Taito Milestones 3 review

There are two troubling trends affecting retro game anthologies. The first is the habitual shortage of historical context. Although being able to play yesteryear’s titles on modern hardware is crucial, publishers routinely bundle a set of games without recognizing the work of developers.

The other issue is that these compilations feel like they’re being cushioned. Sure, there are a few obligatory hits in each of these collections. But there are also enough unremarkable titles in these collections to make you feel like you’re getting fleeced. Fifteen years ago, the soon-to-be delisted SEGA Genesis Classics assembled more than 50 titles. Now, the current trend is providing players with less than a dozen games.

The Absence of History is a Mystery

Much like the previous two entries, Taito Milestones 3 doesn’t provide any interviews or photos associated with the ten titles in the anthology. And given the effort established by Digtial Eclipse for Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, The Making of Karateka, and Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story, that’s disheartening. Many of the titles here deserve more acknowledgement, if not an entire interactive museum.

The upside is that Milestones 3’s selections contain less filler. Undoubtedly, 1986’s Bubble Bobble and 1987’s Rainbow Islands are the highlights of the collection. Delve into either game, and you’ll immediately understand why the titles are among Taito’s most celebrated works. Whether you’re burping bubbles that trap foes as a dinosaur or releasing traversable rainbows in human form, both titles remain engaging over 35 years on.

A Trek Through Rastania

With his flowing mane and mighty broadsword,1987’s Rastan Saga undoubtedly drew took inspiration from Conan the Barbarian.  While mowing downing processions of lizardmen and chimera channels some of Kung Fu Master’s simple enjoyment, the initial series entry felt stiff when compared to Capcom’s Black Tiger, which was released a few months later.

Oddly, Rastan Saga II doesn’t remarkably improve on its predecessor. You’ll face even more cheap shots as you use multiple weapons to cleave through crowds of foes across another six-stage trek. The visuals here are notably worse, with a stocky sprite for a protagonist and backdrops that look amateurish. Call me crazy, but those trees in the first stage look suspiciously like broccoli. Yet, the sequel nearly redeems itself with Zuntata’s soundtrack. With hard-hitting beats and a jazzy lead synth, Taito’s in-house band gave the coin-op’s sound chip a strenuous workout.

But Rastan Saga II’s soundtrack isn’t the only part of the franchise worth revisiting. Warrior Blade: Rastan Saga Episode III turned the dark fantasy action into a Final Fight-style brawler, complete with three playable characters. What’s especially cool was the decision to frame the action in an 8:3 ratio display, which the Switch handles superbly, just like it did for Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade. However, there is a disheartening bug that hard-locks the Switch that’s still present at launch. Most of the time I won’t make it past the second stage.

Cadash=Console RPG x Coin-Op

But save for this glitch, Hamster’s emulation is spot-on. Dive into Cadash’s mixture of side-scrolling action and console role-playing elements, and you won’t find any fault with the coding. But you might not fully appreciate the unusual mixture of genres, which pits you against the clock in five stages that test your capacity for combat and platforming. Given the perpetually dwindling timer, the option of assigning rapid fire to the action button is especially merciful here. Consider this an interesting curio.

Call me a purist, but I’d rather spend time with Thunder Fox, which adds an arsenal of weapons to a traditional 2D hack-and-slash. Think Shinobi but with the firepower and a bodycount right out of early ‘90s action films and you’ll understand the appeal. Here, the eponymous leads take down entire battalions of enemy soldiers with just a combat knife. Perhaps, it’s boss battles where a pistol can destroy a tank or the side-scrolling STG stages, but it’s difficult to not find fun with Thunder Fox’s comical mayhem. Largely, that’s also the case with Runark, which retains the high enemy counts and some of the weaponry and places in a traditional 2D brawler. With comic book exclamations that pop up on screen and a plot that has you putting down animal poachers, it’s playful.

“Tricks Using Arms Can be Done!”

While some might find some gratification in 1989’s Champion Wrestler, where eight wrestlers with names like Matterhorn Deecker and Bloody Cobra Joe square off, it’s a fairly undistinctive adaptation of pro wrestling. Without any licensing during the height of Hulkmania and with an obligation to loiter in the ring before building up power for throws and holds, the tussling doesn’t hold up well. But the game does have a sense of humor, with cutscenes that detail the winner squandering their money in Vegas while losers mend at a hospital.

Taito Milestones 3’s underdog gem is 1992’s Dead Connection, which references several gangster films from The Godfather to the Untouchables. Following a cutscene with a Brando-lookalike and a playable selection where Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia doubles dwell, you’ll face a succession of eight single-screen shootouts. Each tasks players with killing a specified number of enemies before your life bar is depleted. Connection’s generous aim-assist ensures your lawman consistently takes down his targets, while defensive rolling can help you take cover. What’s best is the amount of environmental destruction with shootouts demolishing everything from railings to tire stacks. These objects aren’t always interactive, but they’re enough to make each firefight feel frantic and improvisational.

Taito Milestones 3 was played on Switch with review code provided by the publisher.