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The rebirth of the legendary shoot ‘em up series Raiden is now officially in the pipeline. From the developers’ announcement, fans will only have to wait a few months for the game’s release. The Raiden series has captivated the minds of gamers for over three decades. That explains why its upcoming twin-stick shooter developed by MOSS will likely give gamers a more thrilling experience. The sequel is a little different from previous installments in the Raiden series. Read through for a more detailed insight into everything we know about Raiden Nova. Here, we review its storyline, gameplay, development, and release date.
What is Raiden Nova?
Raiden Nova is a two-stick shooter game developed by MOSS. The 2D shooter title follows the series of Raiden arcade games dating back to 1990. Raiden Nova aims to take the Raiden series in a new direction to keep the franchise alive. According to the announcement made by MOSS, the 16-bit Sega Raiden Trad is a one-player-only game.
Story
The year is A.D. 2090, and the world just got invaded by aliens. Following the sudden attack, the world joins to fight back against these extraterrestrial beings.
Top scientists are also at the forefront. From the remains of enemy planes on the planet, scientists develop highly progressive bombs, which they name Raiden. Such an invention has revived hope in the residents.
However, there’s only one pilot in the world capable of handling the newly developed spacecraft because it’s technically too sophisticated. That's where you, the player, come in. You become the expert pilot.
Now, Raiden is preparing to take off to respond to the attack. The fate of the entire world depends on the success of this mission. The pilot must dodge enemy attacks coming from all angles and, at the same time, destroy hordes of enemies.
Gameplay
Raiden Nova's gameplay is slightly different from the other games in the Raiden series. According to the announcement, Raiden Nova is a twin-stick shooter. This means that players will use one stick to control the ship's movement and the other to shoot the enemies.
Its gameplay revolves around moving and rotating the ship 360° to destroy oncoming waves of enemies and bosses. To level up, players engage in a war to defeat enemies and collect items. The items players collect also help them earn points. These points can be spent on upgrading the ship.
In terms of modes, Raiden Nova features Arcade and Unlimited modes. In Arcade Mode, players advance through the stages by defeating the boss at each stage. On the other hand, the Unlimited Mode allows players to choose any stage to test their survival skills.
In each stage of Raiden Nova, you earn rewards once you meet specific conditions. If you clear a rare bonus mission, you'll increase the chances of triggering a rush state. This allows you to access more bonus missions.
Features
As noted earlier, players can level up in Raiden Nova by accumulating experience points. This happens after destroying enemy ships. Once done, the game offers three or four Skill Enhancements for a player's selection. The skills include Power-ups, Main Weapon, and Options.
Power-ups enhance the ship's power, speed, and luck. The Main Weapon skill offers three primary weapons: Plasma, Vulcan, and Laser. Power-ups also improve the power range and attack range of these weapons.
Finally, the Options skill offers two more options in the game. Option #1 equips a player's ship with up to six weapons. This selection also automates the ship's attacks at fixed intervals. If the players go for Option #2, they receive a unique weapon Option in addition to the Laser, Vulcan, and Plasma.
Development
Since its debut in April 1990, Raiden has had about ten series, including main series and spin-offs. Seibu Kaihatsu developed and published the first three Raiden games. Upon their publication, Metrotainment Network distributed them in Asia, Fabtek in the US, and Tuning Electronic in Germany.
A decade later, after the bankruptcy of Seibu Kaihatsu, MOSS acquired the development rights to the Raiden franchise. Over the years, MOSS has worked hard to keep the Raiden franchise alive, including developing Raiden III, Raiden IV, and Raiden V.
In its early days, MOSS produced shooter video games for other companies before expanding its game development range. The main change that players should expect in the upcoming game is a twin-stick format. According to the official MOSS website, the game will feature up to six stages and an arcade mode.
Trailer
Based on the trailer released by MOSS, Raiden Nova is basically a makeover for the Raiden series. Although the trailer doesn't reveal much about this game, it shows that it will feature the aircraft from previous Raiden games. This will be MOSS's new STG since the release of Raiden V in 2016/17.
Release Date and Platforms
MOSS announced that Raiden Nova is coming out on October 31 in Japan for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Switch. The standard edition will cost ¥4,800. There will also be a limited quantity of special editions, which will be priced at ¥8,300.
The special editions will offer players a set of exclusive items. The first item is an original soundtrack CD by Go Sato. Go Sato is a musician, composer, and performer responsible for composing most of the soundtracks in the Raiden series.
Additionally, gamers will enjoy an acrylic block with different themes for each platform. For example, PS4 owners will have a Raiden II-themed block. On the other hand, PS5 console owners will get Raiden DX-themed blocks and Raiden-themed blocks for Switch.
Additionally, the exclusive edition will offer a reversible box art that’ll help you choose your preferred cover design. Finally, players will receive a special box with Raiden illustrations by Hidetaka Tenjin.
Finally, the first-print copies of both editions (standard and special) will have a reversible box art and a special sticker.
