Test – Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX: the return of a shmup classic

2023-06-07 15:04:42

Released in 2005 on arcade terminals and then available on a variety of media, Raiden III remains one of the most emblematic shoot ’em ups in history. NIS America is giving it a revival today with the release of a Mikado Maniax reissue.

Among the great classics of modern shoot ’em up, Raiden III is quite possibly one of the most popular episodes of the franchise. After delivering a reissue of the fourth installment to us last year, NIS America continues its momentum and this time delivers the reissue of the third episode.

Visually, the title has aged a bit.

On the program: 7 levels of the original game, playable through the famous classic solo mode, a Score Attack, a Boss Rush mode, and then new features such as the online rankings of the best players, wallpapers to customize the interface, replays with the recordings of your best games, the choice of songs, the support of vertical screens, and, finally, the main novelty: the Remix mode, which completely reviews the position of the enemies and therefore offers a new challenge for fans of the franchise.

Boss and miniboss punctuate the progression.

So of course, all this will not speak to players who have never touched the original. Raiden III, in itself, remains one of the best shoot ’em ups of the early 2000s. Nervous, technical, the game stands out from other shmups with its frenetic pace and above all its unique arsenal. Concretely, some enemies will drop power-ups whose color will vary every x seconds. The power-up you have equipped will be reinforced if you ever get one of the same color, or replaced by another power-up if you get a power-up of another color. All this adds a bit of strategy to the fights since the weapons at your disposal have different effects. A laser will inflict heavy damage on the targeted enemy but will not allow you to shoot several opponents at the same time, unlike the machine gun or the directional laser…

Boss Rush mode is unlockable.

So obviously, it has aged a bit. Visually, the title was not entitled to an overhaul and that’s a shame. But it must be admitted, it is the kind of title that remains difficult to find in stores and whose price tends to climb over the years. Its availability on a new series of supports is therefore good news, especially since it is offered in digital and physical versions. In itself, fans will therefore be delighted by this reissue. Especially since now it is the last three installments of the franchise that are available on almost all media.

Conclusion

NIS America delivers a reissue of the excellent Raiden III, potentially the best part of the MOSS shoot ’em up series, generous in novelties. If the game has not benefited from a complete overhaul, it offers many new contents: online rankings, customizable wallpapers, replays, “arranged” mode, choice of songs, support for vertical screens. There is plenty to do. Fans will no doubt flock to the physical edition of the title. The others will turn to the digital edition, to (re)discover one of the best shmups of the early 2000s.

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Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX

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