VISCO Collection review

Revisiting the golden era of arcade gaming

Across a fifteen-year period between 1986 and 2001, VISCO Corporation created 38 arcade games. What’s remarkable about this span isn’t just how prolific the Kyoto-based developer was. It’s also notable just how comfortable they were with tackling all the dominant genres of the era. From puzzlers, racers, platformers, and fighting games, the developers exhibited a surprising amount of adaptability, while maintaining a suitable level of quality.

The recent Switch and PC release of VISCO Collection validates their versatility, compiling seven of the developer’s titles. Sure, the curation is a bit suspect, with both Bang Bead and Flipshot delivering Windjammers-style competitions that should have been spread out across different assemblages. When it comes to establishing context, the anthology offers little more than meager, three-screen manuals for each entry (with a typo or two). But most of the games are winners, making VISCO Collection a satisfactory offering.

Those Suspect Looking Sand Worms

Following a protracted introductory loading, VISCO Collection’s menu screen resembles a typical emulator frontend. Beyond some rudimentary data (all seven games are coin-ops, making the “arcade” designator redundant) that details the year of release and the number of players supported, you’re treated to thumbnail-sized video of each game in action. After another seven-second load, you are dropped into the title you selected.

As the collection arranges its title alphabetically, Andro Dunos makes a robust first impression. Sure, as both an arcade title and a Neo Geo AES title, the horizontally (and intermittently, vertically) scrolling shooter didn’t earn the admiration of critics, who complained that it felt unoriginal. But in hindsight, being able to switch between four different weapon systems paved the way for respected titles like Radiant Silvergun. Much like Treasure’s classic, there’s an ideal weapon at any given moment. The only issue here is that you have to unidirectionally cycle through your weapons. On the upside, VISCO Collection provides players with a rapid-fire option, saving fingers from possible discomfort.

Clear-cut Goals

And while Bang Bead and Flipshot are mechanically similar, that doesn’t mean the games aren’t enjoyable. Both function like Pong, although your goal is blocked by destructible objects, and you’re a freely moving character rather than just a paddle. Before you can score a goal, you’ll have to chip at your rival’s defenses with it supported by the ability of a power-shot. Since VISCO Collection offers online functionality for its two-players games you can attempt to find an online contender. But I wasn’t able to find any lobbies or participants across the regionally-based lobbies. So, if you’re just playing solo, Flipshot is the better of the two since the AI isn’t as tediously robotic.

Released in 1995, Goal! Goal! Goal! arrived on the Neo Geo MVS three years after Soccer Brawl and Super Sidekicks. But instead of offering cybernetic players or accessible, two-button action, Goal! extends a slightly more supplicated adaptation of football. Like the majority of games from the era, the title uses sprite-based athletes which are large, detailed, and well-animated. But Goal!’s close-up camera means that players will have to make use of a superimposed map of player positions to pass the ball or move defenders into position. And while the sliding tackles, passes, and shooting are adeptly handled, the lack of any sprinting can make the game feel a bit antiquated.

VISCO Collection other sports title is 1996’s Neo Drift Out: New Technology, the fourth entry in the Drift Out series. Unlike previous entries that utilized an overhead viewpoint, Neo Drift Out employs an isometric perspective. Like the Art of Fighting and Samurai Shodown series, the title even flaunts off a bit of sprite scaling, adding a bit of visual vigor as you race to the finish line before a timer expires. Although there’s only six tracks plus the practice stage, the inclusion of a multiplayer mode to the core campaign contributes a bit of longevity.

Return to Ganryū-jima Island

1999’s Ganryu is the collection’s requisite action-platformer, which draws inspiration from games like Kung Fu Master and Shinobi. With given either Miyamoto Musashi or Lady Suzume ability to use a grappling hook in different ways, there’s even of bit of Bionic Commando’s DNA as well. You’ll play as either master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi or Lady Suzume. The goal is to make it through five, mostly horizontally scrolling, stages and defeat Sasaki Kojirō. There’s definitely a rhythm as you slash away as the ceaseless procession of enemies that approach from both sides of the screen. But the real test of any game like this is the depiction of agility. By swinging from your chain, ducking under projectiles, and the ability to slide-attack opponents, Ganryu is agreeable. Yet it also doesn’t top any of the games that served as influences, either.

Rounding out the collection is the wonderfully peculiar Captain Tomaday. In this vertically scrolling STG, you play as a mutant flying tomato, with two buttons controlling the Captain’s fists. You can hold both buttons for a steady succession of detached punches, filling the skies with a flurry of white gloves. Alternatively, you can let one of your hands power up by not firing it for a few seconds. Once you fire, you’ll get an amplified shot that can mow down multiple enemies. With power-up juggling and cute visuals, Tomaday doesn’t teel far removed from Konami’s TwinBee series. The sole downside is that occasional surges of slowdown can impair play.

Conclusion

Bundling seven titles, VISCO Collection offers a satisfactory compilation of the Kyoto-based developers’ works. While the games themselves are all enjoyable, it’s the connective tissue that’s the notable weak point, with slow load times when booting up the collection or selecting a new title. That said, retro fans should find enjoyment in this anthology.