Varth is a game that borrows heavily from Capcom's iconic shmup series, 194X. However, instead of somewhere historical, Varth instead takes place in a desolate, war-torn future. The aesthetic leads to an abundance of browns and grays, giving credence to the idea that we're led into the middle of a dystopia.

Varth's defining feature that sets it apart from other shmups is its Pod mechanic. Before the game starts, you can choose whether your Pods are fixed or smart. Picking the former option would protect you upfront yet expose your sides and back while picking the latter will have the Pods circle around you. These options present a bit of variety for the gameplay.

This game is for those who prefer a breath of fresh air from your typical military-themed shmups under Capcom's belt and would like to try something visually new. At the end of the day, however, shmup enthusiasts know that in games like this, visual appeal comes secondary to a game's ability to present a challenge.

Well, I think I have gone on long enough without talking about any kind of Capcom game, so I figured it's about time I return to the status quo and do just that! And not only that, but I also figured I should choose a game from the Arcade Stadium, just to make sure that I truly had reached the status quo that I loved so much. So, after looking through the selection, I saw Varth: Operation Thunderstorm, I thought the name sounded really cool, and I decided to stick to that game. I hadn’t played this game before this, but I had seen its logo from time to time, and based on screenshots, I thought it was just yet another typical Capcom scrolling shooter. Assuming I was going to be correct, I then ventured forth and took on the game, and WHADDYA KNOW, it was yet another typical Capcom scrolling shooter! Thankfully though, these types of games generally tend to be good, and yeah, I can say that Varth: Operation Thunderstorm is a good game. It doesn’t do much from your typical scrolling shooter of the early 90s, but it does have some unique elements that make it somewhat different from previous titles like 1942, and it was fun to blast through regardless.

The story is, at this point, not really original, with there being a supercomputer that is overtaken by an evil force, leading to an all-out war amongst the humans, so it is up to two fighter pilots to take this evil force down, which is cool and all, but we have seen this story plenty of times before, so you all know what to expect, the graphics are what you have come to expect from a Capcom arcade title, but it does still look pretty good, with plenty of explosions and flashing colors to draw someone like me in, the music is good, but also incredibly forgettable, as I can’t remember a single track from that entire game, and it is usually drowned out by the sound effects anyway, the control is exactly what you would expect from an arcade shooter, so nothing else needs to be said, and the gameplay is familiar, yet it does expand on it in some small ways that do make it somewhat interesting to play.

The game is an arcade scrolling shooter, where you take control of either the Saber of Scimitar fighter jets, take on a set of 30 different levels, shoot the everloving fuck out of every single enemy, object, or THING that is seen on screen to ensure that you can survive, using either your regular shot or plenty of bombs that can do massive damage, gather plenty of powerups to not only upgrade your arsenal to take down your foes, but also to experiment with them to see which loadout is best for you, and take on plenty of big, bad, and dangerous bosses, that will make sure to test out your reflexes and to see just how many bullets you can dodge. If you are familiar with scrolling shooters, this will all be ingrained in your brain, so you can easily just jump right in and get to blasting. Not only that, but like with other scrolling shooters, there are one or two traits that make it stand out from the crowd.

One addition to the formula that makes things somewhat different are the pods that you can get throughout the game. These can not only help you deal damage to enemies, but also deflect most firepower that comes their way so that you can avoid any oncoming danger, and what’s cool about this is that, from the start, you can either have these pods in a fixed position, to where they will always remain in front of you, or you can have it to where they will rotate around you in a 180 degree motion to block any projectile near you. In addition to this, you can also gain different powerups and weapons to try out for the pods as well, such as a regular missile shot that does about what you expect, or even options like homing missiles, which do less damage, but will definitely hit the targets more often. Aside from that though, there is one other additional change I can get behind: unlike other games, where you have to grab additional bombs from enemies in order to use them once again, here, you automatically have three bombs that regenerate after a certain amount of time, which makes things really helpful, especially when you are in a tight spot.

Sadly though, with these typical gameplay mechanics and new additions also come the typical hindrances and problems as well. While these new additions are neat to see for a game like this, if you aren’t one who cares too much about small changes, and wants something more grand and exciting from their scrolling shooter, then you will be out of luck here, as there isn’t much it has going for it. Aside from that though, there are two other problems holding this game back. For one thing, much like 1942, it is way too long, with those 30 stages taking quite a while to get through, not only because the stages themselves are quite lengthy, but also because of the amount of things that you are required to get through in order to win. And finally, there is an unnecessary boss rush in the game, and you all know how much I love boss rushes! I love them just as much as getting tased in the dick.

Overall, despite it overstaying its welcome and having yet another boss rush I had to slog through, I would still say that, for an early 90s shmup, Varth: Operation Thunderstorm is a good time, and it will most likely satisfy any shmup fan. I would definitely recommend that any shmup fan check it out, as well as for anyone that was a fan of Capcom’s other scrolling shooters like 1942, or even something a little more unique like Forgotten Worlds, because while this game may not blow your mind, it is sure to give you and a friend a good time. Just, you know, don’t play through the entire thing in one sitting like I did. I didn’t think it was possible, but there was only so many explosions and bombs that I could take in one go.

Game #395

Capcom Classics Collection Revisits #6

Varth Operation Thunderstorm is probably the polar opposite of 1941 Counterattack. It pulls no punches, it takes no prisoners and holy fucking shit it is WAY too long.

Like goddamn, thirty stages? Are you out of your mind? Especially with how relentless this game is? I place the blame fully on the boss rush at the end, did it really need to be there? Absolutely not, I'd probably rate the game a tad higher if it didn't exist. Big note to developers in the past, only bother doing boss rushes if the bosses are actually new. Just because they have a new coat of paint doesn't mean they're suddenly a new sight to see, especially when you have to awkwardly give me an "extra zone" before fighting one of them again after dying so I can get my power ups back. Thanks for the uncharacteristic generosity though!

"Boss rushes are a stable of the genre tho!"

They still suck!

The game is cool, but christ I was done with it by the time I had to fight the damn X-shaped battleship aircraft carrier boss again. The fucking train boss still gives me nightmares from when I originally beat this game as a kid on CCC Vol. 2 after like five million hours.