Developer: Data East Publisher: Renovation Release: 1991 Genre: Shooter
The Genesis, alongside the Turbo Grafx-16 and Sega Saturn, has one of the greatest shooter libraries of all time. The result is that it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. Especially early in the system’s life the arcade ports came left and right so you can be excused if you missed one. Vapor Trail is one such title, the first in a very diverse series of shooters from Data East. It does nothing to stand out but at the same time is a very good game overall and certainly worth your time.
Vapor Trail is the first in the Fang trilogy. If you are wondering where the fang in the title is, the Japanese version is titled Kuuga, which means Sky Fang. This is only a trilogy in the loosest sense; the next in the “series, Wolf Fang, is a cool side scrolling action game that lets you assemble your own mech using various parts. It would all come back to the shooting genre with Skull Fang. Sadly that game is not very good but at least we got two cool titles out of it.
Vapor Trail gives you a choice of three ships from the start. Each differs in terms of power, speed, and weaponry. The Seylen is the fastest of the three, the Siph is a nice middle ground between speed and power, and the Valkyrie has the strongest weapons. Speaking of weapons although they all share the same four core weapons they differ in how some evolve. Truthfully the difference between each ship is not so prominent that one is definitely better than the other but the choice is nice.
In addition to the Vulcan cannon there are four other weapons. Homing missiles are convenient but weak. Bombs explode on impact and are probably the best in my opinion. The defender is a circular bomb that covers the entire screen but is weak. Standard missiles are stronger than homing missiles but require more finesse to use. All weapons can upgrade three times with missiles and the Vulcan changing differently for each ship. The Vulcan cannon is the main difference between each ship as the Seylen is the only one that can attack from the rear by default. But it sacrifices overall power to do so.
There is one last special weapon, the S Unit. This massive unit attaches to your ship and gives it a unique special attack. But in exchange you cannot use your regular special weapon. Whether the tradeoff is worth it varies but at least you can sacrifice it as a smart bomb if you no longer want it. There is no shield in the game but you can perform a defensive barrel roll that protects from all damage for about five seconds. This one uses a meter to avoid spamming, forcing strategy in its use.
Vapor Trail has a measured pace yet still manages to be pretty intense. The game has frequent enemy waves and mid-level bosses and rarely lets up. Yet it somehow manages to strike a balance where it does not feel overwhelming. Vapor Trail is very similar to Raiden in that regard but I feel it is better than that game. The enemies and power-ups are more interesting, the soundtrack is better, and I like the vaguely future Sci-Fi tone. Between the life bar and barrel roll it is also more accessible in spite of its constant action. I found the difficulty medium; the only frustrating aspect is being sent back to a checkpoint upon death but that is a minor complaint.
There are a number of changes between the Genesis and arcade version, both subtle and significant. The most important is that you can take three hits instead of two, making the game easier. There are various graphical concessions, mostly in the form of smaller details that add to the atmosphere. A few of the boss fights are different; you no longer fight the entire rocket in stage three. Stage five is almost completely brand new and the final boss is missing some of its mechanics. Most of these changes are probably due to a smaller cartridge size which sucks as the system is more than capable of an accurate port.
In Closing
Vapor Trail is both a solid game and arcade port. Vapor Trail does not have any one feature that stands out but what it provides is an entertaining shooter experience. This is a good palate cleanser after the more intense shooter experiences like Lightening Force and Gaiares.
