Overview – developed by TOZAI Games and IREM in collaboration with Ratalaika Games, with publishing by ININ GAMES, Volume 3 of the IREM collection brings three classic titles to modern platforms. Three more games that have been on trapped on expired hardware have broken free, being re-released onto new platforms. This compilation release is available on all console platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank PR Hound for providing the copy of IREM Collection Vol 3 that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. As this is a compilation release, I will be covering the games individually, then discuss the overall package as a whole. I have covered the previous 2 IREM Collections, with VOL 1 (HERE) and VOL 2 (HERE).
MR HELI/Battle Chopper – Arcade 1987/PC-Engine 1989
MR Heli is a multi-directional shooting adventure, where the player controls the titular MR Heli, an orange helicopter that can fly and walk. The player must nagivate through each of the multi-phase levels, shooting enemies, breaking rocks and collecting crystals. The player is able to fire their blaster left and right, launch missiles upwards while in the air and drop bombs while grounded. All of the weapons can be used against enemies.
As the player reveals and collects the gems, they will gain money that is added to their on screen total. Big gems give $500, medium $100 and small $20, with the bigger ones breaking into smaller ones if the fall to the ground. The money that is collected is used to purchase items, with the ability to buy weapon upgrades for bombs, missiles and the blaster. The player can also collect fuel to replenish energy, alongside some other special power-ups.
During a stage, there will be enemies that appear from all directions and attack the player, losing energy from contact damage and enemy fire. The amount of energy lost will vary depending on the enemy, attack and there is also the chance for instant death from some enemies. Depending on the stage and where the player is, they may respawn at a checkpoint, but all power-ups and money collected will be lost. This can be quite a setback.
The stages themselves are split into two distinct gameplay styles. Part 1 is similar to your traditional scrolling shooter, moving around the stage to shoot down the enemies. These phases end with a mini-boss battle before moving on. Part 2 of the stages is more of a dungeon crawling segment, that leads to the end stage boss. This changes at the final stage, where a battle on the moon takes place, with no final dungeon crawl.
There are two versions of the game available in this collection, with the Arcade and PC-Engine version of the game available. The experience is mostly the same, with a couple changes. The arcade version is highly detailed with a large screen view, whereas the PC-Engine release has some screen crunch and reduced. In the PC-Engine version, there is Normal and Arcade mode acting as difficulty options, with a second game loop to extend gameplay value.
Mystic Riders – Arcade 1992
Mystic Riders is a side scrolling shooter, where the powerful spellcasters Mark and Zeal set out on a quest to save the world from a great evil. Taking place across 6 stages, players must dodge and weave through enemy attacks, shooting down the monsters that get in their way. The player can shoot to the right and charge up an attack to deal big damage, but the player cannot shoot behind them as there is no ability to turn around.
However, to remedy this issue there are a couple of techniques that players can use. The first is the ground attack, which lets the player walk on surfaces to attack, with the ability to shoot directly up with a spread shot. Then there is the broom strike, where players can throw their broom across the screen to hit enemies. A special broom flip is the last special technique that players can use, activated by quickly moving up and down.
Throughout the stages, the player will find gems which are dropped from enemies or located in chests. These gems will level the player up when they are collected, increasing the size of player shots, damage done and the power of the special charge attack. Players can also find elemental gems, which change the type of attack the player can use. There are two elements, Lightining and Fire, with their own unique special charge attacks.
The special attacks do have a downside, as they can cause some serious slowdown, especially when using the fire charge attack. If players take damage from enemies, they will lose a life and the power they have accumulated. This can be a bit disappointing after reaching max level, due to the loss of power. However, due to the abundance of gems that will be dropped, players can quickly reach max level again in a short time.
At the end of each stage, the player will face off with a powerful boss. Many of these battles will have more than one phase, where the player needs to change their strategy mid battle. These bosses are pretty challenging, with encounters against giant turtle monsters, dragons and even a rock spirit. When the stage is cleared, the player will get a bonus based on their performance, with their score showing a ranking at the end.
This adventure has two loops to it, with the second called the special game. If the player clears this second run of the game, they will get a special end scene and then enter their name. This release can also be played two player at the same time, with two players working together or competing for the highest score. This makes for a fun two player time, but the slowdown mentioned above may increase with that fun as it will get chaotic.
Dragon Breed – 1989 Arcade
This is a fairly unique side scrolling shooter, where the player controls the duo of King Kayus and the dragon Bahamoot. These two travel through different lands, battling the forces of evil who want to release the King of Darkness, Zambaquous. To save the kingdom from the return of the darkness, the young King and the Dragon of Light must work together to prevent this. They travel to the prison of the Dark King, so they may destroy him for good.
This game takes place across 6 stages, where the player controls the king and dragon together, fighting swarms of enemies that appear on screen. As the player makes their way through each of the stages, they will fight enemies using the duo together. Kayus is armed with a crossbow, which can fire directly forward damaging enemies. Then there is the dragon Bahamoot, who has unique gameplay mechanics tied to it.
Bahamoot is controlled by Kayus, following the movements that the player makes with the controls. The body of the dragon is fairly long, trailing along behind the head during movement around the screen. The body of the dragon is resistant to all damage, allowing the player to use the dragon in both offensive and defensive ways. If the player can position themselves in the right way, they will be able to mostly protect Kayus from damage.
The player can also collect special orbs, which will change the color of Bahamoot, giving them special abilities, like breathing fire and producing electricity. These can be levelled up three times, enhancing the power of Bahamoot’s power. A special fire breath strike can be used by holding the attack, charging it up to create a massive fireball. All of these powers are important, as Kayus can be defeated by taking any damage during a stage.
If the player is taken down, they will be returned to a checkpoint, losing all of their accumulated power when they respawn. The player will be able to regain their powers fairly quickly, as there will be plenty of power-ups that can be collected. Some of the energy orbs will appear on ground segments of the stage, which is where a special mechanic comes into play. Kayus can dismount onto some horizontal platforms, adding some platforming elements.
At the end of each stage, the player will encounter powerful boss enemies, which can have multiple steps to them. These enemies can be extremely challenging, as they will fill a large portion of the screen, making it difficult to dodge attacks. But there is a secondary danger that the player faces aside from the boss, which is the time limit. Each stage has a timer, which will count down and kill the player if the timer expires during a stage.
In this release, there are 6 total unique stages that can be played through. However, if the player is able to get through all six stages, they will go back to the start for a “special bonus game”. This expands the game from 6 stages to 12, with the two loops. At the end of each loop, the player will gain a bonus based on the lives they have, giving a massive score boost. After 2 loops, it is possible to fully max out the score for perfect play.
Now with the games covered, it is time to dicuss the other elements of this release.
New Features – for this collection, there are two game modes for each game, with a casual and classic mode. In casual mode, players will be able to rewind gameplay, use cheats, make save states and modify the game settings. The classic mode is a high score mode, where players have a single credit to get the best score possible. If the player gets a game over, they can continue, but they will not be able to submit another score without starting from scratch.
Controls – all of the controls for this game are implemented well, with no troubles when it comes to input lag or delay during play. There is also the option for players to adjust their inputs, giving the player the ability to tailor the experience to their own tastes. The different versions of the games work well with the Dual Shock 4 controller, offering intuitive play. But if you want an authentic experience, I would recommend using an Arcade Stick.
Difficulty – out of the different games, there is a varied difficulty curve to them, with most of them designed to just gobble up coins. The easiest of the lot is Mystic Riders, as this allows for 2 player co-op play. Then there is MR Heli, which is pretty challenging but has various settings, which adjust the difficulty. The toughest game is Dragon Breed, which will really challenge players with borderline unfair battles. All of these games do have cheats to make the game easier.
Presentation – from a visual perspective, all of the game elements with graphics, sprites and general experience are emulated very well. Then there is the audio, which can sometimes fall flat, but has been implemented perfectly. As these games play as if they were on official hardware, their blemishes are present too, with some slowdown in games with a lot of assets on screen. Included in this package are filters, to try and make it look like it is on a CRT monitor.
Final Thoughts – I have had a rather positive experience with the IREM Collections, having played and enjoyed both volume 1 and 2. The games for this release are more mixed than the previous ones, without any game series and only individual games. This made it a little more satisfying, as the varied games were a lot of fun and kept the collection from getting stale. My favourite title in the pack is Mystic riders, with MR Heli being a close second.
The addition of bonus features, like save/load states, screen filters and cheats like infinite lives are a positive for the general experience. This makes the IREM Collection the best way to play these games, aside from owning the original hardware. The mixture of content makes this a must for fans of shooters, as all of them offer something pretty unique. It is a great addition to the IREM Collection line, just be aware some blemishes are not the fault of the emulation.
In the end, I give IREM Collection VOL. 3 a final score of 4.5/5. This is another great collection of shooters from the IREM library, offering a solid collection of titles to play, the diversity of game style makes it stand out from the other volumes. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE) – link to be added when available
W.Kohaku Media 