It is time once again to take a look at Arcade Archives titles and see which are worth buying and which are better left alone.

Arcade Archives Wonder Momo

Wonder Momo is a single-plane side-scrolling beat-em-up that may remind some of Spartan X/Kung Fu Master. The game has very short areas, which fits the game’s setting as a play being acted out on a stage. It gives the game a unique feeling, that sets it apart from brawlers that take themselves too seriously and allows for a whimsical nature. Sadly, the gameplay does not take full advantage of what that setting offers, but it is still rather unique.

The gameplay mostly consists of melee attacks and jumps, but Momo can transform into Wonder Momo if she catches a whirlwind that appears or builds up enough energy. This form gives Momo a ranged attack in the form of a hoop but also gives a weakness for Momo as the men in the play’s audience will try and snap pictures of her panties when she does some attacks, which will stun here for a time. It definitely does add something different to the mix.

Wonder Momo feels like a generic brawler with a good setting that really needs to be used for a modern beat-em-up. The premise is too good to be left if the past, but for now this is a decent if flawed game.

Arcade Archives Dragon Spirit

A vertical scrolling shooter, Dragon Spirit is an interesting game. The game lets you control a dragon and move in eight directions, but the movement never really felt right. This has always been a frustrating game in any version, arcade, or console, but the arcade release does look a bit better. The game has nine stages, which actually have a wide variety of themes and settings and dying in a level does let you start at a checkpoint, but the frustrating issues are in the controls.

While the game stands out visually and in terms of music, the controls always felt sluggish and awkward. Even the attacks your dragon has are a bit of a crapshoot. These include the basic projectile and a bomb attack, and it always feels like the attacks have a poor range.  You can take two hits before dying, and there is a life bar to keep you aware of if you took a hit, and you will get hit.

Even with occasional powerups such as additional heads for the dragon that give more shots, the game still just feels lacking. Dragon Spirit stood out for being different at the time, but once more shmups came out, it was quickly shown to be lacking in comparison. This is one that just is best left alone.

Arcade Archives The Legend of Valkyrie

Made during the era when RPG Mechanics were added to arcade games whether or not they fit, the Legend of Valkyrie is a blend of an overhead shooter, platformer and RPG and is one of the most unique Namco arcade games ever made. This game was only released in Japan and while a later port was translated, the arcade release is accurate to the original Rom.

It is easy to figure out what is going on though, with the exception of one area that does require some knowledge of Japanese due to a quiz being involved, but otherwise, it is just guiding the Valkyrie as she goes stage by stage defeating enemies. The action is intense and a mix of run ‘n gun is thrown into the platform sections making for an arcade game that was like nothing else. The game sees you take control of the warrior maiden Valkyrie, while a friend can join in as the companion Kurino Xandra.

The characters have a projectile weapon like in many run ’n gun games, and also a life meter that depletes when hit or if you fall into a hole. Defeating enemies earns you coins and these can be used in shops for more items and spells to help you in your journey. With brilliant visuals and great music, this is a must-play game.

Conclusion

The games come with a variety of enhancements that come with Arcade Archives games such as Caravan mode, and the ability to change the difficulty. These are well-put-together products, and hopefully, HAMSTER continues to bring more out. Ideally, more arcade games that never received a home console version can get the Arcade Archives treatment.

Disclaimer: Review keys were provided