Nova Blast
Nova Blast — frequently asked questions
- Is Nova Blast on Steam?
- No. Nova Blast is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.
- What platforms is Nova Blast on?
- Nova Blast is available on ColecoVision, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Intellivision.
- When did Nova Blast release?
- Nova Blast was first released on December 31, 1983.
About Nova Blast
Nova Blast is a side-scrolling sci-fi shooter in which you must defend four shielded cities from invaders that attack from both in the air and on the ground. Each city has a bubble shield that can sustain one hit; another hit to an unshielded city will destroy it. Players control a ship that can fire lasers horizontally and drop bomb vertically. The ship is also equipped with an energy beam that can absorb energy from energy tanks, and can also use that energy to create temporary shields around unprotected cities. The ship can also sustain up to ten blows in each round. If all four cities are destroyed or the ship takes ten hits in a round, the game ends. Nova Blast is a single player game with three difficulty levels.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- ColecoVision, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Intellivision
- Developer
- Imagic
- Publisher
- Imagic
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ColecoVisionDetails ↓ | 1983 | $19 | $42 | $60 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
| IntellivisionDetails ↓ | 1983 | $11 | $20 | $31 | 3 reviews |
Also released on: Commodore C64/128/MAX. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about 4 times a year
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $9.00 in Jul 2009, $14.99 five years ago, and $19.31 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $9.00 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $9.50 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $5.30 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $13.98 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $12.99 | $41 |
| Jan 2015 | $10.49 | $24 |
| Jan 2016 | $13.50 | $21 |
| Jan 2017 | $9.99 | $40 |
| Jan 2018 | $17.30 | $45 |
| Jan 2019 | $10.49 | $30 |
| Jan 2020 | $11.75 | $40 |
| Jan 2021 | $13.38 | $41 |
| Jan 2022 | $16.07 | $41 |
| Jan 2023 | $14.99 | $53 |
| Jan 2024 | $12.00 | $48 |
| Jan 2025 | $13.49 | $41 |
| Jan 2026 | $14.40 | $44 |
| Oct 2026 | $19.31 | $42 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Barcode | MSRP |
|---|---|---|
| North America Imagic | 020112066091 | $34.95 |
- North America: Price new: Computer Entertainer's review (January 1984).
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1983
- Controller
- Hand controller
- Authenticity
- Low
The ColecoVision version
A busy defend-the-cities shooter that Computer Entertainer found graphically stunning, and an inexpensive Imagic cart.
Imagic brought Nova Blast to the ColecoVision after the Intellivision edition. Computer Entertainer, in a review of an early copy, called the ColecoVision version graphically stunning. Electronic Games' later review described it as something like Defender meets Missile Command by way of Demon Attack: you fly a horizontally scrolling ship that fires lasers and drops bombs to defend four domed cities from waves of different aliens, among them orion fighters, Gravitines and Astro Sailors.
The reviewer enjoyed the variety of attackers, which he compared to a prolonged cantina scene. In March 1984 the same magazine also counted Nova Blast among the ColecoVision cartridges it thought out-did the 5200 equivalents.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 10 | January 1984 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
“This is the most dazzlingly beautiful game we've seen yet on ColecoVision. … If you love space games with fast action, this is your game!”
“Nova Blast isn't going to set the world on fire, but it's a nice addition to the Coleco library.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.
Worth knowing
- From the ColecoVision manual. Three ranks set the difficulty: Cadet (beginner), Captain (intermediate) and Admiral (expert); higher ranks mean more squadrons and more cities under attack.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Each wave begins with the Damage Indicator set at 10, and every collision or enemy shot costs one point.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Beaming a temporary shield onto a city whose capsule is gone uses three quarters of a full fuel supply.
Before you buy
Standard keypad controller. Loose carts are inexpensive and a boxed copy adds a moderate premium, so buy the cheapest clean complete copy rather than paying extra. Clinton Ballard developed it.
Collector value & authenticity
Intellivision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-20
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about 3 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-20.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $18.50 in Jan 2010, $5.23 five years ago, and $11.25 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $18.50 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $15.06 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $7.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $12.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $12.99 | $7.50 |
| Jan 2015 | $8.50 | $34 |
| Jan 2016 | $7.94 | $15.00 |
| Jan 2017 | $6.47 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $9.14 | $15.00 |
| Jan 2019 | $6.10 | $23 |
| Jan 2020 | $7.15 | $13.14 |
| Jan 2021 | $7.88 | $18.24 |
| Jan 2022 | $6.64 | $22 |
| Jan 2023 | $10.13 | $19.90 |
| Jan 2024 | $9.99 | $15.00 |
| Jan 2025 | $6.78 | $16.67 |
| Jan 2026 | $5.50 | $17.82 |
| Oct 2026 | $11.25 | $19.99 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1983
- Authenticity
- Low
The Intellivision version
Imagic's scrolling shooter filled a gap on the Intellivision, and it is a good cart.
Nova Blast is a horizontally scrolling defend-the-cities shooter from Imagic. Computer Entertainer noted that Intellivision owners had not had a scrolling outer-space shoot-out until now and called the graphics dazzling.
Electronic Games in late 1983 named it with Swords & Serpents and the Demon Attack translation as evidence of the quality Imagic added to the Intellivision library.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 1 | April 1983 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 9 | July 1983 | 2½ joysticks (of 4) |
| Video Games Player Vol. 2 No. 2 | November 1983 | B+ |
“NOVA BLAST is exciting, loaded with action, and has some interesting features that make it worth adding to your collection.”
“Since the game’s premise is so played out, Nova Blast lacks the one thing video games on the whole need now more than ever—originality. But it does rate high in the looks department, and easily maintains Imagic’s reputation as a producer of tight and colorful graphics.”
“since there are still a limited number of quality space games for Intellivision, it's a fine addition to your collection.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system. Electronic Fun rated games out of four joysticks. Video Games Player graded games like a report card, A+ down to C-.
Before you buy
Imagic packed two keypad overlays, so check for both. A boxed or sealed copy carries a premium over a loose cartridge.
Nova Blast screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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