Review of "Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX," released today!　Based on "Raiden III", the first 3D work shooting game in the series, this power-up version adds new songs, online ranking, and more!

A thrilling shooter in which players switch between two types of weapons

The game is a vertical scrolling shooter with a total of seven stages. The basic idea of the game is to advance upward and defeat enemy planes, and then destroy the boss at the far end of the stage.

There are two types of weapons: main weapon and subweapon. The main weapon is a "Vulcan shot" that shoots over a wide area, a "laser" that shoots a beam of light at a single point in front of you, and a "proton laser" whose direction can be changed by operating the stick. Subweapons are unified by missile type, and include the "Nuclear Missile," which has a wide attack range, the "Homing Missile," which automatically tracks enemy aircraft, and the "Radar Missile," which tracks only forward-facing enemies. Subweapons are not used singly, but automatically in conjunction with the main weapon.

The main weapon is balanced in that it has one advantage and one disadvantage: the vulcanized shot has less instantaneous firepower but is strong against a large number of enemies; the laser has a narrower attack range but is more powerful; and the proton laser requires aiming by the user, but can strike the target area. In terms of trends, the Vulcan shot and the Proton laser are designed for fighting zombie enemies on the road, while the laser is designed for boss battles. Only one weapon can be equipped at a time, but the contents can be switched by using "power-up items.

Power-up items are items that sometimes appear from defeated enemies, and there are two types: one for the main weapon and one for the subweapon. The main weapon items are single-colored, while the subweapon items have a single letter of the alphabet, making them instantly recognizable. The colors and letters of the power-up items change at regular intervals, and the contents of the weapon also change. If a power-up item of the same type as a weapon already equipped is taken, the current attack level is enhanced, and if a different type of item is taken, the attack method is switched to the weapon of that item.

The color of the main weapon type power-up item is red for vulcanized shots, blue for lasers, and green for proton lasers. The letters of the subweapon system are M for Nuclear Missile, H for Homing Missile, and R for Radar Missile, which can be instantly identified.

Whether to keep or change one's Weapon will also change the player's standing. If you are equipped with a Vulcan shot and are in the middle of fighting a large number of zombie enemies, you will probably leave the blue power-up item that indicates a laser alone until it turns red, and conversely, if it is red, you will want it now to enhance your Vulcan shot.

Of course, while you are thinking about this, the battle is still going on, so you don't have time to sit back and relax, and quick decisions are essential. Since your ship can be killed by a single blow, it is exciting to think of a strategy while fighting, and I enjoyed the thrill of playing the game from start to finish.

A wide variety of difficulty levels, hit detection notations, and other features for beginners

Raiden III," on which this title is based, was originally an arcade title. The game was designed to be exquisitely balanced to make players want to throw in 100-yen coins, so the difficulty level of the game is appropriately challenging. In my case, the first time I played the game, I could not keep up with the speed of the barrage of enemy aircraft, and I used up the number of continue attempts I had prepared by the time I entered the latter half of the second level.

However, this is only the story of the default state. By default, the difficulty level is set to NORMAL, which, according to the description in the game, is "for shooting fans," in other words, not for beginners. If you are not used to shooting, I felt that it would be better to start with PRACTICE difficulty, which can literally be called practice.

Because we can attack unilaterally, the difficulty level is so easy that anyone can clear the final stage. However, it is a good practice just to be able to play through from the first to the seventh stage, and once you clear a stage or a boss battle, you can always retry it later, which is very helpful when you overcome a stage or an enemy you are not good at later on.

Furthermore, if you know the structure of the stage, it is easier to aim for the "flash shot. Flash Shot" is one of the systems introduced in this title, in which the faster you defeat an enemy plane that appears, the higher score you will get. In other words, if you learn the placement of enemy aircraft in PRACTICE, not only will your survival rate increase, making it easier to fight on other difficulty levels, but you can also easily aim for a score using flash shots. Since score attack is the real appeal of arcade-derived games, getting accustomed to flash shots as quickly as possible will give you the opportunity to continue playing this game.

If PRACTICE is not enough for you, VERY EASY is recommended. Not only are the bullets fired from enemy aircraft slower, but they can also be cancelled out by our shooting, although not all of them. It can be said that the difficulty is just the right balance between the tension of a shooter and the ease of a PRACTICE.

The difficulty setting is also very kind, but what I personally recommend is the display function of hit detection. If you turn on "COLLISION" in the options screen, the judgment of your ship and your attacks will be displayed in a square yellow frame. In this game, where a single blow can mean the difference between life and death, it is important to know the judgments.

In the demo play, you can also watch videos of each stage.

The most surprising thing to me was the small size of the judges on the player's own aircraft. The player's aircraft is somewhat large in size, and it seemed impossible, at least at first glance, to weave through the dense barrage of bullets. However, the only place where the actual hit detection takes place is around the cockpit, and no matter how many bullets hit the wings, the aircraft will not be shot down. Once I learned the difference between the appearance and actual hit detection, I found it much easier to move around.

Play repeatedly to earn scores and rewards, including remixed songs!

This title is equipped with elements such as the aforementioned PRACTICE mode that make it easy for beginners to play over and over again, but there is one more essential element. That is the reward based on the score obtained. Depending on the total score obtained from defeating enemies, players receive wallpaper and a remixed version of the background music.

The remixed songs are particularly significant. Many artists, including "Heavy Metal Raiden," the official arrangement band of the "Raiden" series, have contributed songs to this title. Although not all of them have been released yet, the club style "SIDEA" and the hard rock/heavy metal style "SIDEB" are available for each stage, and once released, the BGM can be set for any stage without any restrictions. By combining two types of BGM with different tones, the impression of the same stage can be changed drastically, allowing the player to play the game with a fresh mind.

Since the game is based on the arcade version, the difficulty of the game itself is an inevitable problem. However, in the case of this title, in addition to the PRACTICE mode and other elements for beginners, there is a generous system to motivate players, such as rewards based on accumulated scores. This is a perfect game for those unfamiliar with shooting games to play as an introduction to the genre.

• Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX
• Compatibility: PS5/PS4/Switch/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One
• Release date: Feb. 23, 2023
• Genre: Shooter
• Price: 4,180 yen (including tax) *Limited edition is 7,920 yen (including tax)
• Manufacturer: Moss

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