1999 · Shooter

Vanark

PlayStation exclusive

Vanark is, at its core, a shooter. Sure, it's a 3D shooter "on rails" in the grand tradition of Star Fox or the Saturn's Panzer Dragoon series, but the difference here, is that it's the PlayStation's first great example of one. It's a tried-and-true method of laying on the action, and while there were plenty of opportunities for Asmik to screw up the formula, but luckily, they never really dropped the ball, at least not when it came to the shooter parts.

Released: 7 October 1999
Platforms: PlayStation
Genres: Shooter
Developers: —
Publishers: Jaleco USA
Themes: Action Science fiction
Age ratings: ESRB T

About

Vanark, known in Japan as Astro Trooper Vanark (宇宙機動ヴァンアーク, Uchūkido Vanāku), is a rail shooter developed by Bit Town and published by Asmik Ace and Jaleco in 1999–2000.

Keywords

rail shooter
training mode
tank controls

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Reception

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 24 out of 40. GamePro said of the game, "though not exceptional, Vanark's clever combination of disparate elements is worth experiencing—mainly as a rental."