You can’t tell from the screenshots, but Vertical Force is a visually stunning game. It’s a vertical scrolling shooter that takes place on two planes, one high and one low, with enemies and obstacles appearing on both. On top of that the two layers you fly on, there are also additional layers for parts of the level, which creates an immense amount of depth. It really is something you have to see for yourself, and it looks phenomenal on the 3DS’s screen.

As for the game itself, it’s a fun, if short, scrolling shooter. The layers means that there’s a lot to focus on, which does make things more difficult, but at the same time, switching between layers is also a handy (and fast) dodge function. The levels themselves get more complex as you get through the game, starting with a simple black background before having textures and even moving backgrounds. There are some fun power-ups and a lot of frantic action. One of the highlights of the system.

Fun

This was the first third-party game to go into development, and it shows. The time spent by Hudson has gone on making a great 3D environment, with two planes of action that you can fly between. Judged purely as a shoot-’em-up it’s only ho-hum, but the 3D really makes it.

Super Play #34

Remake or remaster?

This would have been a wonderful 3DS eShop game, either in its original red or remastered in full colour.