Shmup fans are getting a new set of arcade classics later this month with the launch of Toaplan Arcade Shoot ‘Em Up Collection Vol. 2. This collection will be bringing four more arcade shooters to PC, and each will be fully enhanced with a suite of new features. The games being brought forward this time include: Hellfire, Flying Shark, Slap Fight and Fire Shark. Let’s take a closer look at each.
Hellfireis a sci-fi shmup wherein players must utilize their ultimate starship to repel an invading alien force and eventually retake all the planets that’ve been pulled under their sway. As for gameplay, this is one of those shooters that constantly scrolls to the right, but it allows players to choose between four weapons and eight shooting directions. It won’t be enough to just blast everything immediately in front of the ship. Rather, players will have to take care to use the right weapon at the right time and manage all directions if they want to achieve victory.
Flying Sharkon the other hand is a military shooter that has players piloting an overly-powerful biplane. Their mission: win a war single-handedly. That’s totally doable, right? This one is a vertical-scroller with a special feature of allowing player to pursue and destroy enemies off-screen. That might make it sound like it’ll become all too easy once one clears the screen, but Flying Shark has a way of keeping players on their toes.
Slap Fightis another vertical-scolling smup, but unlike Flying Shark, it challenges players to end the reign of an evil, galaxy-spanning AI. To get the job done, players are equipped with the “Leopold,” a faster-than-light fighter craft with the ability to grow more powerful as it defeats enemies. Indeed, as players advance and collect upgrades their ship’s firepower and hitbox will expand, making the game both easier and more difficult in different ways. There are also secrets to find as one blasts their way through each stage, so players should take care to keep their eyes open.
Fire Sharkalso tasks players with defeating an entire military by themselves, but fortunately they have a ridiculously powerful biplane to help them succeed. This one is also a vertical-scroller and is fairly straightforward about it. Just annihilate everything in front of you in order to win the day. This plane too can grow more powerful as players collect upgrades, and it also features a massive AoE attack called “Super Fire” for when things get just a bit too hairy.
All four of these games come with a suite of quality of life improvements, the most notable of which include: quick save, online leaderboards, instrument panels, rewind, Steam Achievements, Very Easy Mode, Mirror Mode and Practice mode. Again, it all comes to Steam on August 24, so shmup fans would do well to get ready.
