Raiden IV x MIKADO remix from NIS America and MOSS is on its way to PS. Check out our Raiden IV x MIKADO remix review!
Raiden IV x MIKADO remix from NIS America and MOSS is on its way to PS. The shoot ’em up classic was originally released back in 2007, and it’s now getting a new chance to shine on PlayStation. This is a collaboration that brings a remixed soundtrack to spice things up while also allowing you to change to the original soundtrack if you want to. The music side of things includes collaborations with Keishi Yonao, Go Sato Band, Heavy Metal Raiden, Fantom Iris, and more.
There are a handful of ways to experience this one. If you want something that recreates the arcade experience, then you can play in the aptly titled Arcade Mode. You can go into OverKill Mode, which adds two new missions and a new scoring system to spice things up. There’s also Additional Mode which is a variation of Arcade Mode with two new stages. There’s also Score Attack Mode, which has you chasing for a high score on all stages, including those from OverKill Mode. Your performance will be graded and compared against that of gamers from around the world by way of the World Rankings section. Oh, and there’s also a Boss Rush Mode that you can unlock!
The new scoring system for OverKill Mode will have you collecting score items that will grant you more points depending on your the scoring level when you destroy the medium and large enemies that will display an OverKill bar when defeated. Score medals that are at the core of the OverKill Mode scoring system. These will grant you a score bonus depending on the level of the medal, going from 10,000 points for a level1 medal all the way to 100,000 points for a level five medal. You can also get score rings will when you defeat enemies quickly, which will help to boost your points total.
The controls are simple and to the point so that you can focus on all of the action on the screen. You’ll pilot your ship with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, shooting with the X button and using bombs with the Circle button – that is, if you have any in stock. You can also remap the shoot and bomb to the other buttons on the controller if you feel like it. You play on your own, with someone else, or control both player 1 and player 2 at the same time, which makes for an interesting experience.
The game can be played in one of the many difficulty settings on offer, which allow gamers of all skill levels to have a chance of completing it. The lowest one is Practice which has no enemy bullets. Very Easy makes it possible to destroy enemy bullets with your shots. Easy will slow down the speed of enemy bullets. Normal offers the standard experience. Original presents the same challenge level that the arcade game had to offer. If playing on Hard, then there will be more enemies at all times. Very Hard will make enemy bullets travel at a faster pace. The last one is Ultimate, which should only be tried by hardcore Raiden players!
As you destroy enemies, you’ll get to collect items for your main weapon and sub weapon, grab an extra bomb, an extra life, a fairy that will grant you extra power-ups when your ship is shot down, and a special power-up that will grant you the highest level of weaponry. The main weapon can be the wide-range Vulcan, the tight but powerful laser, or the homing plasma laser. Sub weapons include nuclear missiles that explode upon impact, homing missiles that automatically target enemies, or radar missiles that chase enemies in front of your ship.
As a bonus, there’s a Replay and Gallery area. The Replay section will allow you to review and manage any of the recorded replays from your many runs. The Gallery section will make it possible to view 3D models of the many ships in Raiden IV, with 81 in total to check out. You can also customize your experience from the options menu and change the number of lives you start with, how many bombs you’ll have in your stock, and what you’ll be flying in. On top of that, you can choose between the original Raiden IV soundtrack or the MIKADO remix soundtrack. You can also tilt the image and adjust the size of the screen for a better presentation depending on the orientation of your TV for shoot ’em up purposes.
The game has a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy. It’s a long list with 39 Bronze trophies, 4 Silver trophies, and 3 Gold trophies, which means there’s plenty to do for that Platinum. You will need to clear Boss Rush Mode, clear the game on Ultimate difficulty with a single credit, destroy the many bosses along the way, collect a 1UP item on level 4 in OveKill Mode, defeat all enemies of a specific type in this, or that stage, get a score of over 20,000,00, or collect all ships for the Gallery, to name some examples.
Raiden IV is a classic shoot ’em up from more than 15 years ago that is getting a new shot on PlayStation. Along with several modes that allow you to enjoy new content for this classic, there’s also a revamped soundtrack with several collaborations that help to spice things up. Raiden IV x MIKADO remix is out on January 31 in North America with a $29.99 asking price. It’s launching in Europe on February 3.
Disclaimer
This Raiden IV x MIKADO Remix review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by NIS America.
