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SCRAMBLE!

Wolf Fang is an oddball successor. While you could be forgiven for thinking of it as a standalone game, it’s actually the sequel to Data East’s top down aerial shooter, Vapor Trial.Wolf Fang, however, adopts a scrolling side on perspective and mech based combat. The gimmick here is the ability to customize your mech. The customization is extensive for what was originally an arcade game, though lightweight when compared to heavy hitters such as Armored Core or Front Mission. Think something like the Edit Mode from Gradius III and you’ll have a good idea.

Before launching a mission you’ll be given the option to select one of four preset builds or create a new one from a selection of special weapons, close range implements, and lower torso styles. No matter your choice you’ll be subject to gravity and the scrolling of the screen so choosing between the multiple leg styles is more of a tweak than a significant change.

ENEMY ENGAGED

Before each stage you’ll be treated to a short and stylish briefing. Depending on whether you’re playing the regular mode or the original arcade version (selectable in the options) you’ll have some revised dialogue and voice acting, all in Japanese of course. Depending on the section of the game as well, you’ll be able to pick a branching path, with your percentage of survival shown in the upper corner of the map. It’s a stylistic touch that feels not unlike Capcom’s UN Squadron. I ended up switching to the less flashy original arcade version after a few plays however, due to the fact that the voiced dialogue was unskippable.

From there you’ll finally be piloting your mech. For fans of FROM Software’s Armored Core series you’ll find that Wolf Fang’s movement mechanics almost feel like a 2D translation of the faster titles in the series, though with less aerial options. Aside from jumping, you’re also equipped with a boost dash and the ability to ride up and down inclined sufaces in the background. The latter is especially satisfying, providing you with an extra degree of freedom and a few flashy set pieces. Dashing unfortunately feels a bit stilted. Dashing boosts you in the direction of your fire instead of the one you’re moving in. This leads to you dashing into enemy fire while backing up unless you bother to cease fire and face in the other direction first.

The controls also feel frustrating when played on a portable system. All the face buttons have been mapped to jump and shoot, leaving the essential special weapon button relegated to R2. It’s not a problem while playing on a Dualshock 3, but it means that the controls have to be remapped before the game is even playable on the portable systems.

With those headaches out of the way, there is some solid action to be found. While the standard weapons don’t feel quite powerful enough, a few of the special weapons such as the homing missiles and napalm were a cool visual treat. Wolf Fang also sports some other neat stylistic touches, such as the aforementioned rideable inclines, as well as small details such as soldiers who can be picked up and ride on your mech, firing at enemies. You’ll also be ejected out of your mech upon destruction and be given a chance to collect power ups to rebuild it, but you’ll usually have your life abruptly ended before then.

TARGET LOCKED

Wolf Fang’s largest problem is probably that it’s not quite polished enough. It’s a mass of interesting ideas and touches combined with mechanics that feel underutilized and underdeveloped. It lacks the aesthetic panache in both presentation and mechanics that defined the works of Capcom or Taito from that same era. It relies too much on an unfair difficulty that plagued too many arcade games in absence of a fair challenge. It’s a game that you were likely to find in the corner of a laundromat, spend your dryer money on to complete then promptly forget about when it was replaced a few months later. Wolf Fang is an interesting and occasionally stylish distraction, but far from a classic.

C+