Written by Ross Locksley on 17 Jul 2025
Distributor Inin Games • Price £32.99
Gosh, more shooters. I'm no sooner finished with Exo-Calibre than a collection with three more shows up. It seems like only yesterday we reviewed Irem Collection Volume 2 (in fact it was November!) but here we are with another slice of arcade history with Volume 3, which features three classic shoot 'em ups, all of which bring something unique to the formula.
Let's start with Mystic Riders, this is a pretty by-the-numbers cute-em-up with witches riding brooms across a pastel-coloured landscape taking out enemies that come at you in waves. While you're able to fire at the enemies using spells (forward and backward), choose attacks based on what you collect and even charge shots for wider devastation. The broom is more than just a means of travel, as you can fire it across the screen to use as a spinning weapon, as well as flip over on it in order to deflect incoming fire. You can collect crystals as you go for points, and all in it's my favourite visually of the titles on offer, especially given that it originally arrived in 1992 - the sprite work was well ahead of its time and looks good even today.
Mr Heli is probably a more renowned shooter due to the exploratory nature of the gameplay. Like a cross between a shooter and a Metroidvania title, you'll explore caverns and mine for jewels that unlock weapon upgrades, all while keeping incoming enemies off your tale. It starts with a pretty upbeat tone, but it turns up the challenge as you progress through mini-bosses and tunnelling levels, all of which vary wildly, providing a real sense of progression and variety. If you find the arcade a bit too punishing (and no-one would blame you) the PC-Engine home port is also included and dials back the challenge a bit.
Finally we get Dragon Breed, and this one is interesting. You ride on the back of a giant dragon, with the rider Kayus as the only weak spot - this allows you to protect yourself using the tail and this changes how you traverse the screen. It's not as immediate as the other two games, but it's a lovely idea that really works, albeit in a slightly clunky way. The dragon can crush enemies and has it's own fiery breath, but handling the creature is a but unwieldy. Still, top marks for introducing something genuinely new to a well-worn genre. Sprites are nice and chunky, enemy waves are nice and smooth and you'll have to think a bit differently if you want to conquer it.
In all, this is a neat package of games from a bygone era. I know a few of my fellow writers are most excited about Mr Heli, and I can see the appeal, but without the nostalgia driving me I think Mystic Riders was my favourite experience in this package, though debating what the best game is certainly a nice change from compilations that have one draw surrounded by also rans. True, three games isn't much of a collection, but I'd rather have three winners than a more average experience that only entices through novelty.
Of course, all the usual mod-cons are included - rewind, graphic filters, save points and so forth, everything we've come to expect (but always appreciated) so you can rest assured you won't have to start from scratch if you're interrupted like the old days.
I think of all the Irem collections, this one is my favourite so far. It helps that I'm mad for Cotton games and there's a very similar one on here, but if you're a fan of classic shoot em ups, you have three of the best here.
Ross founded the UK Anime Network waaay back in 1995 and works in and around the anime world in his spare time. You can read his more personal articles on UKA's sister site, The Anime Independent.
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