BaD #8: Forgotten Worlds

On 02/12/2018 at 10:24 AM by daftman

Jumping back to 1988 we have a scrolling shmup called Forgotten Worlds where a couple of military dudes fight the gods...or something? This shmup allows you to rotate your character all the way around and shoot in all directions. Aside from making it possible for bad guys to come from any direction (and they do), the game can also go seamlessly between horizontal and vertical levels. Variety! You can also collect money during the levels to buy new weapons and upgrades. Doing well on the bosses in particular (I think) gives a big zenny bonus (zenny is Capcom's imaginary currency of choice; they still use it in the Monster Hunter games) and this bonus is necessary to get the best weapons and get them powered up. And that seems necessary to do well in the back half of the game. The last couple levels just trounced me and I only got through it because of infinite continues.

The initial enemies are flying lizardmen with jetpacks and rocket launchers (?!?)

Forgotten Worlds is a cool game, though, and I particularly liked the predominance of Egyptian imagery (sorely lacking in gaming as a whole, I feel). It's a little too hard, even for an arcade game, but it was fun to play through.

The most important character in the game OF COURSE is the hot shopkeeper, pictured below from Project X Zone 2

Matt Snee Staff Writer

02/12/2018 at 11:55 AM

I remember this game. I didn't really play it that much but when I went over to my friend's house, he and my other friend would blast through it.

That art is beautiful.

Super Step Contributing Writer

02/12/2018 at 01:29 PM

LIZARD MEN, BRO.

KnightDriver

02/12/2018 at 03:33 PM

I played this on a Capcom collection once. It was really fun. But hard too.

Cary Woodham

02/13/2018 at 02:11 AM

*sigh* ..Sylphy... :)

I don't really remember playing much of Forgotten Worlds in arcades, but Capcom sure likes to make reference to them in other games. As you said, Sylphy the hot shopkeeper appears in the Project X Zone games, as well as the Japan only Namco X Capcom. The two dudes from Forgotten Worlds are also playable in that game as well. Sylphy is also a shopkeeper in a really awesome Neo Geo Pocket Color game called SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash. They even play her shop music from Forgotten Worlds in it!

Forgotten Worlds is also one of the first games to use Capcom's main means of currency, called Zenny. Other games and anime use that term, too, as it's just Japanese slang for pocket change, but I see Capcom using it the most. They even use it in games like Mega Man Legends and Zack & Wiki!

But the real question is who is the better arcade shopkeeper? Sylphy or Miyuki-chan from Ordyne? :)

daftman

02/13/2018 at 09:40 PM

Must have been nice to actually see these games in the arcade. And I guess once you have one good shopkeeper, there's no reason to not just keep using her!

The Last Ninja

02/15/2018 at 04:43 PM

I actually have the Genesis cart of this game. I didn't like it. The rotating 360 degrees thing is cool, but it also makes the game way too frustrating. It's hard to tell which direction to fire, and keeping track of all the button inputs is tough.

02/17/2018 at 12:33 AM

It was really hard! I feel like you really have to do a good job making money and buying the right stuff if you want to do well later on. I only got through because of the infinite continues. And with the rotating I always seemed to go too far

PixlBit