Us shmup fans are really eating well recently! With so many classic retro shoot-em-ups getting re-released, remastered and brought to modern systems for old and new fans to enjoy. Now we have another awesome collection landing on Playstation and Nintendo thanks to publisher ININ games! Ray'z Arcade Chronology is a collection of three classic shoot-'em-ups from the 1990s: RayForce, RayStorm, and RayCrisis. All three games have been lovingly recreated and updated for the modern era, with high-resolution graphics, new features, and improved controls.
I have never had chance to play any of the games in this collection before. So getting chance to play them on the PS4 running super smoothly and looking the best they ever have was a great experience. The games look gorgeous, with bright and colourful graphics popping from the screen as the madness ensues onscreen. The audio is also pure shmup gold, with blaring themes getting you in the mood to shoot enemies across all three games.
The games features great boss fights, chaotic amounts of enemies on the screen and a host of different abilities on offer across the varying games. Each one stands out on its own and I would recommend you play them if they had been released individually.
RayForce features a simple but effective control scheme. The player controls a spaceship that can fire a forward-firing shot and a lock-on laser. The lock-on laser can be used to target multiple enemies at once, and it deals more damage than the forward-firing shot. The player can also collect power-ups to increase the power of their shots, as well as to gain new abilities, such as a screen-clearing bomb.
The player can choose between two ships: the R-Gray 1 and the R-Gray 2.
The R-Gray 1 has a faster forward-firing shot, while the R-Gray 2 has a more powerful lock-on laser.
The player can collect power-ups to increase the power of their shots, as well as to gain new abilities, such as a screen-clearing bomb.
The game features a branching storyline, which allows the player to choose different paths through the game.
Rayforce is the only game to be in 2D in the collection - but features fantastic sprite work.
RayStorm builds on the gameplay of RayForce by adding a 3D environment. The player can now move their ship in all directions, and they can also use the lock-on laser to target enemies in the background. RayStorm also features a branching storyline, which allows the player to choose different paths through the game.
The player can choose between three ships: the R-Gray 1, the R-Gray 2, and the R-Gray 3.
The R-Gray 1 has a balanced set of stats, while the R-Gray 2 has a faster forward-firing shot and the R-Gray 3 has a more powerful lock-on laser.
The player can collect power-ups to increase the power of their shots, as well as to gain new abilities, such as a screen-clearing bomb.
The game features a scoring system that rewards players for taking risks.
RayCrisis combines the best elements of RayForce and RayStorm. The game features a 2.5D environment, which allows the player to move their ship in all directions, but it also retains the lock-on laser system from RayForce.
The player can choose between two ships: the WR-01R and the WR-02R.
The WR-01R has a faster forward-firing shot, while the WR-02R has a more powerful lock-on laser.
The player can collect power-ups to increase the power of their shots, as well as to gain new abilities, such as a screen-clearing bomb.
The game features a cooperative multiplayer mode, which allows two players to team up to take on the game's challenges.
One big downside of having the game digitally is that I missed out on the extra game. Physical versions of the game included R-Gear, an unfinished prototype RayForce sequel that I would have loved to have played. Obviously it's not the end of the world, as its far from finished, but its a glaring omission for the digital release.
The high-resolution graphics are a major improvement over the original arcade versions, and they really help to bring the games to life, but having the original versions included is a nice touch.
The new features, such as the branching storyline in RayStorm and the cooperative multiplayer mode in RayCrisis, are a welcome addition.
The lack of online multiplayer is a bit disappointing, but the local multiplayer mode is still a lot of fun.
The absence of any museum mode is a missed opportunity, but the collection still comes with a decent amount of bonus content, such as concept art and music.
Overall, Ray'z Arcade Chronology is a great collection of classic shoot-'em-ups that I never got to experience on their original release. It's a great look at how the games progressed and improved with each iteration and the gameplay on offer is absolutely fantastic. It's another highlight of this years already mind blowing lineup of releases and I recommend every shmup fan to check it out, you wont be disappointed.
TOTAL SCORE: 8.5/10
Ray'z Arcade Chronology was released onto the Playstation store on the 30th June 2023. The game is playable on the PS5 console via backwards compatibility. Priced at £44.99 the game can be purchased HERE.
A copy of the game was provided for this review. A big thanks for that!
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