Here, then, with zero science but hopefully some insight, are nine of the very best Treasure games we’ve picked from their outstanding back catalogue. Here’s hoping it’s a back catalogue that might grow again someday soon.
It’s tempting to see it as a boss rush distillation of Gunstar Heroes, but Alien Soldier is more than that - it’s so, so much more. This is a maximalist take on the side scroller that’s in stark contrast to Gunstar Heroes’ refined two-weapon system, presenting you with a dizzying amount of options that are barely contained by its control scheme. It’s a complicated thing that still confounds me more often than not, but that’s why I love it so - it’s as mad and maddening as anything Treasure ever made. MR
A scrolling beat ’em up with rare imagination, there’s so much to marvel at in Astro Boy: Omega Factor. It’s an ambitious, infectiously energetic thing whose many ideas are held together with some enjoyable crunchy combat. At a time when the gaming world had seemingly abandoned traditional 2D games, it was a reminder of their potency when served up by masters of the form. MR
There’s more, though. Bangai-O’s screen-shredding special attack relies on you making the absolute most of the carnage rattling around you. And slowdown itself becomes a useful partner in your tactical thinking. I once read that Bangai-O started off as a simple experiment to see how many rockets one designer could get on screen at the same time. The answer is clearly: a lot. CD
Treasure had already proven its chops in the genre with Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga - both also helmed by Iuchi - and Gradius 5 reinforces that further. It’s a thing of some grace, helped along by another soaring score from Hitoshi Sakomoto, and it’s served by some of the tightest, smartest and toughest levels ever seen in Gradius. It’s a shame there’s never been a numbered Gradius ever since, though it’s understandable - how you follow up a work of this genius is beyond me. MR
This is a truly gleeful action game, one that expresses simple joy in everything from the number of directions you can shoot in, to the many attack waves of some of the best bosses. You know: that one.
At the heart of it, though, is that magical clip-it-together weapon system, whose deadly permutations have kept the game alive and feeling futuristic even for the last few decades. Cobbling a new variety of attack together means that there’s always something to try out, a new strategy to explore. This is a genuinely beautiful videogame and there’s always a fresh reason to fire it up. CD
It’s so streamlined - a brisk, brief campaign, a simple conceit and nothing in the way of customisation or upgrades. And yet it’s also so wildly over the top: bullet hell at its most balletic and bedazzling, a Vegas firework show of righteous fury. Someone once pointed out that Ikaruga is so compact that its code can be included as an email attachment - yet it’s endlessly replayable and filled with opportunities to surprise yourself. MR
It’s wonderfully creative, with every new level introducing a gimmick or two. And that grabbiness at the centre of it makes for a game that’s refreshingly tactile too. Squint, and the 2D action of Mischief Makers suggests an evolution of Gunstar Heroes. In truth, though, as platforming and puzzling slots in alongside some genuinely unusual combat, this is its own thing - and it’s wonderful. CD
There is beauty in the design, of course, as you run and gun through waves of invading monsters, watching as they arc overhead one moment and arrive in dropships the next. BUt there is beauty too in the hardware struggling to keep up with the vision for what a Space Harrier type shooter should be like in the era of Mario 64. Treasure’s spindly, angular heroes make the transition to three dimensions with all their lithe character intact, and the colours bloom as the world comes apart.
Oh yes, and it’s absolutely blinding fun to blast through, too. What an absolute treat. CD
