It's one of gaming's greatest myths that graphics aren't as important as gameplay. Without the right kind of graphics, it's possible to depth-charge the potential of an otherwise enjoyable experience. Visuals are a crucial part of a game's feel, and a mismatch between what you're doing and how it all looks is a major factor in whether a title hangs together as a cohesive experience.
Naturally, it's relevant to Shmup Collection, a rather banal title for a compilation that's stated to contain three games from doujin developers Astro Port, but technically features five – Satazius and update Satazius Next, Armed 7 and update Armed 7 DX, and finally Wolflame – sans update. These are games that each take inspiration from one classic shmup in the main, and these influences are very much worn on their sleeves.
Horizontal shooter Satazius, to begin with, is effectively Konami's Gradius with the serial numbers filed off. Of course, that's no bad thing, given that Gradius is one of the best shmup series ever, but we digress. It's so indebted to that flagship franchise that it's almost cheeky – the first stage culminates in your ship being chased through a cavern by a much larger craft, which ploughs throw the walls as it goes, collapsing rocks down from above while launching volleys of missiles your way. Sounds familiar? It should, as it's almost directly lifted from the opening set-piece of Game Boy classic Nemesis II / Gradius: The Interstellar Assault.
The trademark Gradius power-up system is absent, replaced by a selection of weapons and sub-weapons you level up as you play. They're all rather familiar – directional missiles, anyone? – but there's a nice twist in that your accrued weapon power can be unloaded into a single powerful onslaught that's capable of wiping out most foes in one hit.
Strong stage design that's clever and tricky without resorting to "bullet hell" style projectile spam makes Satazius possibly the standout game in Shmup Collection, though kicking you back to a checkpoint on death may be a Gradius feature they could have left in the host series. Nonetheless, it's brilliant fun, but definitely don't ignore the rest of the package.
Next up is Armed 7, another horizontal scroller that's clearly inspired by the likes of Technosoft's Hyper Duel with its multi-directional shooting mech action; again you pick your weapons then head out into battle, aiming and locking your guns as you attempt to tackle the overwhelming odds. As in Satazius, you power up your chosen weaponry rather than collecting new guns, and also have a powerful super-weapon at your disposal you can use it as many times as you please, but it takes a fair while to charge up.
It's a little samier than Satazius, but Armed 7 is no slouch – the action is challenging and compelling, with the larger size of your mech making everything just that little bit more dangerous. Thankfully this time, you have a refillable shield rather than a traditional "lives" system, which means taking a hit won't rob you of your weapons or progress, and your shield can be refilled with collectables. It's still rough going but eminently friendly.
Lastly there's Wolflame, and the roots of this one seem to be the stone-cold classic Raiden. It's a vertical shooter this time, with a focus on precision and a slightly more realistic, grounded feel. That is until the skyscraper-sized tanks show up, but realism is relative.
It's the purest game on the set, the most akin to a straight-up traditional shmup, and as a result, it feels the least interesting. By no means is it bad, or even substandard, but compared with the level design and set-pieces of Satazius and Armed 7 it doesn't quite measure up. It's fun, but unremarkable, and a bit of an odd choice for inclusion when Astro Port's other games include better fits like the ingenious Zangeki Warp and the delightful Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser.
You may be wondering why we mentioned the importance of graphics at the start of this review. The "enhanced" versions of Satazius and Armed 7 (Next and DX) have arranged soundtracks, some changes to bullet patterns and level design and, crucially, brighter and more colourful graphics. Unfortunately, this leads the games to look garish and detracts from the original versions' atmospheres; coupled with the less-than-impressive animation (mostly rotating sprites), these "improved" versions actually feel worse than the originals. They're fine, and entirely playable, but we found ourselves wondering why they felt the need to mess with elements that worked. Yes, the graphics in Satazius are a little grungy, but they fit the game feel. It was a case of less meaning more, and resulted in a coherent, logical progression from the game's look to its mechanics. The deluxe versions sacrifice this for unnecessarily flashier visuals. It's a small complaint, though, as the games on offer here range from good to great.
Conclusion
Satazius is the pick of the pack and almost worth the asking price in itself, but if you enjoy the shmup genre then Shmup Collection is a package that will keep on giving. There's nothing in the way of extras outside of each game's respective practice/stage select mode (and a "Tate" mode for Wolflame, for those with a Flip Grip), but you won't find yourself wanting. This is an impressive bundle of joy at a very competitive price. We just hope it'll be followed by a second instalment; Astro Port has a lot of awesome games in its catalogue and we'd love to see them find a second home on Switch.
Comments 29
I did my order fall all extras and hopefully I get it soon.
Overall enjoying them, but the inability to customise controls is annoying. Also Wolflame’s fast firing enemies (I call them rail guns) right from the get go can be really annoying.
Looks fun! Might have to snag this later.
@FX102A you can customize controls at a higher level in the Switch Settings
Ordered the physical version, i'm sure it'll take some time until it arrives, but waiting isn't too hard as i already have a ton of great shmups on my Switch (Dezatopia, ESP Ra De, Darius Cozmic Collection, Space Invaders Invincible Collection, Radirgy Swag, Game Tengoku...).
What platform were these games originally on? I've never heard of any of them before...
@vio It looks like Armed 7 DX and Satavius Next were originally on Dreamcast, while Wolflame launched on Steam in 2016.
I like the look and feel of Wolf Flame, inclined to buy that on it's own.
@vio All three were on PC (Steam specifically). I don’t know whether they appeared on other platforms also
Was looking at this the other day and added it to my wishlist. Will probably pick this up once more of my backlog is cleared or if there is a good sale.
Picking this up I was about to order armed 7 for the Dreamcast from pixelheart the other night which is £39 so this seems like great value
@Emirparkreiner : Where did you order a physical copy?
Seems decent for indies
Is this collection actually coming to Wii U digitally? The physical version is available in June, but no sign of digital yet. If it isn't I may order physical for Wii U and get digitally on Switch in a sale.
@KnightRider666 pixel heart have it available for pre order for Europe. €29.90 for either Switch or Wii U, available in June.
Definitely interested in satazius. Will check e shop 2 Moro, I think I can get that by itself x x x
Glad that I recently preordered the physical version before the digital version was released.
@vio Steam. I am still on the fence due to their poor graphic and animation. I am the SHMUP fan, might get them only when sales.
@FargusPelagius : Thanks, but found American cover art variants at VGNY soft.
Anyone with experience able to comment on input lag? That has been a total killer with other games in the genre on Switch but reviewers tend to completely ignore it.
8?!! Had 7 written all over it.
Orderered the physical, but now have double dipped on the digital due to the delay of the physical. Three really fun games at a really good price. They could of bene made even better by just allowing some very basic options, like volume. And by adding some slight presenatation touches. All-in-all though the games are a good time.
@KnightRider666 awesome!
@ThirstyPrisoner I have not noticed any input lag on the shumps I have on my Switch, but maybe that's just me.
@vio
It is pretty well documented for a lot (most?) other shmups on the Switch, with only a few games (M2 ports usually) rising above it.
See this review from this very site that doesn’t overlook it:
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/psikyo_shooting_stars_alpha1
I’m not normally one to complain about performance issues like lower resolution and frame rate, but input lag is a deal breaker. Sometimes, if you’re not looking for it, you may not even be able to put your finger on just why a game isn’t all that fun to play—then you get a chance to play it on a different setup with lower input lag and it feels like a totally different game.
This kills me because I love playing games on the Switch, and buy multiplatform games there as much as possible, but sometimes it is just not the ideal platform.
@KnightRider666
I also ordered the European version, but yea, the American cover looks better.
Great shooters, another three added to my vast collection:)
Looks good! Adding to wishlist (huge backlog, otherwise it's a buy now)
Heads up -
This is on the eshop uk for around £6
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