The Ray- Trilogy
Taito was one of the most diverse and innovative developers of 80’s and 90’s publishers. Celebrated for
a diverse range of games in the arcade and home consoles, they have tried out many different genres
including platformers (The New Zealand Story), puzzle games (Qix), light gun shooters (Operation Wolf),
beat-em-ups (Growl), RPGs (Lufia), and even train simulators (Densha de Go!). However, shoot-em-ups
have often been one of their favored genres, as it was the ur-shmup, Space Invaders, which put them on
the map. Along with further Space Invaders titles and other shooters such as Insector-X and Metal
Black, their primary series would become the Darius saga, beloved for its massive widescreen arcade
cabinets (at least for the first two games) and massive robotic boss designs derived from marine wildlife.
While Space Invaders is very much known even amongst non-gamers and Darius is a favorite for fans of
the genre, their third-most prominent shooter series only reached three games which unfortunately
remained somewhat obscure. The Ray- trilogy is one of Taito’s lesser-recognized series, but it certainly
deserves attention for its overall impressive design and frantic action both ahead and below. The first
game, RayForce, was released under various names in different localities, and it went on to create two
respectable (albeit arguably not quite as awesome) sequels in RayStorm and RayCrisis.
RayForce (a.k.a. Layer Section/Galactic Attack/Gunlock) – Arcade / Saturn / PlayStation 2 / Windows /
iOS (1993)
As the first of the trilogy and arguably still the best, RayForce is one of the most impressive vertical
shooters of the arcade scene and is still a marvel to behold today. It is somewhat ironic that a dazzling
game has a horribly grim backstory beneath it. In the classic 2001-inspired “murderous artificial
intelligence” plot, humanity screws up by entrusting its fate to a supercomputer dubbed Con-Human.
While intended to regulate Earth’s environment, a cloned human somehow links with Con-Human’s
infrastructure and causes it to lose its marbles. Con-Human causes natural disasters and replaces
humans with evil clones modeled in the computer’s ideal image of perfection. 99.8% of all humanity is
wiped out with the incredibly sparse remainder running off to space colonies as Con-Human remakes
the ENTIRE Earth into its whole body.
This is bad, and it gets even worse when Con-Human sends out its nigh-infinite weapons to obliterate
the trace remnants of humanity, ensuring that only its new lifeforms are all which exist. Humanity takes
the counter-offensive and sends the RVA-818 X-LAY starfighter on a mission to terminate Con-Human by
any means necessary. The goal is to break through Con-Human’s space armada and infiltrate earth’s
stratosphere and surface, making your way to the newly-mechanized core where Con-Human itself
awaits. It’s tantamount to suicide, but it’s the only hope humankind has left to rage against the machine
and return to peace.
Of course, this is the sort of stuff you wouldn’t guess by just looking at the game, but discounting the
depressing backdrop, what we have here is a beautiful game running on Taito’s relatively new-at-thetime F3 graphical processor (the same graphical system as Darius Gaiden). Colorful nebulas and
planetary horizons are expected for any space shooter, but RayForce really makes the atmosphere feel
lively with all sorts of touches; asteroids that break off of large rocks, giant ships being torn apart
(sometimes by you), collapsing towers and the like. Rotating and scaling effects are used liberally but
not gratuitously, lending an almost three-dimensional appearance to the game sometimes.
Unbelievably, nearly everything is pure spritework, with the overall graphical style only being matched
by Taito’s later Darius Gaiden. In short, RayForce looks gorgeous, and it also gets points for one of
Zuntata’s (Taito’s in-house band) best ever OSTs. From the upbeat first level track (somewhat dubiously
named “Penetration”) to the more solemn second stage (“G”), the adventurous third (“Vision”), the
suspenseful fourth (“Cracking”)and so on, each tune fits their corresponding stage to veritable
perfection. Ranging from mellow to intense, positive to dramatic and many other styles and tempos,
the music really adds to the atmosphere and course of progression.
RayForce is structured in the exact opposite way of the Raiden series, which usually starts on Earth then
moves out to space. Since Con-Human has corrupted Earth, you actually start out in space and move
deeper towards and into the evil computer’s new Earth until you reach the core. A subtle but neat
touch is how each level has a rolling sense of continuity. Not once does the screen fade to black and put
you in the next level from there, but you just roll right into the next stage after conquering each boss. If
you quit in the middle of a game, you’re even shown how close you got to the center of the Earth before
you failed your mission and doomed humanity to extinction. There are just so many touches in
Rayforce’s overall design that make it feel more engaging than most other shooters, standing head and
shoulders above most other similar shmups of the time which were merely content to just exist.
Beneath all the polish and shine is an excellent fast-paced shooter which is guaranteed to thrill and
challenge nearly all players. RayForce plays akin to most overhead shmups of the time with an
interesting twist in the mechanics that demands you pay attention to two different planes of action.
Your primary shot button shoots rapid fire beams in front of you and serves as a strong weapon for
oncoming attacks, but your secondary fire shoots off homing lasers which fly down to toast targets that
you lock onto with a cursor positioned about two ship lengths in front of the RVA-818 X-LAY. These
homing lasers are mostly reserved for ground units or enemy aircraft floating several meters below you,
but some targets are so large (mostly bosses) that enough of their construct hangs low enough to be
susceptible to your lock-on shots.
You can mash the lock-on button like a ninny, but it garners far more points and is often more satisfying
to wait and hover the cursor over several enemies and let loose when you have enough targets in your
sights. You can tag up to five targets on base, but collecting a green “L” powerup gives you another
lock-on laser up to a maximum of eight. Your main shot can also be souped up by collecting three red
pyramid power-ups or a single yellow one, quite a few of which fly out if you die and are forced to
continue.
The lock-on mechanic adds a new dimension (almost literally) to what would otherwise be a reasonably
straightforward shooter. To be fair, it’s nothing new compared to older shmups like Xevious and
Legendary Wings, where enemies on the ground need to be destroyed by dropping bombs instead of
hitting them with your normal shot. That being said, there’s an impressive amount of crap that goes on
one hundred meters below you, whether it’s formations of ships rising up to meet your level or multiple
turrets trying to knock you out of the sky. Action in the near plane gets so frantic that it’s easy to ignore
what’s going on in the far plane which is ALSO just as nuts. One of the only other shmups that matches
up to RayForce’s play style and intensity is Raizing’s Soukyugurentai/Terra Diver, but it was made
approximately three years later and perhaps owes some of its influence to RayForce as an indirect
precursor.
On top of its gameplay being fun, RayForce is also quite simple. You only get your forward gun and your
lock-on lasers, contrasting with other shmups that offer you about eight to a dozen different
subweapons and power-ups, some of which you may not even want to pick up. RayForce only requires
that you dodge, shoot forward, and shoot below to win, which is about as blood simple as a shmup can
get. However, survival is not guaranteed, and the game gets increasingly vicious the farther in you go.
Enemy forces grow more numerous and intimidating, as well as each boss being tougher than the last.
Naturally, there are lots of great boss fights to be had, starting from the battleship-mech hybrid you
fight in the first level while hurtling through crimson stardust. The next stage pits you against a large
donut-like ship whose core only shows through when you damage the chassis enough to turn it into a
wireframe model. After that is a fearsome fighter jet whose core is actually found at the end of a large
metal appendage dangling in the clouds below you. These fights get tougher the farther in you travel to
Con-Human’s mind, and the stages themselves become longer while even the cannon fodder becomes
more of a pain to destroy. On top of all this is an invisible “Rank” system which notches up the difficulty
ever-so-gradually the longer you go without dying.
RayForce has the whole package for shooter fans with top-notch graphics, music, gameplay, and
challenge. To top it all off, two players can tear up the Con-Human armada simultaneously. Both ships
start out with one less lock-on laser and the enemy resistance is a bit tougher, but finding a bud to play
RayForce with is likely to be a hellishly fun experience. There’s really not much to criticize about it save
for the potential lack of power-up options, and even that arguably works in its favor.
This game could very well be the finest shoot-em-up ever made by Taito in arguable contention with
Darius Gaiden and G-Darius, epitomizing the zenith of the company’s quality output for arcade releases
in the mid-nineties. It is a must-play for any Taito or shmup devotee, no matter what title you may find
it under. When RayForce was released to the Sega Saturn in Japan, some undisclosed trademark
disputes caused Taito to rename it as Layer Section, and for the American and European Saturn release,
it got the rather generic Galactic Attack. As if this wasn’t ridiculous enough, the arcade release is also
known as Gunlock in some European localities. However, a game by any other name kicks just as much
butt.
The Saturn release is arcade perfect but does not really add any bells or whistles, which would be more
annoying if the core game wasn’t so solid. It limits the amount of continues to a maximum of four. The
Windows port is akin to the Saturn port, though in order to fit the vertical screen well enough, the right
side of the screen is occupied with data windows that show your current lives and lock-on laser capacity.
It may seem a bit weird at first but works well enough, better than stretching the screen out and
flattening the visuals.
Rayforce also appeared on assorted volumes of the Taito compilation. It's featured in the Windows and
Xbox versions of Taito Legends 2 (which is the Western release), though the Xbox version is only
available in Europe. It's also featured on the Taito Memories II Joukan set (the Japanese release) for the
PlayStation 2. Both are similar, in that they're based off the arcade version, and run in upscaled
resolutions, so they're a little blurry. However, the PS2 version offers tate options, while the other
versions do not. Other than those minor visual issues, they're excellent ports.
The iOS version, released in 2011, offers a control method where you control your ship by dragging your
finger across the screen. In the "Arcade Mode", the ship speed is the same as the arcade version, which
doesn't work with this control method at all, and is essentially unplayable. The "Remix Mode" gives
analog control of your ship, so you move faster along with your finger motions, making it similar to the
Cave ports on the platform, and is really the only mode worth playing. There's also an autofire option so
the ship fires its weapons automatically, so all you need to do is align the targeting cursor with enemies
to shoot missiles. Additionally, there's a level select option available at the outset.
In order for the game to fill the screen, you need to turn on the "Zoom" option. However, the graphics
are blurry, and your finger controls will block most of the screen, so it's not worth using. The "Original"
screen size is smaller and pixel perfect, and while the action only takes place in a small window, the
extra space allows some space for your fingers to move.
Unfortunately the performance is very inconsistent. There are many problems on older iPhone, iPad and
iPod models, and even newer ones occasionally have problems. The game runs to run at lousy 30 FPS
most of the time, and there's also a lot of stuttering and lost frames. When it runs well, it's a solid choice
for a mobile shooter, but it's a bit of a gamble, and definitely not all it should've been.
RayStorm (a.k.a. Layer Section II) – Arcade/Saturn/Playstation/Windows/XBOX 360/Playstation 3/iOS
(1996)
With the considerably high amount of quality that went into RayForce, it was just too good to let fade
away into arcade obscurity. Thankfully, a sequel was indeed conjured to preserve the Ray- prefix in the
form of RayStorm, and while not quite as awesome as its forefather, it nonetheless stands as a
venerable example of what a space shoot-em-up embodies. However, there’s a possibility it may not
even take place in the same continuity as the first game, as humanity was nearly obliterated in RayForce
and the Earth irreversibly corrupted by science gone wrong.
In RayStorm, Earth is doing well and humanity has prospered enough to expand space colonies all the
way into Orion. Either RayStorm takes place in a different continuity and is primarily a sequel in name
only, or humankind REALLY bounced back from being reduced to a mere 0.02% of its former self.
Anyway, the important thing is that the year is 2219 and the rebellious colony of Secilia successfully
overthrows the government of the Earth-based Star Federation (which may or may not be a nod to Star
Trek). However, Selicia intends to obliterate the earth and all the people on it, good or bad. To counter
the looming rebel army threat, Earth sends out a covertly-developed fighter codenamed the R-Gray in
hopes of penetrating the Secilian atmosphere and obliterating Secilia’s base of operations, the Juda
Central Core.
The plot is more so what you’d expect of shoot-em-ups as opposed to RayForce’s “Skynet” setup, but
even if it’s not as engaging, it is essentially gravy to what you’re seeing on the screen. You do get a note
of when and where you start out each level, but other than that, all you need to know is that you’ve got
a lot of polygonal enemy machines to blow apart. RayStorm runs on Taito’s rarely-used FX-1B graphical
processor (same hardware as G-Darius), rendering everything in full-on 3D. Admittedly, it has not aged
quite as well as the brighter and smoother sprite-based visuals of RayForce, though it’s certainly not ugly
for what is essentially early Playstation technology. Although the viewpoint is still overhead, it now
features a horizontally oriented playfield, rather than the vertically oriented one of its predecessor.
The neat touch of level continuity is missing here also; you just pop up into the next stage after each
fallen boss, making RayStorm feel a bit less immersive. All that said, the game still looks quite
presentable and the action runs at a smooth rate, with the bosses looking particularly impressive as
expected. The music is also much the same as the graphics; quite good but not as good alongside its
predecessor. The first stage’s track, “Geometric City,” may as well be a remix of “Penetration,” which
isn’t a fault against it as it’s still pretty groovy. There’s nothing catchy you’ll be humming, but nothing
feels out of place or inappropriate all the same.
While the aesthetics are arguably a bit less memorable than its predecessor, RayStorm still delivers the
goods in the gameplay department. This time around, there are two fighter models up for play, with the
R-Gray 1 functioning very much like the classic RVA-818 X-LAY. Its primary shot is a powerful fast-firing
vulcan with a decent spread, and its secondary lock-on attack fires out strong lasers which burst on
enemy contact. The new R-Gray2 is harder to wield but arguably more powerful if you know what
you’re doing with it. Its main guy is a constant laser stream which cuts through enemies harder than the
R-Gray1’s cannon, but its spread is very narrow and requires more precise aim. The secondary lock-on
attack fires out electrical bolts which linger around their targets for a bit before dissipating. Each
individual bolt hurts less than the R-Gray 1’s lasers, but you can have twice as many bolts as you can
lasers, starting with ten and maxing out at a total sixteen potential lock-on targets.
The R-Gra 2 exhibits a higher point yield than its easier counterpart but can be harder to work with, yet
it serves as the likelier candidate for shooter veterans looking to score higher with a trickier ship. You
also get the option to go with “manual” or “auto” lock-on aim for either ship, where the latter choice
assigns the lock-on fire to the same button as the primary fire. Manual is generally recommended for
those who wish to score higher points.
Whichever ship you choose, the weapon system is akin to the first game with a few notable
enhancements. Red diamond pick-ups can boost your main weapon power if you pick up three of them,
and snagging a single yellow one also bolsters your central weapon. Green diamonds add one more
laser to your potential lock-on maximum, and unlike RayForce, an enemy doesn’t have to be below you
in order to lock on them, further boosting the use and priority of the lasers. If you’re incredibly lucky,
you’ll destroy an enemy to find a sparkly blue star that instantly maxes out your power; however, if
you’re not so lucky, you’ll get it the way it normally appears, which is when you continue and the game
offers it to retain your power level.
The R-Grays also have two additional super-powerful attacks in their favor, one of which involves
concentrating all lock-on targets upon a single enemy. The resulting “Hyper Laser” does massive
damage to the target, so it is a good thing to bust out if you find an enemy that is big enough to support
this attack. The other new addition is the “Special Attack,” where pressing both buttons simultaneously
triggers a screen-wiping blue laser barrage which evaporates smaller enemies and does big damage to
larger ones in addition to granting a few seconds of invincibility. The special meter starts out full with
each new life, and after each use, it can be built up by destroying as many enemies as you possibly can.
Aside from all these enhancements, RayStorm plays very much like its forefather, even if not quite as
solid. The move up to 3D admittedly works against your advantage at times, as the perspective
occasionally changes around instead of staying overhead vertical as did RayForce. The definition
between “front” and “below” is not always quite as clear as in RayForce, and enemy fire can be a bit
harder to make out against the sharply-rendered backgrounds. The game difficulty overall feels a dash
rougher, perhaps to compensate for the Special Attack invincibility, and it feels a tad cheaper in
barraging you with enemies and bullets at points.
While the difficulty is not balanced as well, RayStorm isn’t steep enough to put off any shooter novices,
and shmup veterans should be able to gain respectable scores, particularly if they take advantage of the
new Hyper Laser. Still, the bosses can be pretty daunting, and they’re just as neat as ever to boot. The
fast-rolling spider mech in the first level gives you a good idea of what to expect, and some of the later
stage highlights include the badass Star Destroyer-like battleship of the fourth level and the giant R-Gray
mockery in the sixth stage, complete with two assisting satellites (why don’t you get to use those?!).
There exists a video of a prototype for a potential RayForce sequel by the name of R-Gear, showing off
gameplay and a 2D visual style very similar to RayForce. The fighter ship uses lock-on lasers like the RGray2’s thunderbolts and fights a spider mech somewhat akin to RayStorm’s first boss. It is more than
likely that this game eventually evolved into what would become RayStorm, but whether or not R-Gear
would have been more stellar than RayStorm (or even RayForce) is a purely academic sentiment.
RayStorm is a damn good shmup as it stands, even if a notch below its older brother.
RayStorm is perhaps the best known of the series by virtue of having the most home ports. It received
translations to the Playstation and the Saturn in 1997, one year after the initial arcade release. Since the
PlayStation uses nearly identical hardware to the FX-1B, it's almost a graphically perfect port, with only
minor, insignificant downgrades to the texture quality.
It also has a new “Extra Mode” separate from the classic Arcade Mode, though it’s not too radical a
change; the enemy waves are different (mostly, there are more enemies in general), the bosses are a bit
tougher, and the stages take place at different times of day, so their palettes are different. There's also
an option for a remixed soundtrack dubbed the "Tanz Mix".
In all modes, you can adjust difficulty as need be, and in an interesting touch not found in most other
shooters, you are able to adjust each individual level’s difficulty allowing for some degree of challenge
customization. A hidden ship can be found for play: The R-Gray0 prototype, which functions like a faster
but less powerful version of the R-Gray1, and is perhaps similar to the X-LAY from RayForce.
There are actually two PlayStation versions. The initial release is missing the super-difficult “13 Ship
Mode". Not only do you get a mere 13 lives and no continues, but your ship shifts every three times you
die, starting from the R-Gray1 in manual, going to the R-Gray2 in manual after three lives, then cycling
through the auto versions of both ships before having your last ship as the R-Gray 0 prototype. The US
PlayStation version, as well as the The Simple 1500 Series Vol. 75: The Double Shooting: RayStorm x
RayCrisis re-release, contains this mode. However, this budget re-release is missing the Tanz Mix
soundtrack.
The PlayStation port was localized and published in North America by Working Designs under their Spaz
label. It adds a stats tracking screen, due to a contest run by the company offering a $10,000 prize for
showing off their shooter skills. It also stops the game after stage 4 if you're playing beneath the level 4
difficulty (normal) difficulty setting, in order to curb what they term the "disposable shooter" syndrome.
Therefore, the earlier difficulty settings are essentially just training modes. Since this release contains
both the 13 Ship Mode and the arranged soundtrack, it's the most feature-complete version of the 32bit ports.
Meanwhile, the Saturn version was named Layer Section II, to match with its predecessor. It was
developed by Open Sesame and published by MediaQuest. The visuals are comparable to the
PlayStation version, but with some slightly weaker textures, meshes in the place of transparencies, and
more slowdown. Perhaps to make up for it, there are some prerendered cutscenes between stages, but
they aren't particularly impressive. It's missing most of the bonus features from the PlayStation version.
The arranged soundtrack is missing, though the arcade music is on the disc as redbook audio, and a
handful of tracks have new versions. Plus, the "Extra Mode" features are gone, replaced with an "Attack
Mode", which is really just a score attack mode. As an addition, the R-Gray 0 ship is available during
regular gameplay by default. Overall, this is definitely a case where the PlayStation version is superior.
The home console bonus features come along with the Windows port, published in 2001 in Japan by
Cyberfront, which is more or less the same as the Playstation version, though it runs at a higher
resolution for crisper graphics. Several years later, the arcade version was straight ported to the PS2
version of Taito Legends 2 (ironically, not alongside RayForce, only available on the XBOX and PC
versions). This is basically the same as the PlayStation version, though it only features the "Arcade
Mode", and is actually a native port for the system, rather than an emulation like most of the other
games on the release.
Raystorm HD was released for both the XBOX 360 and the Playstation 3 in 2010. The PlayStation 3
version is only available in Japan, but these versions are essentially identical. The view has been
expanded to a widescreen 16:9 ratio, and the graphics have been enhanced with new textures and
crisper graphics, though it still doesn't look particularly amazing. Some other parts have been tweaked,
like the bullet colors in a few stages, in order to make them stand out from the background more.
It retains the Extra Mode, arranged soundtrack and customization options. The R-Gray0 is present too,
and now looks more like the X-LAY from the previous game instead of a recolored R-Gray1, but it even
adds a fourth ship named the R-Gear, the same name of the abandoned prototype sequel to RayForce.
Interestingly enough, it looks like a normal-sized version of the sixth boss, including two satellites whose
lasers act as lock-on attacks while the main ship fires out a stream of missiles with semi-homing ability.
While the graphical touch-ups and the new fighter seem a bit paltry to an update for a game more than
a decade old, it still is better than just lazily porting the home console versions straight up and make it
the definitive and most easily accessible version of the game.
The iOS port, released in 2012, offers a similar control method to the port of RayStorm, where you
control your ship by dragging. You can set the movement speed on the options screen, which makes it
much smoother overall. In addition to an "Arcade Mode", there is also an "iPhone Mode" that's
supposed to be optimized for smartphone play, it's actually just the same as the "Extra Mode" (with the
arranged soundtrack) from the PlayStation port, with a lower level of difficulty. Otherwise, they control
identically. The visuals are better than the arcade and 32-bit console ports, but only because they run at
a higher resolution. They are missing the redone visuals for the HD releases, and it still runs in 4:3. Other
than the level select, it's also missing most of the other options and additions from the 32-bit versions.
However, it runs much, much better than the iOS version of RayStorm, with smooth 60 FPS versions and
rarely any slowdown.
RayCrisis: Series Termination – Arcade/Playstation/Windows/Playstation 3 (1998)
The Ray- series has a morbidly fascinating backstory to it, light and understated though it may be.
Granted, RayStorm did not get really grim until the ending, but RayForce started out under horribly dire
circumstances in which the omnipotent AI, Con-Human, went murderously insane after a failed fusion
with an artificial human. Taito decided to further explore the rise of Con-Human’s rampage by creating
a prequel, RayCrisis, with the incredibly self-defeating subtitle of “Series Termination.”
It all starts out lovely enough with Con-Human already having lost its marbles and sending out armies to
exterminate humans with the intent of creating “perfect” synthetic duplicates to “replace” them. While
the Earth is demolished to be remade as Con-Human’s new corporeal form, a nameless cyberspace
hacker launches a desperate assault to jack into the supercomputer’s virtual core and purge its
corruption to cease its insanity. The hacker sends in viruses known as “Waveriders,” conveniently
modeled to look like small starfighter ships that are able to destroy Con-Human’s defenses (manifested
as mechanical foes called “antibodies”) by blowing the crap out of them. It is up to the Waveriders to
keep the malicious AI from causing any more chaos than it already has; even if it could be too late, the
least that can be done is to ensure that no more lives are lost in the real world by ending it in the digital
realm.
Thus, RayCrisis is Taito’s spin on the whole “war in cyberspace” trope that has long been popular in geek
culture since the advent of Tron. While this frame is somewhat apparent in the game’s design
(particularly the first super-short intro level and the final boss area), it still looks and plays akin to the
previous two games. Running on the Taito G-Net hardware (the same hardware for the shooter
Psyvariar), it looks considerably nicer than RayStorm with smoother models and generally brighter and
colorful landscapes.
The stages are a fair deal more varied in appearance, jumping through cityscapes, stormy skies, desert
fields, giant water tunnels and the like. Everything is animated nearly seamlessly, and there is never any
slowdown despite how hectic the action may get. While the sprite-based visuals of RayForce may be
preferable to some, RayCrisis does at least look more attractive than RayStorm on the whole. Its sound
design is also more notable in that it reaches some decidedly bizarre frontiers. The music tends to be a
bit more subdued and atmospheric, more fitting to the mood of the current situation than providing a
steady beat throughout any given stage in a sense somewhat akin to Einhander. It’s still some
marvelous music to be sure, but it is a marked departure from the more typically space shooter style of
the first two games.
How the game works is still very much like its older brothers: shoot everything that moves. The lock-on
feature for which the series is known functions as it did in RayStorm, where enemies can be on the same
plane as you and still be targeted. The various mechanical-looking virtual defense forces of Con-Human
are known as “antibodies,” though they don’t look too different from any of the Secilian ships you’d find
in RayStorm. You have two Waveriders to choose on the offset: The WR-01R, which behaves much like
the R-Gray 1 from RayStorm, and the WR-02R, which acts akin to the R-Gray 2. The former has a
straight cannon and lock-on lasers, and the latter uses a constant beam and electric bolts.
For all intents and purposes, these ARE the R-Grays from RayStorm, but they do have a couple slight
differences in their design. Their Hyper Lasers have been revamped to fire powerful orange blasts which
not only damage the prime target but also causes a splash effect which toasts smaller enemies around
it. The new Special Attack, now known as the Round Divider, lasts shorter than RayStorm’s screen
clearer but seems to do more damage. The differences are subtle enough that they may as well be
cosmetic, but a third ship can be unlocked, the unconventional WR-03, whose main attack is a stream of
homing missiles which fly out every which way. Its lock-on attack is a photon chain gun which fires as
fast as you can tap the button, and you can rack up an insanely high score if you keep a steady photon
chain going. The WR-03 is good for pesky minor enemies but falters against larger antibodies due to its
lack of strong weaponry and Hyper Laser capability. While experts only, the WR-03 is definitely the
most unique playable craft in the trilogy, and it can be formidable if mastered.
While the gameplay is familiar, the overall structure to RayCrisis is decidedly unorthodox. Instead of
being laid out as a straight level-after-level shmup as the previous two games, the levels you play here
are randomly determined for each new playthrough. The actual game itself is only five levels long, and
only the middle three are actually of regular length. The starter level, Self One, lasts for approximately
one minute and throws no bosses at you. It is there to merely ease yourself into the game before
embarking upon a sequence of three out of the following five stages: Memory, Consideration,
Intelligence, Consciousness, and Emotion. These stages last about the duration of any of RayStorm’s
stages and hit you with big bad bosses (or “huge antibodies”) at the end of them, all of which are quite
cool. The giant spider mech, Pro-Tor, is somewhat lazily the boss of two different levels, but it at least
has a second form if you fight it later in the game. It is also worth noting that regardless of what stage
you pick, the difficulty always increases; each stage is tailored to include more enemies depending on
whether it goes first, second, or third. After this stage trio, you go on to fight the final boss, the massive
Dis-Human antibody, which is, in an interesting bit of continuity, very similar to the physical projection
of Con-Human that served as the final boss to RayForce. Needless to say, it ain’t easy.
So RayCrisis is, by straightforward definition, quite short. A standard playthrough may only take about
fifteen to twenty minutes, which is quite minimal even by shmup standards. However, the
randomization of levels definitely gives it a boost in replay value, and its quick finishing time makes it
easy to just pick up and play without getting too involved. There’s also the matter of the Encroachment
gauge, a new system which is likely to baffle and intimidate newcomers. Beginning at 50%, the
Encroachment counter keeps increasing on its own but decreases whenever enemies are wrecked. The
larger the antibody, the more the Encroachment number drops, and efficiently and quickly defeating
bosses can really help to size down the percent. The lower the Encroachment, the more points you
score, but the higher it gets, the closer you risk an incredibly premature game closer. Failing to kill fast
enough and letting the meter hit 100% causes the fight against Dis-Human to prematurely commence,
and you get the bad ending after beating it, not to mention a reduced score as a result of a short game
made even shorter. However, you get the bad ending even if you do reach Dis-Human in the time you
are supposed to face it. In order to get the best ending, you need to have your Encroachment down by
20% or lower by the time you get to Dis-Human, which is a REALLY difficult feat to normally manage.
This is the only way to reach the TRUE final boss: Infinity, Con-Human’s core and a real doozy to
extinguish.
RayCrisis is a bit of an odd beast to judge, as its incredibly short length and somewhat controversial
Encroachment mechanic may not appeal to everybody. Very few gamers are going to be good enough
to get the Encroachment gauge low enough to summon Infinity and get the real ending. However, it is
undeniably a great-looking shooter whose play mechanics are just as solid as its previous two entries,
even if the changes made to its formula might not be appreciated by everybody. It is still recommended
for any shooter fans and serves as both a suitable close to the series and a canon precursor to RayForce
as the good ending exhibits.
Plus, it also has two player functionality and an odd stat-keeping system where the arcade processor can
actually remember someone’s best scores. Before the game starts, it asks to input anyone’s three
initials and a fourth letter/number/symbol which acts as their “security code.” Not only does the game
remember your scores and progress, but it also brings up the stages played in any given play session and
asks if you want to replay the exact three stages or change to another randomly-generated sequence.
It’s a neat quirk that would be interesting to see on other shooters, though when RayCrisis was released,
shmups were already on their way out, and it was one of the very last shmups Taito themselves
developed. RayCrisis is something of a swan song for the big blue triangle, but they picked a good note
to go out on for this genre.
Two years later, RayCrisis received a Playstation release, though it was not quite as prominent as
RayStorm due to its timing. It was released on the fringes of the PS1’s twilight as the PS2 was just
coming into vogue, and the only recognizable company still making shoot-em-ups by that time was
Cave. This is too bad, as the home translation of RayCrisis is arguably better than its arcade version.
Aside from coming with the obligatory console additions (difficulty adjust, sound test, art gallery), the
game’s structure has been enhanced for the better. WR-03 is unlocked from the start, and you can now
choose the three stages (out of five) that you wish to play, giving you more control of how you want to
play the game instead of being at the mercy of chance. If you so wish, you may even choose the same
stage twice or for all three times! The requirement to reach the true final boss has been made less
ridiculous to boot: So long as Encroachment does not reach 100%, you can get to Infinity if you beat the
rest of the game using five continues or less. It’s not easy, but it is certainly more manageable than
dropping Encroachment below 20% and expecting it to stay by the time Dis-Human arrives.
There are also some other neat touches, like how you can select several colors for your Waverider from
red, blue, yellow, or black using the shoulder buttons. Loading screens are normally a drag, but when
they appear in this game, they actually fit really well with the cyberspace theme and make it feel as if
you’re immersed in the great virtual highway. You even get loading screens before bosses that display
their name in a touch likely borrowed by the Darius series. As a further bonus, you can unlock the RGray 1 and 2 from RayStorm as playable ships; while they function similar to the first two Waveriders,
they have a few subtle differences which make them worth trying out.
The biggest addition to RayCrisis’ Playstation version is the new “Special Mode,” which is likely a
throwback to early 90’s shmups that would feature score attack modes (often referred to as “omake”).
You only have one continue in Special, but to compensate, your ship is constantly at full power. Targets
that normally toss out power-ups instead generate crimson spheres which lower your Encroachment
gauge, as well as bonus lives that prolong your current score bender. To ensure that your run isn’t a
total breeze, you must play EVERY stage back-to-back, including a new level called “Judgement” that
serves as your final test before the end battles against Dis-Human and Infinity. Furthermore, your
Encroachment meter fluctuates wildly and often risks coming close to 100%, though you only lose major
score points if it does this. Regardless, it is in your favor to keep that gauge low by getting those bonus
spheres.
The home ports are mostly superior to the arcade save for two factors: The graphics look slightly less
nice outside of its original arcade element (which is relatively trivial as it still looks attractive), and it
does not have a two-player mode. This latter factor might be a problem for buds who enjoy co-oping on
every shooter that allows it, but even if only one can enjoy the action, the home version feels like a
richer package on the whole.
POCKETSTATION
FURU FURU PARK- SWAN SHOOTER