Overview

Number of Players
1 (Single Player)
Genre
Release Date

Virtual Boy

  • US 1st Dec 1995
  • JP 12th Aug 1995

Reviews

  • Review Vertical Force (Virtual Boy)

    Old school fun blasting fun from the experts at Hudson

    Out of all the games available for the much-maligned Virtual Boy, Vertical Force is possibly the most conventional in terms of game design. It's a vertically scrolling shooter (clue was in the title really) where you fight your way through swarms of enemies before facing a boss character to...

Screenshots 7

Vertical Force Screenshot
Vertical Force Screenshot
Vertical Force Screenshot
Vertical Force Screenshot
Vertical Force Screenshot
Vertical Force Screenshot
Vertical Force Screenshot

About The Game

Vertical Force is a vertically-scrolling shooter, with two layers (to utilize the 3-D features of the system) for Nintendo's Virtual Boy video game system. It was developed by Hudson Soft and released in December 1995.

Just like in most vertical shoot 'em ups, you control a ship whose purpose is to shoot any enemy that enters the screen. Collecting powerups will change the weapon used. The main innovation in this game lies in its use for the Virtual Boy system where, by pressing a button, the ship can move into the foreground to avoid or shoot enemies or collect powerups that lie on the ground below. Some boss enemies can only be destroyedavoided by cycling between the two fields occasionally.

An additional gameplay element that is fairly unique to Vertical Force is the ability to use "drones"; AI-controlled smaller spaceships that assist the player's starfighter. The game has a high-score board, but no battery-powered memory with which to save those scores, so they are lost when the player turns off the Virtual Boy unit. However, some players record their scores and post them on the internet, making a kind of virtual high score board