Varth: Operation Thunderstorm

Varth: Operation Thunderstorm is a vertical shooter Capcom released into arcades in 1992. The player straps into a fighter plane and battles through a long run of stages packed with ground targets, enemy squadrons and end-of-level bosses - the classic arcade discipline, and one in which Capcom was then a superpower.

The game's signature element is its pair of protective pods, carried alongside the aircraft, serving simultaneously as shields and as extensions of firepower. Choosing their behaviour before a mission adds a layer of decision-making to otherwise straightforward action - a touch genre connoisseurs still appreciate.

In 1992 vertical shooters were fighting for attention against the rising tide of fighting games, which is partly why Varth aims for reliability: readable action, a long campaign and difficulty that climbs steadily and rewards practice. In the arcade that meant coins; at home it means a challenge for long evenings.

For Capcom this was among the last purebred vertical shooters of its classic era, which secures the title a permanent spot in genre retrospectives among collectors of arcade history. The title ran on Capcom's widespread CP System arcade board, the same foundation as many of the company's most famous games of the day, and it shows in the smoothness and sprite counts on screen. Ninety seconds of play says more about Capcom's craft than any description could.

On OldGame.cz, Operation Thunderstorm launches straight in your browser - putting the arcade exactly where you want it, a few seconds from the first shot.