Irem Collection Volume 3 Review: Dragons, Choppers & Chaos Unleashed
Arcade fantasy isn’t dead it just shape-shifted into something wilder with Irem Collection Volume 3. This eccentric anthology rockets through the golden age of Irem’s side-scrolling shoot ‘em ups, blending broomsticks, biomechs, and bomb-dropping choppers into a pulse-pounding trio. Whether you’re dodging mythical beasts in Mystic Riders, twisting through mazelike caverns in Mr. Heli, or riding a fire-breathing dragon into pixelated pandemonium in Dragon Breed, these re-released gems beg for reappraisal. If you’re hungry for offbeat brilliance from arcade history’s shadowy corners, it’s time to pay close attention.
Irem Collection Volume 3 Review Pros
- Awesome retro graphics.
- Download size.
- Platinum Trophy.
- Video settings – display (4:3 DAR/1:1 PAR/Perfect/Perfect 1x/Fullscreen), wallpaper, colour, shader style, and scale filter.
- Three games in one:
- Mr. Heli/Battle Chopper: Arcade (EN/JP), PC Engine (JP)
- Mystic Riders: Arcade (EN/JP
- Dragon Breed: Arcade (EN/JP)
- Every game has two modes – casual and classic.
- Casual mode offers – rewind, gameplay settings, cheats, save states, auto fire control settings, and video options.
- Classic mode offers trophies, online rankings, auto-fire, control settings, and video settings.
- You can quit the games and go back to the main select a game menu.
- Awesome game title graphics on the menu with an arcade unit behind them.
- Three cheats for each game – invincibility, infinite lives, and infinite time.
- You can remap the controls in each game.
- Games can be tweaked like starting lives, score extension, etc.
- A great nostalgic collection, each offering something different.
- Every game has a menu you can bring up at any time.
- A great collection and one to check out if you fan or just curious.
- Fantastic soundtracks in every game.
- Online leaderboards for top and friends only.
- Dragon Breed is a Shmup where you are on a scrolling level, you can move all around the screen, get power-ups, and do massive boss battles.
- Battle Chopper is a beating Shmup, but you move the screen as you move around. It has traditional Shmup qualities, but you also shoot rocks for gems that give cash. It’s a very playable and fun game.
- Mr Heli’s Great Adventure is just the Japanese version of BATTLE Chopper, but it offers two game modes – normal and casual. It’s a lot easier to play, moves faster and allows auto fire on both shooting and firing rockets.
- In the Chopper games, you earn money from gems and then fly over the boxes in-game to buy their contents, so bombs can blow up all rocks on the current screen, for example.
- All the games are highly playable and I like that you can tailor them to your needs or skill level.
Irem Collection Volume 3 Review Cons
- You don’t have a dedicated pause button and instead have to hold down the start button.
- No high-resolution manual scans or promo art, etc.
- The wallpaper selection is barely passable.
- No museum work for the game’s history.
- The menus and layouts are the same for each collection that gets released, and it’s getting a bit tiring.
- It’s at the point now where these collections have the same backend and options for everyone.
- Every game has the same niggle which is you are extremely weak and die very quickly when not tweaking settings.
- It still annoys me that trophies are locked to classic modes only.
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Irem Collection Volume 3
Developer: ININ Games
Publisher: ININ Games
Store Link:
Irem Collection Volume 3 Review
Summary
Irem Collection Volume 3 – The Thrills and Highlights of Gameplay:
Irem Collection Volume 3 brings together three wildly distinct arcade classics, Mr. Heli, Mystic Riders, and Dragon Breed, each offering a unique take on the side-scrolling shoot ’em up genre. Whether you’re dodging beasts while broom-riding, blasting biotechs in a chopper, or taking down massive bosses from atop a fire-breathing dragon, the variety is a retro gamer’s dream. With options like casual mode featuring rewind, cheats, and save states, or classic mode with trophies and leaderboards, players can tailor the experience to their skill level. Bonus features like control remapping, auto-fire, and in-game currency systems further elevate the nostalgic charm with modern convenience.
Irem Collection Volume 3 – Where It Falls Short: Key Negatives:
Despite the gameplay variety, Irem Collection Volume 3 has noticeable drawbacks. A lack of a dedicated pause button feels outdated, and the recycled menus across the series begin to feel stale. Wallpaper options are underwhelming, and there’s no high-resolution artwork or archival content to enrich the presentation. The absence of museum features to explore the games’ historical context is a missed opportunity. Lastly, trophies being locked to classic mode and the inherent difficulty of these games, unless tweaked, may frustrate some players.
Irem Collection Volume 3 – Immersive Story and Narrative Elements:
The narrative takes a backseat in Irem Collection Volume 3, with each game favouring atmosphere and style over deep storytelling. While titles like Dragon Breed and Favouring Mystic Riders hint at fantastical worlds through enemy design and setting, the emphasis remains firmly on fast-paced gameplay. What story exists is delivered through expressive visuals rather than exposition, allowing gameplay to remain uninterrupted and focused.
Irem Collection Volume 3 – Visual and Performance Aspects:
The vibrant, hand-crafted sprite work stands out in Irem Collection Volume 3, preserving the charm of the arcade originals while looking crisp on modern displays. Visual settings such as shaders, display ratios, and wallpaper customisation add flexibility, although the latter leaves room for improvement. Performance is consistent, with smooth controls and fast loading across all titles. The UI, though familiar, still gets the job done.
Irem Collection Volume 3 – Overall Verdict: Is It Worth Playing?:
Irem Collection Volume 3 is a delightfully weird and energetic trip through forgotten corners of arcade history. The gameplay variety and customisation options make it approachable for newcomers while rewarding retro purists. While the collection lacks some modern archival polish, its charm, personality, and gameplay depth make it a valuable addition to any classic gaming library.
Back of the Box Quotes:
“Three arcade oddballs, one explosive collection, Irem Collection Volume 3 rewrites the shmup playbook.”
