blasts, as well as all charged Main shots other than Acceleration Blast, gain the ability to destroy blocks appearing in Areas after Area 1, including the yellow rocks blocking access to Area 3 from Area 2, as well as sewer blockages appearing in Area 4 and Area 9. (Acceleration Blast is already able to destroy blocks and sewer blockages, even without Crusher Shot installed.)

SOPHIA Zero comes equipped with an empowered variant of Crusher Shot which deals much more damage (10x standard Crusher Shot damage) and has an increased on-screen shot limit of 5 shots (rather than 3 shots for all of SOPHIA III's basic cannon blasts).

Blaster Master Zero 2

“	G-SOPHIA's main cannon. Can destroy some obstacles. Does not require SP.”
	— G-Crusher Shot • Blaster Master Zero 2

The G-Crusher Shot, abbreviated as G-Crusher and derived from SOPHIA Zero's empowered Crusher Shot after the Metal Attacker broke down between games, is the default main cannon of Gaia-SOPHIA. It pales in firepower compared to its supercharged predecessor, having a 3-shot on-screen limit and only dealing 5x Blaster Rifle damage (rather than 60x Blaster Rifle damage); nevertheless, the Main weapon costs no SP to fire and remains capable of destroying blocks (but not hard rocks).

Despite G-Crusher Shot not requiring SP to fire, this weapon cannot be used during a shutdown caused by running out of SP. Instead, G-SOPHIA reverts to a low-power cannon shot, resembling SOPHIA III's default Normal Shot, as its sole means of self-defense until SP is fully recovered. Gaia-SOPHIA's "Normal Shot" deals a paltry 1/10 G-Crusher Shot damage (1/2 Blaster Rifle damage) and cannot destroy blocks, push back Defend Them All's arms or charge Full Accel Burst. Its low firepower is only partly alleviated by the lack of an on-screen shot limit.

Blaster Master Zero 3

The G-Crusher Shot returns as the default main cannon of Gaia-SOPHIA SV. Though it is not as effective against mutants as before, it costs no SP (but cannot be used during a main cannon shutdown) and is able to destroy yellow blocks.

A more powerful variant, G-Crusher Shot+, is obtained from the Goez-R fight during Jason's initial escape from the Sophia Force Base (the first area of Blaster Master Zero 3), though the increase in firepower comes at the cost of a small amount of Main SP consumption on each shot. Despite the similar name, G-Crusher Shot+ is listed separately in the sub-screen from G-Crusher Shot, allowing Jason to switch between the two power levels based on SOPHIA's Main SP reserves.

In the event that Main SP is reduced to zero by utilization of powered main cannons, Gaia-SOPHIA SV's main cannon system will shut down in order to recover Main SP over time, forcing the battle tank to revert to a low-power "Normal Shot" for the duration.

Related Quotes

“

Eve: The "G-CRUSHER SHOT" is G-SOPHIA's main cannon. It doesn't require SP to fire and can destroy certain obstacles. It can fire diagonally or straight up by using the DIRECTION LOCK button, so it's perfect for firing at airborne enemies. Jason: It's too bad the only cannon we could transfer from our last vehicle, SOPHIA ZERO, was the Crusher Shot... I bet the battles on our journey through space would be a lot easier if we could have used more of SOPHIA ZERO's armaments... Well, it is my fault for running her ragged... Haha... Eve: Don't say that... You did it for my sake, didn't you? You dove into the depths of the Earth looking for a cure... Besides, SOPHIA ZERO's development was likely halted due to its energy problem. We wouldn't have been able to use it for very long, anyway. Jason: (If we had depended on that immense power, it could have easily blown up in our faces... We can't afford to get careless on this mission.)”

— "G-Crusher Shot" Eve Chat • Blaster Master Zero 2