Irem Collection Volume 2 from ININ Games, Tozai Games, and Ratalaika Games brings us a new set of classic games now on Nintendo Switch. Check our ‘Irem Collection Volume 2 review!
Irem Collection Volume 2 from ININ Games, Tozai Games, and Ratalaika Games brings us a new set of classic games now on Nintendo Switch. Last year, I had a chance to review Irem Collection Volume 1 on Nintendo’s console, which included Shoot ’em Ups Image Fight, Image Fight II, and X-Multiply. It’s now time to dive into ‘Irem Collection Volume 2, which includes run ‘n’ gun GunForce, sequel GunForce II, and shoot ’em up Air Duel.
You can play in Casual Mode or in Classic Mode. Casual Mode will allow you to play the game while using additional features such as being able to rewind the action, activating cheat codes (invincibility and infinite lives), using save states to save your progress so that you can continue right where you left, as well as using autofire to attack enemies. If you play in Classic Mode, then you’ll be taking on the original version of the game while being able to use autofire. You’ll also be able to upload your score to the online leaderboard.
GunForce was originally released in arcades way back in 1991. Your mission is simple: use your guns to shoot at everything that moves so that you can defeat the final bad guy who is threatening Mother Earth. That’s the gist of it. Simpler times and all that. The game was later ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System by Bits Studios in 1992, which, as expected, brought us a port of the arcade game’s stages crunched down to SNES size. This means there’s some slowdown here and there, sprite flicker, and some stuff that had to be changed a bit to get it running on Nintendo’s home console. For the collection, we’re getting access to the arcade and SNES versions.
You’ll control your character with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, shooting with the A button as you aim all around you to try and outsmart and destroy all of your enemies as quickly as possible. Autoshooting will be mapped to the Y button. You can jump with the B button. If you make a mistake, you can rewind the action by pressing the L button. Press and hold down the + button to open up the menu, from which you can save your progress or load a save if needed. You can collect power-ups to gain access to power ammo, a machine gun, a laser, or a flamethrower, as well as extra bullets for said arsenal.
The sequel, aptly titled GunForce II, was released in arcades in 1994. It’s also a run ‘n’ gun experience that expands on its prequel by bumping up the action and the challenge. The II in the game’s title also now means that your character will be shooting two guns at once at all times, which means you can grab a power-up for one arm while the other one continues to carry your regular gun. Aiming is also more dynamic, with your character’s arms moving in a circular fashion as you run, jump, aim, and shoot at enemies and bosses. The sequel controls exactly the same as GunForce and features the same power-ups.
With D.A.S. threatening the planet, it’s now up to Max and Lei to jump into action. Something that instantly grabbed my attention was how the action and being able to rescue prisoners – in this case, of the female variety – made me remember the beloved Metal Slug series. It seems that this game was indeed one that inspired SNK’s long-running franchise and is sometimes referred to as Metal Slug Zero. Oh, and GunForce II is also the final arcade release from Irem!
The last game in this collection is Air Duel. This shoot ’em up was released in 1990 for arcades, and it takes place in the same general setting as GunForce II. The controls are simple and to the point so that you can focus on the action on the screen. You’ll pilot your vehicle using the left analog stick or the D-Pad, shooting with the A button and launching a mighty bomb by pressing the B button. You can also use autofire by pressing the Y button.
You’ll be choosing between a jet fighter and a chopper and can switch between one and the other before you begin a new stage. The power-ups you collected with one will carry over to the other one. What’s interesting is that they’ll have different attack patterns. The jet favors a spread attack that can help you take down multiple enemies, while the chopper’s attack pattern will change depending on the direction it’s moving toward. Its attacks will be more focused, which means it can deal more damage in a shorter period, making it a great option for bosses.
Since Air Duel vertical shoot ‘em up, you can go into the game’s special settings menu and rotate the screen so that you can get a closer representation of how the game was displayed in arcades back in the day. This means you can certainly make good use of your Flip Grip accessory so that you can, well, flip your Nintendo Switch vertically, which will help you mimic the old-school vertical shoot ‘em up feel.
Irem Collection Volume 2 brings us a new set of classic games now on Nintendo Switch. This time around, we’re getting run ‘n’ gun duo GunForce – in arcade and Super Nintendo Entertainment System variants – and GunForce II, as well as vertical shoot ’em up Air Duel, which makes for a solid trio of games to dive into on Nintendo’s console. Irem Collection Volume 2 is out on Nintendo Switch with a $24.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This ‘Irem Collection Volume 2 review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by ININ Games.
