Taito Milestones 2 Review (Switch)

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Version Reviewed: European

For the avid retro gamer, the Arcade Archives series has been one of the Switch’s greatest boons. Hamster Corporation has, to date, released 280 titles, and another 108 specific to the Neo Geo hardware, all with a commitment to emulating arcade originals at affordable prices. Taito Milestones 2 is a collection featuring 10 Taito-specific titles, following on from the first Taito Milestones released in April 2022. While highlights of the original included Elevator Action (1983) and The Ninja Warriors (1987), this follow-up’s library is altogether more attractive, featuring bigger, more desirable titles, and a nicely balanced set of genres.

First up, The NewZealand Story (1988), one of Taito’s most beloved action platform games, remains as delightful as ever. You must navigate Tiki the Kiwi through four zones and 16 stages, using weapon power-ups to thwart cute enemies and locate exits in a maze-like layout. Despite being ported to almost everything during the '90s, the original still remains the neatest and most compelling version.

Gun Frontier’s (1990) graphical style, a grainy, almost colourless vertical vista, went on to inform several of Taito’s games in the early '90s. A shoot 'em up with a rank that cranks up hard depending on performance, it’s far from friendly; but its Western sci-fi theming and otherworldly feel lend it curious appeal. Its final boss, requiring a single, perfectly timed bullet to bypass obstacles and destroy its core, is the stuff of video game infamy.

Metal Black (1991) is one of three major shoot 'em ups to feature in the collection, making it a huge draw for fans of the genre and Taito’s work. Metal Black’s history is unique, in that it was intended to be a third Darius title but eventually released as an original game. It bears several Darius hallmarks and went on to introduce a beam-duelling feature that would be adopted by later Darius entries. It’s an unusual, but incredibly entertaining game, if somewhat divisive. Featuring softer conditions than Darius, you power up your laser gun through two phases, with a choice to expend it as a powerful beam at set increments. Beam duels can be initiated at precise moments during boss fights, and, using the same sepia, newspapery graphical style featured in Gun Frontier and Dino Rex, it has a uniquely bleak sci-fi feel. Metal Black is a bonafide black sheep game, and we love it.

You may recognise Kiki Kaikai (1986) as Pocky & Rocky. This, the beginning of the series, is a multi-directional vertical shooting game in the same format as its Super Nintendo and Switch sequels. You play as Sayo, a shrine maiden on a mission, marching up screen and shooting incoming ghouls with holy scrolls or shielding herself with a wave of her magical rod. And, despite its brevity, damn, is it hard. This is old-school arcade gaming at its most aggressive, so knuckle down and don’t let the cute imagery lull you into a false sense of security.

Solitary Fighter (1991) is one of the collection’s exclusive titles, in that it hasn’t been released by ACA as of yet. A fighting game rolled out just a few months after the release of Street Fighter II, its large sprites are able to roam about the screen in 360 degrees. Think Pit-Fighter, but with superior graphics and gameplay, and you're on the right lines. It’s colourful and nice-looking, but so limited and cumbersome that only the most dedicated gamers will want to commit to learning its ins and outs. There are a few surprises to be had if you decide to work through each of its bouts, however.

More cute platforming action joins the collection in the form of Liquid Kids (1990), where you control a bubble-shooting dog working through brief stages with mild puzzle elements. You freeze enemies in splashes and then knock them off-screen, in chain combos if possible, while attempting to reach the exit. It’s no NewZealand Story, but it is, arguably, underrated as an arcade platform action adventure, with nice stage design and fun mechanics.

Ben Bero Beh (1984) is the oldest title in this collection, yet boasts wonderful animation. It’s a simple single-screen affair where you, the superhero fireman, must reach a damsel in distress by putting out the infernos rapidly engulfing each floor. It’s slow and a tad cumbersome to start, but once you get a feel for the controls and its shortcuts, it’s a very enjoyable title that opens up with bigger stages, flaming fireballs, and multiple victims to save.

Another collection exclusive, Dino Rex (1992) is a fighting game that again bears the imprint of Gun Frontier’s graphics team, making for a gritty, 2000AD aesthetic in a Jurassic world. Here, you take on the role of dinosaur handlers who are pitting their digitised prehistoric beasts in battle. A side-on 2D fighting game in the traditional style, it’s clunkier and more limited than any Primal Rage, and with far less variety to the action. briefly fun for a two-player mess around, but not much more.

One that’s slightly more famous is The Legend of Kage (1985), having made an appearance on Nintendo’s NES and various home computers. It’s a simple action game, having you run either left or right, navigating forests, oceans, and temples, using shrunken to dispatch a quota of incoming ninja foes. It’s tough but short with it, and, while speedy and frantic, an enjoyable game to attempt to master.

Finally, Darius II (1989) is probably the collection’s highlight, being exclusive and appearing in its full, three-screen format. This does of course make it nigh on impossible to play in a handheld format, even with screen adjustments, but quite the fanfare on any large TV. Darius II, in case you never knew you wanted a thing called Tuna Sashimi, is an utterly fabulous game, bringing the world of Darius to life by building on the themes of the original with a graphical tour de force. Work your way through the stars from planet to planet, dispatching giant mechanised aquatic bosses, building your weaponry into a blazing offensive, and emerging victorious on the other side. And, in case it wasn’t already obvious, the Zuntata soundtrack is sublime.

Hamster's releases are fairly straightforward in presentation, and Taito Milestones 2 is no exception. There aren't any visual fireworks in its overview, and the menus are functionally simplistic. But, like the vast majority of Arcade Archives entries to date, the games collected here are excellently emulated, with necessities provided in the form of configurable scanline filters, screen adjustments, interrupt save states, user manuals, online rankings, and various other in-game options. The lineup in Taito Milestones 2 is altogether excellent: a broadly balanced set of titles and genres that will appeal to a larger audience than the previous collection. The only obvious issue is, that since the majority of these titles have already been released standalone, fans may own several already.

Dino Rex and Solitary Fighter aren't exactly high points, and considering they're two of three exclusives, much of the appeal of this collection depends on how many titles you may already own, and how much you want Darius II. That said, for those who are yet to dabble in Hamster's series, it's a superb slice of Taito arcade gaming that outdoes its predecessor in terms of quality and appeal, and comes through with solid emulation. There are hundreds of hours of fun to be had here with some of Taito's most deservedly celebrated works.

Great 8/10

Scoring PolicyReview copy provided by ININ Games

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Taito Milestones 2 Review (Switch)