Where to get it

2005 · MOSS · Shoot 'em up

Raiden III

PlayStation console exclusive

Raiden III Digital Edition is a revival of the classic Raiden series of scrolling shooter games.

Released: 22 September 2005
Platforms: PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 Windows
Genres: Shoot 'em up
Developers: MOSS
Publishers: MOSS
Series: Raiden
Modes: Single-player
Themes: Action
Country: Japan
Edition: Digital Edition
Age ratings: USK 12
Languages: English
Entry: #3 in Raiden

About

Raiden III (雷電III, Raiden Surī) is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by MOSS and released in as an arcade video game in 2005. It is the fourth game in Seibu Kaihatsu's Raiden series; it is the first installment in the series to be developed by MOSS as it consists of former Seibu Kaihatsu employees who bought the rights to the series. Raiden III uses the Taito Type X arcade hardware, giving full 3D graphics to the series for the first time. The game was published in the US by UFO Interactive Games, in Europe by 505 Games, and in China by Soft-World International Corporation. An enhanced version, Raiden III x Mikado Maniax, was released in 2023 by NIS America.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Raiden III shares the same mechanics as the previous games in the series, while introducing new mechanics to set it apart from its predecessors. Players are given a new primary weapon, the piercing Proton Laser, and a new missile weapon, the Radar Missile. New mechanics introduced in this game include the Flash Shot multiplier, which increases score the faster an appearing enemy is destroyed, and Double Play, which allows one player to control both ships with one controller. Raiden III is the first game in the series to give the player craft smaller hitboxes. The bombs were changed to deploy instantly and cover the entire screen, as opposed to the earlier games' delayed explosion and smaller area of damage.

The game consists of seven stages of increasing difficulty, with the first three levels taking place on Earth and the last four taking place in space.