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Forgotten Worlds was a massive surprise due to how damn cool and fun it is! It was released in 1988 and it was the first game on Capcom's custom CP System arcade hardware. So, at this point Capcom had both a wealth of experience in making arcade games and their own hardware to squeeze every ounce of power from. And the result frankly speaks for itself!
Forgotten Worlds has a fantasy premise: you have to kill the evil, tyrant god Bios (lmao), making your way through his armies. Inexplicably, you control a muscle-bound, sunglasses-sporting and bare chested military man that would be right at home in Contra. This makes no sense, but it's funny as hell, especially with the cheesy Engrish quotes after each stage. The game, in arcades, had a unique rotary dial that you could turn in order to make your character rotate and fire anywhere on the screen. This was very original and gives the horizontal and vertical scrolling formula a fantastic twist. It's almost like playing a twin stick shooter, even if it doesn't control the same. On this collection, you rotate via the controller's shoulder buttons and while it certainly isn't as precise as in the arcades, it works well enough.
The gameplay is fantastic. The rotation mechanic is awesome and the act of shooting is satisfying, making you feel powerful, but there is more. You get a small satellite that can rotate around you or with you, blocking projectiles and providing extra firepower with many different modules (laser, napalm bombs, cannons, etc.). This adds a layer of strategy, and it's not the only one. By defeating enemies and finding secrets, you get zenny, a currency that can be spent in shops (one per level and two on the final level). Within this shop, inexplicably (once again) ran by a cute anime girl with big bazongas, you can purchase the aforementioned modules for your satellites, weapon upgrades for the main characters, lifebar extentions, armor and more. You do need to play while gathering as many zenny as possible, because the game is tough! It's plenty manageable (I only needed to use the first continue on the fourth level out of nine) and it does have something resembling a difficulty curve. The first three stages are easy-ish and fair, the middle stages pack a punch (but are still very reasonable) and the final stages go apeshit with a billion projectiles and a simple but nasty final boss. It's still miles better than older arcade games, though. You can also credit feed to your heart's content.
The graphics and music are what make Forgotten Worlds shine. The loose, fantastical premise made Capcom's artists go nuts, and you'll find anything from robots, to reptilian soldiers, to egyptian-themed sections, culminating in a Tower of Babel filled with missiles and strange enemies. One could say it's completely incoherent, but somehow it feels like it makes sense with how fun everything is and how camp the "story" is. It's filled with a smorgasbord of creative and badass ideas, such as battling a gravely wounded dragon that attacks you with its ribcage while you shoot at its exposed heart, or fighting a mecha-Ra (the Egyptian god of the sun) with his whole ass ship, armed to the teeth. It's full of outlandish ideas and you always want to push forward to discover the next crazy surprise the devs have in store for you.
The music is just great. Composed by Capcom veteran Tamayo Kawamoto (of Ghouls 'n Ghosts fame) it's a diverse collection of catchy tunes, with different styles, with my favorite being the solemn and elegant organ composition for stage 7.
Forgotten Worlds is the bomb and you should absolutely play it! One of the gems of Capcom Arcade Stadium for sure.