Raiden IV x Mikado Remix Switch Review
Summary: Relive the arcade days without the constant loss of coins.
4.3
Arcade Action
If you visited any arcade in the early 90’s you would have seen a few machines in just about every arcade you visited… some form of four person fighting game, a two player fighting game… and Raiden. There were just some games that were always there and there’s a reason for that… they were fun.
On many a lock in session at Timezone I’d spend some of my time enjoying the crazy screen filled action of Raiden and now I can relive that thrill at home with Raiden IV x Mikado Remix.
Anyone familiar with the series will know how simple the game is to get into… but how hard it is to master. You essentially have a main weapon and a super weapon. As you progress you acquire pickups from defeated enemies… these can change/upgrade your main weapon. But much like one of the originators of the genre 1942… Raiden soon starts filling the screen with enemies and your job becomes not just trying to shoot down your attackers but trying to dodge their fire and all the ships filling the screen.
Raiden IV x Mikado Remix features an interesting option which is basically a training/preview mode… enemies don’t shoot at you so you can just travel through all the levels and get a feel for what enemies will be attacking you and to some extent how. This is extremely helpful when things get more hectic on screen as knowing the patterns of where enemies will come from can help avoid an unfortunate collision. The other helpful feature is the awarding of continues. As you pass milestones you are granted an extra continue to use in your next attempt at completing the game. It’s a nice touch because it won’t hand you an easy victory straight out of the gates… you have to work for your virtual coins to continue your game when you get shot down… but play well enough, often enough and you will build up enough extra lives to have a chance at taking out the end boss.
This isn’t rocket science… it’s not a deep thinking game or even strictly all that imaginative… but it is a lot of stupid fun! The thumping beat that has been added to modernize it certainly helps there and does it’s part in building the excitement.
If you were a fan of the original arcade game or just love a bit of simple old school style top down shooter then grab a copy!
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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