The new Evercade Alpha bartop arcade-style systems launch this month, available in Mega Man or Street Fighter II variants. This isn’t the reason behind spending time with 2022’s Irem Arcade Collection 1 though. Ever since seeing screenshots in ‘90s gaming mags I’ve had a hankering for Irem’s In The Hunt, and this is one of the easier (and cheaper) ways to ‘hunt’ it down.
Hitting arcades in 1993, In The Hunt is a scrolling shoot’em up from the team that went on to create Metal Slug. As such, it shares a similar aesthetic and has a few comparable nonsensical elements. Word has it the director believed gamers were getting bored with space shooters, and so created an underwater escapade in which you pilot a submarine. Curiously for an arcade game, you aren’t constantly ushered forward by a scrolling screen – you’re able to move forward at your own pace. The underwater setting also allows for creative ideas, with the opening artic level featuring bullets that freeze mid-trajectory. Sometimes attacking a building’s underwater foundations will make it collapse, clearing a path and destroying artillery directly above. Power-ups also slowly rise to the surface, akin to a buoyancy aid.
Like Irem’s own Mr. Heli and Moon Patrol, the submarine can fire horizontally and vertically, although here you’ll need to be close to the surface to fire missiles at anything attacking overhead. Combined, these ideas make for a very unique and compelling experience, and each level is different from the last, with one featuring shallow waters and another taking the craft underground to navigate a maze-like cavern. Bosses are another highlight, being similarly creative and either formed from large sprites or a multitude of smaller ones, such as a large mechanical eel that thrusts and turns.
In The Hunt made it to the PSone and SEGA Saturn as an early (1995) release for both systems and archived reviews suggest critics weren’t too impressed. It’s easy to understand why. 3D visuals were starting to take precedence, and it only had six short stages to beat. The console versions also had visual shortcomings, unable to replicate the arcade experience fully. Charging full price (£39.99) for something a generation behind the times was generally seen as a bad deal in 1995. As part of a modern compilation though, In the Hunt manages to stand out due to the detailed pixel art and variety of the stages. It seems to be more appreciated these days.
Of course, there are other games on this collection. R-Type is the cover star, even showing up in Blaze’s promotional materials, but I struggled to get into it due to its brutal learning curve – it’s a very punishing experience. I’m pretty sure the Master System version, which I’m more familiar with, was easier than this arcade iteration.
10 Yard Fight is surprisingly easy to get into, taking the concept of American football and turning it into an arcade experience designed around accessibility. Simply grab the ball and run with it, passing only when the path is clear. Side-scrolling ninja action platformer Lightning Swords never gained a home release until this cartridge launched, seemingly because it isn’t up to much. It looks nice enough but it’s a chore to play, with bosses that take too long to defeat and sound effects annoyingly high-pitched. Painfully generic, even by 1991 standards.
Battle Chopper, also known as Mr. Heli, is another highlight. It isn’t far removed from In The Hunt, offering similar shooter thrills including multi-directional movement and a sideline of silliness. I was surprised to find that it dates to 1987, as it’s quite advanced for the era. Then there’s the delightfully garish Moon Patrol, one of Irem’s first big arcade hits. Like a lot of games from the early days of the arcades, it’s simple yet compelling. Not only do enemies swarm directly above your buggy, but the path ahead is also littered with rocks and potholes.
Browsing other dedicated arcade collections Blaze has released, it seems that there are a lot of ways to quickly accumulate many arcade hits to play on an Evercade Alpha. The Data East, Atari and Jaleco carts contain several classics, giving access to an instant library. The fact that this collection only has six games seems to have made it one of the cheaper carts to purchase second hand, and if you’re able to find it at a low price, being able to add R-Type, In The Hunt, Battle Chopper, and Moon Patrol to your collection for £10-£12 isn’t something to sniff at.