This week's game is Viper, a PAL-exclusive PS1 game with a name and box art that doesn't tell you much about it. Turns out, it's a Star Fox 64-style rail shooter with good variety and exactly the kind of music you'd expect from the era. Neat!
I had no idea what to expect with this one at first. I just kinda assumed it was something like those Strike games (Desert Strike, etc) since it has a helicopter, but it's actually a linear thrill ride of a rail shooter that's solid all around, think like Star Fox 64 or Panzer Dragoon and you're on the right track. As mentioned above, this one was exclusive to PAL territories, so it's likely that many aren't familiar with it, but despite the generic box art and name, it really does have things to offer.
Viper is as straightforward as it gets at first glance: you shoot stuff, you dodge stuff, and you make sure not to crash into anything as you go. If the going gets tough, you smartbomb, and you can find upgrades for your shot to make things easier. It does do things of its own, though, namely in how it makes you keep tabs on multiple things at a consistently frantic pace. Power-ups appear at various points, but they're not necessarily in your face, so you might have to steer towards danger to grab them using the game's notifications as your only guide. You have limited shields that make you completely invincible, allowing you to extend the longevity of a single life significantly if you're willing to expend resources. Collectibles called "rewards" are scattered all over the place, allowing you to earn extra lives at the cost of taking your attention away from the incoming enemies. Boss fights are always multi-stage affairs, oftentimes completely changing up or strengthening their attacks as they get weaker.
The sheer variety of locations and enemies is where Viper excels. It feels exactly as long as it needs to be and never runs out of ideas before the end. The game starts off in a dilapidated city and takes you inward, making things darker, spookier, and giving you progressively less space to work with. Eventually, the environment is just as dangerous as the enemies are and there's a legitimate sense of horror as you go deeper and deeper into the alien strongholds. It's not a revolutionary game, but Viper surprised me with how much it does right. If you like to flip through games and try new things, whether you intend to finish them or just sample them, Viper is perfect for such a rotation. Just make sure you're not sensitive to flashing lights or having to constantly tap to shoot because boy is Viper not what you'd call an accessible game in those regards!