Just saying, but I do have a curator page. If you like my remarks about games, you can find more of them here: https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/44130985-TDP%27s-Gaming-Escapades

I always get this thought that while western developers were always afraid of new ideas through time, eastern devs had not shied away from trying new things. Like, what if we had robots in the wild west? Or what if the president of United States piloted a mech and fought against the vice president?
VASARA games combine science fiction with Japan's history, creating this interesting mashup of mechanical beasts being piloted by the samurai. A premise that has ended up in creation of two unique shmups. And a collection that... well... let's talk about them, shall we?

The basics of VASARA 1 and 2 are the same as other shmup games. But they do offer a unique mechanic in the form of melee attacks. Each character has a melee attack with bullet clearing properties which is accessible by holding down the shot button and releasing it after a short time. The games even offer a powered up version of melee attack as a separate offensive/defensive mechanic in the form of vasara attack.
In the first game, you have access to the vasara attack in addition to bombs. This attack is bound to a bar at the top of the screen that fills by collecting jewels dropped from the enemies. When filled, you can use it to unleash an attack that covers a wide area and heavily damages enemies. Meanwhile, the second game removes bombs in favor of vasara attack slots being increased from 1 to 3.
But make no mistake, both of the games are still very hard in true arcade fashion. There are tons of instances where you either need perfect movements or prior knowledge of the incoming attack patterns to avoid being hit. And sometimes, this really proves to be an incredibly hard task thanks to the games' visuals.

Both VASARA 1 and 2 look gorgeous. Backgrounds & player/enemy sprites are very detailed, character portraits are very well-drawn and stages are very colorful. Normally, this is not an issue. But when we consider how much clutter you have to face, it does become one.
Basically the games have heavy screen clutter. You have enemies and background NPCs moving on the screen, gems constantly dropping from enemies, projectiles getting shot from you and enemies' sides, alongside various others. This results in visual elements blending in and it gets very hard to differentiate them, leading to unfair hits as a result.
And this gets worse when the enemies start using smaller projectiles. VASARA 1 starts introducing enemies that shoot smaller projectiles from the half-way point and in case of VASARA 2, it gets even worse. Every enemy projectile in VASARA 2 is either smaller or thinner compared to the first game, and is less noticeable especially with everything else that is going on. So it gets pretty easy for you to get hit by something and not know how it happened.

Obviously, screen clutter and poor clarity are big problems. But I find the games' behavior for their final levels much more infuriating and even insulting.
The final stages change the rules at the last second. If you die in the final stages and decide to continue, the games will throw you back to the beginning of the stages and force you to do everything all over again to get another shot at the boss. It's never fair to the player to change the rules in the final level, just to add some frankly unneeded artificial difficulty to the game. Maybe this was the norm for arcade games back then, but now? We're not playing them in arcades.
And this is such a shame, because such design decision basically nukes the fun and replayability of the games for casual and/or less experienced crowd. This is the final nail in the coffin that strips the game of all its fun factor, when put next to the heavy visual clutter.

The overall quality of this collection is... mixed. On one hand, it performs very well when it comes to technical performance. The dialogues all have translations. The gallery has a bunch of original and redrawn artwork (for a purpose which you will find out about soon), alongside promotional materials. And you are given a number of options to tweak your gameplay experience with. Then we have the problems.
The game's controller support is utterly broken and doesn't recognize a lot of controllers, leading you towards using Steam Input API. Furthermore, you are not able to do any button remapping in the game. The game's controls are pre-defined and it asks you to do your own changes from Steam Input settings, which the game keeps reopening every time you go into controls menu. And as for keyboard users... the game itself never provides a solution.
Not only that, there are quite a number of settings that require you to restart VASARA 1 and 2 even when they shouldn't. Want to change the visual filter or remove the art from the sides of the screen mid-game? They require a restart. Want a refresher on the controls or change the screen type and audio levels? Go back to the main menu. Most of these are not deal breakers, but it's pretty weird to see them like this while other collections allow you to do them on the fly.
And then we have the "but why?" kind of additions. For example, was there really a need to create a 3D menu for this collection? Sure, it looks somewhat pretty but serves no purpose. Especially compared to similar examples like Trine 2 which had the purpose of showcasing the game's visual prowess. Then we have the brand-new timeless mode...

Remember the redrawn artworks I mentioned earlier? Those were created to be used in a brand-new game mode: VASARA Timeless. And this new mode is...
I appreciate the devs trying to create an entirely new game mode with everything faithfully recreated in HD, but the end result is not ideal. This mode utilizes 3D graphics presented in 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing 4 players to play together simultaneously. It's clear a lot of work has gone into it and the devs want you to play it, as about %75 of the achievements are tied to this mode.
But I don't find it entertaining. Compared to the games it takes from, timeless mode is aesthetically very bland and boring. Instead of going through beautiful, history-inspired stages this mode has you flying over cliffs, barren grounds, beds of water and washed out flora. Not only that, enemy patterns feel very uninspired.
Then we have other shortcomings. First, it follows the bullet design mentality of VASARA 2, making them blend in with other visual elements. Second, the wide playing field makes a single player playthrough more challenging as enemies can attack you from any direction. Coupled with there being no i-frames at the end of a dash (a move exclusive to this mode), you can always get hit from somewhere that you were not expecting. Third, there are no continues in this mode. All of these make for an inferior experience.

I don't see this being enjoyable for the masses. The originals are very hard by design, and this collection not only has not succeeded in making them more accessible, but has quite a number of issues itself. Not to mention the new game mode not bringing much to the table.
I would only recommend this to diehard shmup fans. As for the rest, there are many shmups out there at the same price that do things way better. Wait for a sale if you really want to try this.


A mixed bag. The original games are fun, but clarity issues make them unfairly hard. And the collection itself does well on some parts, then completely screws up on some of the other important aspects

[quote]Just saying, but I do have a curator page. If you like my remarks about games, you can find more of them here: https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/44130985-TDP%27s-Gaming-Escapades [/quote] I always get this thought that while western developers were always afraid of new ideas through time, eastern devs had not shied away from trying new things. Like, what if we had robots in the wild west? Or what if the president of United States piloted a mech and fought against the vice president? VASARA games combine science fiction with Japan's history, creating this interesting mashup of mechanical beasts being piloted by the samurai. A premise that has ended up in creation of two unique shmups. And a collection that... well... let's talk about them, shall we? [h2]Your usual arcade shmup, but you can melee[/h2] The basics of VASARA 1 and 2 are the same as other shmup games. But they do offer a unique mechanic in the form of melee attacks. Each character has a melee attack with bullet clearing properties which is accessible by holding down the shot button and releasing it after a short time. The games even offer a powered up version of melee attack as a separate offensive/defensive mechanic in the form of vasara attack. In the first game, you have access to the vasara attack in addition to bombs. This attack is bound to a bar at the top of the screen that fills by collecting jewels dropped from the enemies. When filled, you can use it to unleash an attack that covers a wide area and heavily damages enemies. Meanwhile, the second game removes bombs in favor of vasara attack slots being increased from 1 to 3. But make no mistake, both of the games are still very hard in true arcade fashion. There are tons of instances where you either need perfect movements or prior knowledge of the incoming attack patterns to avoid being hit. And sometimes, this really proves to be an incredibly hard task thanks to the games' visuals. [h2]I have eyes and I can... somewhat see?[/h2] Both VASARA 1 and 2 look gorgeous. Backgrounds & player/enemy sprites are very detailed, character portraits are very well-drawn and stages are very colorful. Normally, this is not an issue. But when we consider how much clutter you have to face, it does become one. Basically the games have heavy screen clutter. You have enemies and background NPCs moving on the screen, gems constantly dropping from enemies, projectiles getting shot from you and enemies' sides, alongside various others. This results in visual elements blending in and it gets very hard to differentiate them, leading to unfair hits as a result. And this gets worse when the enemies start using smaller projectiles. VASARA 1 starts introducing enemies that shoot smaller projectiles from the half-way point and in case of VASARA 2, it gets even worse. Every enemy projectile in VASARA 2 is either smaller or thinner compared to the first game, and is less noticeable especially with everything else that is going on. So it gets pretty easy for you to get hit by something and not know how it happened. [h2]I'm altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.[/h2] Obviously, screen clutter and poor clarity are big problems. But I find the games' behavior for their final levels much more infuriating and even insulting. The final stages change the rules at the last second. If you die in the final stages and decide to continue, the games will throw you back to the beginning of the stages and force you to do everything all over again to get another shot at the boss. It's never fair to the player to change the rules in the final level, just to add some frankly unneeded artificial difficulty to the game. Maybe this was the norm for arcade games back then, but now? We're not playing them in arcades. And this is such a shame, because such design decision basically nukes the fun and replayability of the games for casual and/or less experienced crowd. This is the final nail in the coffin that strips the game of all its fun factor, when put next to the heavy visual clutter. [h2]This collection could have been way better...[/h2] The overall quality of this collection is... mixed. On one hand, it performs very well when it comes to technical performance. The dialogues all have translations. The gallery has a bunch of original and redrawn artwork (for a purpose which you will find out about soon), alongside promotional materials. And you are given a number of options to tweak your gameplay experience with. Then we have the problems. The game's controller support is utterly broken and doesn't recognize a lot of controllers, leading you towards using Steam Input API. Furthermore, you are not able to do any button remapping in the game. The game's controls are pre-defined and it asks you to do your own changes from Steam Input settings, which the game keeps reopening every time you go into controls menu. And as for keyboard users... the game itself never provides a solution. Not only that, there are quite a number of settings that require you to restart VASARA 1 and 2 even when they shouldn't. Want to change the visual filter or remove the art from the sides of the screen mid-game? They require a restart. Want a refresher on the controls or change the screen type and audio levels? Go back to the main menu. Most of these are not deal breakers, but it's pretty weird to see them like this while other collections allow you to do them on the fly. And then we have the "but why?" kind of additions. For example, was there really a need to create a 3D menu for this collection? Sure, it looks somewhat pretty but serves no purpose. Especially compared to similar examples like Trine 2 which had the purpose of showcasing the game's visual prowess. Then we have the brand-new timeless mode... [h2]Timeless, yet won't stand the test of time itself[/h2] Remember the redrawn artworks I mentioned earlier? Those were created to be used in a brand-new game mode: VASARA Timeless. And this new mode is... I appreciate the devs trying to create an entirely new game mode with everything faithfully recreated in HD, but the end result is not ideal. This mode utilizes 3D graphics presented in 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing 4 players to play together simultaneously. It's clear a lot of work has gone into it and the devs want you to play it, as about %75 of the achievements are tied to this mode. But I don't find it entertaining. Compared to the games it takes from, timeless mode is aesthetically very bland and boring. Instead of going through beautiful, history-inspired stages this mode has you flying over cliffs, barren grounds, beds of water and washed out flora. Not only that, enemy patterns feel very uninspired. Then we have other shortcomings. First, it follows the bullet design mentality of VASARA 2, making them blend in with other visual elements. Second, the wide playing field makes a single player playthrough more challenging as enemies can attack you from any direction. Coupled with there being no i-frames at the end of a dash (a move exclusive to this mode), you can always get hit from somewhere that you were not expecting. Third, there are no continues in this mode. All of these make for an inferior experience. [h2]So, is it worth getting?[/h2] I don't see this being enjoyable for the masses. The originals are very hard by design, and this collection not only has not succeeded in making them more accessible, but has quite a number of issues itself. Not to mention the new game mode not bringing much to the table. I would only recommend this to diehard shmup fans. As for the rest, there are many shmups out there at the same price that do things way better. Wait for a sale if you really want to try this. [h2]TL;DR[/h2] A mixed bag. The original games are fun, but clarity issues make them unfairly hard. And the collection itself does well on some parts, then completely screws up on some of the other important aspects