Vertical Force

August 2nd, 2015

Vertical Force is another Virtual Boy game that I really enjoy. I’ve always liked this type of vertical-scroller where you’re a plane or spaceship blasting your way through enemies while collecting tons of power ups. Much like Raptor or 1942.

Vertical Force is the spaceship shoot-em up vertical-scroller for Virtual Boy. There tends to be 4 to 5 2D planes of fixed depth over the 3D scene while playing. If you look carefully the plane has depth to it as well. There are some cut scenes that show 3D nicely, like the level cut scenes. There are a few where they try to show your plane entering the planet and these are always really tough for me to look at. There is some level content that extends continuously across all depth levels in the 3D scene such as buildings. Some of it you may even have to dodge.

You shoot with the left trigger and move your plane up, down, left, and right with the left d-pad. Your spaceship can move from a top 2D plane to a bottom 2D plane using the A button and there are bad buys on both levels. As you go blasting through enemies you can pick up various power ups like shields, lasers, or guns that shoot at multiple angles. You can also pick up little companion ships which do a lot of shooting for you. There are bosses along the way as expected. There’s always a mid level boss and then a final boss.

If you like games like the 3D Realms Raptor or arcade games like 1942, then you’ll feel right at home with Vertical Force. It’s a simple fun game with some great 3D content on the Virtual Boy. Right now they’re going for about $30.00 on eBay.

Tweet