Ray'Z Arcade Chronology

by Mikhail Jul 4, 2023 | 1 Votes | 31 Played | 0 Reviews

9 rate

Genres:

Shooter , Action , Arcade

Graphics:

Labels:

Futuristic Setting , Space Games , Robots

Platforms:

Publishers:

ININ Games Ray'Z Arcade Chronology is a collection of three games from the arcade shooter franchise Ray’Z. Be treated to three games with one thing in common: exciting, shooting action. Control various spacecraft and fire your weapons against hordes of foes trying to stop you from fulfilling your mission. Play Now Similar Games

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Summary Plotline Gameplay Community Graphics/Sound Conclusion

Summary

Back in the day, shooters were a mainstay in arcades. People competed by trying to exceed each other’s high scores - whoever was on the leaderboard had bragging rights. At the same time, though, they had targets on their backs, but this all happened in good competitive fun. Ray'Z Arcade wasn’t initially released in the west as it was only in Japan. However, it would be a mainstay in nostalgic retro video game conversations if it made its way to our neighborhood arcades back then.

Thankfully, ININ Games released Ray'Z Arcade Chronology outside Japan, letting us enjoy what this shoot-’em-up arcade masterpiece offers. It’s essentially a package containing three Ray’Z games released in the 90s: RayForce, RayStorm, and RayCrisis, released in 1994, 96, and 98, respectively. Essentially, the games are pretty similar, barring some minor changes, upgrades, and story-related differences.

So, is Ray'Z Arcade Chronology something you’d want to dive into? Let’s check out what it has to offer:

Plotline

All three games in the Ray'Z Arcade Chronology have varying stories. RayForce is centered around fighting the AI Con-Human. Meanwhile, RayStorm has you battle the rebellious Secelian Federation, and finally, RayCrisis pits you against the ConHuman once more as you dive into its system, taking on its antivirus defenses.

The stories in these games aren’t particularly highlighted, except in the third game, where you’re shown a pre–game cutscene that was definitely ahead of its time.

Gameplay

All the games in the Ray'Z Arcade Chronology are similar, though with several differences in ship types, bullets, and stages. In a way, they are much like the other games in the genre, with better presentation and a unique targeting system that lets you take out other foes you can’t hit with your usual bullets. So yes, in all games, you wield a primary weapon, your laser, and a second one which takes the form of homing projectiles that bomb enemies on the ground. Of course, there’s also a special weapon that bombs the heck out of hordes of enemies and clears the area of projectiles.

There are only a couple of ship varieties in all the games in Ray'Z Arcade Chronology. The differences lie in the weapons they use. Some ships may have a bullet-like attack, while others utilize a straight laser. The bomb types are also different; one is like a weaving homing laser, while the other appears to be a massive current of purple electricity that decimates foes upon contact. Did we mention that you have to lock into enemies by putting them within the area of your crosshair? For your bombs to hit anything, you need to get this done.

The two-layered gameplay of all the games in Ray'Z Arcade Chronology delivers quite a frantic experience. Note that you don’t have to evade and take out targets with your primary laser, but also attempt to hit enemies out of its range using your secondary weapon. We can safely say people who played and managed to finish the game in an arcade in a single run are true video game geniuses - I can barely finish a stage without triggering the “continue” screen. Oh, and all levels are capped off by a massive boss. They’re not particularly difficult, but they can undoubtedly test your capabilities.

Like most retro game collections, Ray'Z Arcade Chronology has all the necessary nooks and crannies to save your progress and navigate between menus easily. For example, if you’re not keen on continuing your RayStorm playthrough, you can jump into RayCrisis with just a few button presses.

Community

Ray'Z Arcade Chronology is a single-player arcade game with no online multiplayer functionality whatsoever. However, you can play with a friend using a single system by sharing a joycon.

Graphics/Sound

In terms of presentation, all the games Ray'Z Arcade Chronology excel. The screen isn’t as convoluted as others in the genre, though you can quickly get overloaded with info since the HUD can easily bombard you with information. Moreover, the two sequels, RayCrisis and RayStorm, have HD versions and are in 3D, making them a joy to look at. The colors pop and the game runs pretty well on the Switch with little in the way of framerate drops, even in fast-paced moments.

Conclusion

Overall, Ray'Z Arcade Chronology is a must-have on the Nintendo Switch if you’re into shoot’em ups. All three games in its arsenal deliver quite a punch, providing you with fast-paced gameplay coupled with authentic bullet hell action. We can safely say they were ahead of their time, and it’s sad we never got to play them in our local arcades (except for those in Japan).

Now available on the Nintendo eShop for $49.99, give it a shot today.

New Game Added: Ray'Z Arcade Chronology

by Mikhail Jul 4, 2023

Ray'Z Arcade Chronology is a collection of three games from the arcade shooter franchise Ray’Z. Be treated to three games with one thing in common: exciting, shooting action. Control various spacecraft and fire your weapons against hordes of foes trying to stop you from fulfilling your mission.