Rapid Reload

The gameplay of Rapid Reload is often compared to the Treasure game Gunstar Heroes. The players choose to play as either male character Axel or female character Ruka through the game's six levels.

The player can switch between four different weapons with a normal machine pistol, flamethrower, homing laser, and multi-directional cannons. The characters each have their own set of four weapons, totaling the weapons in the game to eight. Also available is a grappling hook that will latch onto any wall or ceiling. The player cannot be harmed while the player uses the hook.

Upon hearing the legend of the treasure known as the Valkiry, treasure hunters Axel Sonics (voiced by Kazuki Yao) and Ruka Hetfield (voiced by Noriko Hidaka) embark on an adventurous quest to find the legendary stone. However, unknown to Axel and Ruka at the start, there is also a terrorist organization known as the Pumpkin Heads searching for the Valkiry, determined to use the stone for world domination.

In a race to reach the stone first, Axel and Ruka fight their way through the Pumpkin Heads' army of elite soldiers along several locations, destroying each of the three top captains and eventually reaching their hideout, where they confront the Master, who already has the Valkiry in her possession. Using the Valkiry to power herself, the Master engages Axel and Ruka in a decisive, final battle, but is eventually destroyed and the Valkiry is freed.

According to Famitsu, Rapid Reload sold 83,942 copies during its lifetime in Japan. The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked the game fifth in popularity in its July 1995 issue. It received an average reception from critics.

Eddy Lawrence and Gary Lord of Computer and Video Games regarded it one of the best "platform blasters", praising its lush backgrounds, soundscapes, and excellent game design, but said it was not as good as Gunstar Heroes. Next Generation felt the game lived up to its title's promise, highlighting the large number of sprites on screen and the lack of flickering and tearing. Maximum described Rapid Reload as a poor Gunstar Heroes clone, pointing out the game's lack of a simultaneous two-player mode and criticized the sloppy PAL conversion.