Raiden, the classic vertical-scrolling shooter that began all the way back in 1990, has always been one of the standouts of the arcade scene during the 90s and helped define the genre. The series so far has had five games in total between 1990 and 2016, with some of them receiving upgrades when ported to home consoles.

Raiden IV first came out in 2007 to arcades before being ported to Xbox 360 in 2008. It then received an arcade upgrade in 2011 before moving to PlayStation 3 as Raiden IV: OverKill in 2014 and PC in 2015, and now, Raiden IV x MIKADO remix, which was originally released for Nintendo Switch in 2021, is finally available on PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC, and is published by NIS America after being developed by MOSS.

The Crystals have returned once again after suffering many defeats against humanity. The VCD immediately launches a new model of the Raiden fighter, the Fighting Thunder ME-02 Kai, to battle the Crystals and stop them from conquering Earth.

Players will take control of one of three different aircraft, with choices being the Fighting Thunder ME-02 Kai, the Fighting Thunder Mk-II, or the Fairy. Yes, a Fairy, and it’s the size of a jet plane. Each aircraft plays slightly differently from the others, with different weapons, power-ups, speed, and manoeuvrability, and the game sticks to its arcade roots with the classic vertical scrolling shooting gameplay, where players must take on swarms of enemies coming at them from the air, land, sea, and outer space, with boss battles at the end of each stage.

The game is easy and simple to play without needing a tutorial. The controls are smooth and responsive, being able to move the aircraft with either the d-pad or left joystick, with one button to shoot unlimited bullets and one button to launch a bomb to take out a large area of enemies or deal heavy damage to a boss. Various power-ups can be collected to upgrade each aircraft’s weaponry from straight bullets to shooting widespread, homing missiles, and even lasers. Each aircraft has its own unique arsenal of weapons that will come in handy to take down the Crystals.

The enemies come in various shapes and sizes and can attack from all angles. Shooting them down and manoeuvring around enemy fire is as fun and satisfying as ever, and the boss battles provide a great and exciting challenge, keeping players on their toes.

Being an arcade game, it can be beaten in less than an hour, but it’s always fun to go back and play through different difficulty settings and have a try at beating the high score in classic arcade fashion. Achieving high scores offers plenty of replayability, and the World Ranking Mode allows you to play through the game to try for the high score and see where you rank against players from around the world.

A second player can also join in for some couch co-op fun, but unfortunately, there is no online play, which is a real missed opportunity. There is even a Double mode, where a single player can actually control both planes, with each joystick or d-pad/face buttons assigned to each plane, and the shoulder buttons are used to fire bullets and bombs. It’ll take some getting used to, but it offers a whole new challenge for longtime fans.

The graphics look like they’re from the early 2000s era, with some blocky textures in the background details, but they still look fantastic and actually aged well, making it part of the game’s charm. The effects on screen during all the mayhem look as fantastic as ever, further adding to the excitement of the game. Each aircraft and enemy vehicle has a great amount of detail and every single one can be viewed in the Gallery after unlocking them.

Being a vertically scrolling shooter, the narrow screen made for an arcade machine doesn’t quite fill up a widescreen TV at home. If players are able to turn their screens to a portrait position, there is actually an option to turn the screen sideways and fill up more of the screen and get the full arcade experience at home. This feature comes in especially handy when playing in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch.

The soundtrack of the Raiden games has always been one of its best features and Raiden IV x MIKADO remix is no different. Composed mostly by Go Sato, with a few tracks by Akira Sato and Yuji Takemitsu, it has 27 different songs, offering almost 73 minutes of unique music. As always, the hard-rocking techno sounds really compliments the chaotic gameplay as players blast their way through the hordes of enemies.

The latest upgrade to Raiden IV is no doubt a real treat to longtime fans, and new players will find plenty of enjoyment too. It’s a modern game that sticks to its arcade roots and offers plenty of replayability for those attempting to beat the high score, and this is all while listening to some heart-thumping beats. Raiden IV x MIKADO remix is a fantastic upgrade to an arcade classic and loads of bullet hell fun.

Written by: Sammy Hanson