Vertical Force

Vertical Force is a classic vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up that adds one extra thing to the usual recipe, and it's exactly that addition which makes it a game you won't find anywhere else. The player controls a fighter jet, flies into endless waves of enemies and shoots, exactly as the genre demands, except the battlefield has two height levels. Pressing a button switches the ship between the upper and lower plane, and from that moment you're flying on a different layer, with different enemies, different obstacles and a different threat. Switching isn't just a dodging trick, it's the foundation of the tactics underlying the layout of every single enemy wave.

A well-played stretch looks like alternating between planes based on where the pressure is lower at any given moment, while also keeping an eye on what's happening on the other layer, because enemies left alive there often move across behind you. Thanks to the stereoscopic display, the situation is legible: whatever is higher up genuinely appears closer, and telling the two planes apart takes a split second, whereas on a flat display it would be a confusing mess. On top of that come the genre's usual trappings: weapon upgrades, helper drones following the ship, and large bosses at the end of levels who use both planes to attack. The pace is fast, but this isn't a game where the screen is literally flooded with projectiles.

At the time, reviewers praised Vertical Force for its idea while criticizing its brevity and the fact that on the red monochrome display it's hard to keep focus over longer play sessions. Both criticisms still hold today. Even so, it's one of the best-playing games in the whole library, and together with Wario Land and Mario Clash it forms a trio of titles that put the two-layer mechanic to meaningful use. For shooter fans it's an interesting detour from the genre's mainstream and proof that even a closed, commercially unsuccessful platform could come up with an idea you won't see anywhere else. The short playtime is more of an asset here, since the game suits exactly one focused sitting.