Schmups are few and far between on PlayStation 5, so getting a new one is great news for fans, but this not the first time Raiden IV has been released on consoles. It graced the PS3, PC and Xbox 360 almost a decade ago, but this enhanced Raiden IV x Mikado remix has been out on Switch for quite some time. Originally an arcade game released in 2007 it didn’t really become a big hit – ironically because arcades were on their last legs thanks to the home console boom. However it does has a special place in the hearts of some shoot ’em up fans.
There is a simple plot to Raiden IV – bad guys have returned and it’s up to you to kill them – and you can guess how it plays as a game. You’ll shoot huge amount of bullets, dodge an even greater amount of bullets, pick up power ups, smash the boss, and repeat till the end of the game. The ‘remix’ comes via a collaboration with Japanese arcade Game Center Mikado, adding new game modes and a brand new soundtrack featuring Japanese bands like Go Sata Band.
Thankfully the game isn’t annoyingly difficult, as some other bullet hell shooters have ended up, and there is space to weave your own way through the bullets rather than having to learn and follow exact paths. In fact, slipping by bullets by the skin of your teeth adds extra points to your score.
The various modes all use the same levels and enemies but offer different ways to rack up your high score. The standard Arcade mode features Flash Shot, a multiplier than quickly decreases the longer the enemy is on the screen, forcing you to choose whether to hang back and play it safe near the bottom of the screen, or take a mid screen position where you can pummel the enemies but have less time to react to incoming attacks. The usual Score Attack and Boss Rush modes are also available, but Overkill mode is probably my favourite as it changes the game considerably. In this mode the larger enemies stay on screen after you have defeated them and you can continue to hammer them with bullets for extra points.
One curious feature is to allow you to rotate the display, changing the game from a vertical shooter to a horizontal one and therefore making more use of your TV screen, but not changing the controls. For most people it will make absolutely no sense at all, but then it’s not for regular TV gamers. Instead it’s meant for people playing on computer screens that can easily be turned 90º, and for diehard shmup fans with custom arcade cabinets.
Speaking of things that don’t make sense to most people, you can play as a big red space fighter jet, a big blue space fighter jet… or a completely naked fairy with just her long blonde hair covering her unmentionables, Bayonetta style.
As you would expect for a modern(ish) shooter there is a two player mode, but Raiden IV goes one step further and offers you the brain melting option of playing as Player 1 and Player 2, but solo. For this mode each stick on the gamepad controls one of the ships, with the buttons remapped so you can use the shoulder triggers to fire. At first this seems like a ridiculous idea, but after a few goes I really got the hang of it and it became by far the most enjoyable way to play the game.
