VASARA Collection
- August 14, 2019
- QUByte Interactive
If you’re a fan of shoot ’em ups, it’s nice when you can finally get your hands on those previously unavailable to you.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"VASARA Collection" is a retro-style shoot 'em up game featuring vertical scrolling levels and intense action. The collection includes the two Vasara games, known for their historic alternative setting and innovative "Variable Shooter" system, as well as enhanced versions with new modes and features. Players control anime-inspired characters with unique abilities, battling through hordes of enemies and powerful bosses in a feudal Japan setting.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Xbox
Reviews
- The collection includes two classic shmups and a new mode, providing a unique blend of gameplay with melee mechanics and a feudal Japan setting.
- The Timeless mode offers a modern take on the original games, featuring local multiplayer for up to four players and updated graphics.
- The game is often available at a significant discount, making it a great value for fans of the genre.
- The port suffers from technical issues, including low resolution graphics and poor optimization, leading to lag and a subpar experience.
- The game features a frustrating ranking system and lacks essential options like customizable controls and audio sliders.
- The gameplay is extremely challenging, which may deter casual players, and the melee mechanics can feel clunky and unintuitive.
- gameplay34 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Vasara is characterized by its unique melee mechanics, requiring players to master timing and strategy for success, particularly during boss fights. While it offers challenging and addictive arcade-style gameplay with solid controls and multiplayer options, it lacks some features compared to other titles in the genre. The game combines elements from the original Vasara titles and introduces a new 2.5D experience, all set against a backdrop of engaging visuals and music.
“The gameplay, visuals, and music are all awesome.”
“Challenging gameplay.”
“Gameplay in the originals is satisfying and addictive with great graphics and music.”
“Vasara is not really a shmup technically speaking as the melee attack is what you should use as your main weapon; learn its mechanics.”
“Everything's great in terms of gameplay, but still lacking in features compared to the alternatives.”
“The game has low-res graphics (for the classic mode) and features old-school style gameplay.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game vary significantly between modes, with high-quality visuals in nonscrolling areas on 4K monitors and nostalgic low-res graphics in classic mode. While the "timeless" version features updated graphics that are generally well-received, some users criticize the new artwork as unattractive. Overall, the game offers a mix of modern and retro aesthetics, appealing to different player preferences.
“Great presentation and artwork.”
“The gameplay, visuals, and music are all much awesome.”
“Vasara Timeless is the new game in this collection and while clearly low budget, the graphics are still really clean and it all looks really good.”
“The game has low-res graphics (for the classic mode) and features old-school style gameplay.”
“Also, the new artwork is really ugly.”
“High quality graphics only applies to the nonscrolling areas on a 4k monitor.”
- music8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality, with many users highlighting some standout tracks that enhance the overall experience. However, there are significant concerns regarding the audio balance, as sound effects are often too loud compared to the music, leading to a request for audio sliders. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the gameplay, adjustments are needed for a more balanced audio experience.
“The gameplay, visuals, and music are all awesome.”
“Gameplay in the originals is satisfying and addictive with great graphics and music, far superior to Gunbird in my opinion.”
“Some really great music tracks enhance the multiplayer experience across all three games.”
“The game desperately needs audio sliders for the original titles; the sound effects are obnoxiously loud compared to the music.”
“The game desperately needs audio sliders for the original titles; the sound effects are obnoxiously loud compared to the music.”
- story3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story is characterized as a pulp narrative, featuring zany characters and an engaging plot that enhances the overall experience, despite its somewhat derivative origins.
“The zany characters and plot just make things sweeter, and make up for the somewhat derivative origin of the series.”
“Pulp storyline.”
“Pulp storyline.”
“The zany characters and plot just make things sweeter, but they can't fully compensate for the somewhat derivative origin of the series.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization of the new 3D Vasara game has been heavily criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including severe lag and poor graphical quality compared to the original titles. Overall, players feel that the game is poorly optimized and fails to deliver a satisfactory experience.
“Honestly, I just wanted to play the original Vasara games, not this new 3D piece of crap that runs terribly poorly, is badly optimized, lags significantly, and honestly looks inferior to the original Vasara games.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players consistently highlight the game’s high replayability, noting that it offers a wealth of content and experiences that encourage multiple playthroughs.
“A really, really good game with tons of replay value.”
Critic Reviews
VASARA Collection (Switch) Review
A solid package of Japanese-themed shoot em’ ups.
75%VASARA Collection (Nintendo Switch)
All things considered, there is nothing that really negativity impacts these three games to a great degree. They have hours of solid gameplay, challenge, and fun made even better by VASARA 3’s four-player co-op. Having one great shooter is cool, having three in one bundle is epic. I tip my hat to the developers and publishers for some great arcade ports For genre fans, these make very good additions to the Switch’s library.
80%Vasara Collection Review
Vasara Collection brings two rare Japanese shmups to a modern audience in a competent (if relatively no frills) experience. Unique melee mechanics and a quirky feudal Japan setting make them well worth experiencing, just don’t expect them to be easy. The bonus Timeless mode is a nice addition but feels a bit wasted.
75%
