I have made my love of arcade shoot em ups clear many times in the past. It is a genre I have a deep appreciation for, and have played multiple entries of, over the years. Vasara is one that caught my interest only recently though, I must admit. Specifically, I became aware of it only when QUByte Interactive announced that they would be releasing a collection of the games. I was very excited to play more arcade shooters, but how well does the collection do at presenting the games?
QUByte went above and beyond to make the collection show off the games in the best possibly light. Both of the Vasara games are here, and are available in Tate mode as well. But there is more to the collection beyond that. This collection adds in a brand new mode that offers full widescreen support, modern visuals, and four player co op as well. In this new mode, you can play as characters from both Varara I and Vasara II and mix the two together in the aforementioned four player mode. It is a nice touch and offers a nice twist on the established gameplay.
There are some issues with that mode however, as characters from the first game cannot use the same mechanics as characters from the second game and vice versa. This can throw off some players when playing with friends, but the game does its best to point this out to you. My only real issue with the new mode is that the controls do not feel spot on. At times they feel a bit too loose, and at other times a but too tight. This does not occur all the time mind you, but can get in the way. I have heard some say that the game feels slow overall, but I do not agree with that, as I have not encountered any slowdown in my playthrough.
The classic modes are also here, as mentioned above, and are well preserved here. Vasara is a weird game to be sure, as it is a shoot em up set in an alternate history version of medieval Japan where advanced technology is common. The result was a very cramped feeling duo of shooters that really tested your skill. This here is a game for players who are experts at this genre and want a real challenge, but do not be worried if you are not an expert yourself. There is another mode as well, for players who are still beginners and do not wish to be overwhelmed by the experience, and of course that is very welcome in assuring everyone has a chance to play this.
Vasara and Vasara II have a lot of replayability, both in terms of difficulty modes, and also in terms of branching paths and multiple endings. You will need to play several times to see everything that is available here, and you will most likely enjoy every minute of this. The gameplay is intuitive and with the ability to ease down the difficulty, there is no worry about not being good enough. I fully recommend checking out the Vasara Collection as it is not only a great collection of arcade shooters, but also a masterpiece in terms of games presentation. You will not regret checking this out.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
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