Raiden III x Mikado Maniax (2023) [PC] review

“To me, the arcade experience is the ultimate gaming experience.”
-Eugene Jarvis, Creator of Defender and Robotron: 2084

I am a kid of the ’90s, there is no way around that fact. I was born in the early ’80s and spent the greatest years of my life in the last decade of the 20th century. With that being said, I spent a lot of time, and I do mean A LOT, in the local arcades. Whether it was a dry shelter at the local pool, or the few random cabinets that dotted the bowling alley, I was there soaking it all in. Most of the games were intense, bright, and overstimulating, and that’s what was great about them. The shoot’em ups were my favorites, and the Raiden games were the best in the arcade.

The arcade comes to us!

Beyond the Arcade

Arcades are not frequented as much as they used to be. Now in 2023, the arcade is slowly turning into a novelty store with machines that are just glorified cell phone games. That may seem like a shame, but game producers like Taito and NIS America are seeing the possibilities of bringing their arcade IPs to the players at home. With the capacity to endure better software, modern PCs and consoles can play these arcade classics in new and exciting ways. Enter the Mikado Maniax Remix.

This is not two games in one. It’s the classic Raiden III from 2005 with updated visuals, a remixed OST, and a ton of options. This game allows the player to customize everything from the soundtrack to the wallpaper that surrounds the game screen. It doesn’t recreate the arcade experience, but rather it expands upon it, giving the player the chance to experience the game as it could have been.

Special wallpaper designs heighten the experience.

Just Hold That Button

To review this game, it is important to understand that it is an arcade port, and a rather faithful one at that. Raiden III was designed to be difficult because it was designed to take your money. It is a bullethell shooter with a bunch of background visuals that will make it tough to see where the enemies and their shots are coming from.

These visuals are true to the “overstimulation” factor of arcade games. It doesn’t take much thought to play this game, just hold down the button and shoot the enemies without getting hit yourself. This simple concept gets progressively more complicated as enemies become harder to kill, and upgrades begin to matter less and less. The trick is to just hold down the “fire” button and use bombs when you get overwhelmed!

Unlike the arcade, there are difficulty settings that assist players who are struggling. “Very Easy Mode” makes the game a breeze, but even in that mode, the later levels are a pain. Regardless of who you are, this game will present a challenge.

Remixed Beats 

Taito games are known for their excellent OSTs. The arcade legend, The Ninja Warriors, had an incredible soundtrack that was produced by a live rock band back in the late ’80s. It was unlike anything heard in an arcade up to that point. Raiden III captures that same quality, but this time they were able to get the original band, Mikado, to do a remix of the music. I won’t mince words: it’s pretty good. 

The music is high-octane synthwave that matches the action of the game. Since this is a vertical-scrolling game, the levels and tracks (up to the boss encounters) are the same lengths, so they synch with each other quite well. The music replicates the intensity of the game itself. 

A Great Addition

I’ve been playing a lot of space games lately, but I always have room for a good shmup. Raiden III is a game that I personally missed in the arcade, but its recreation on the PC and consoles has given me a good idea of how fun the game was back then. I imagine it took a lot of kids’ quarters back in the day, as it should.

I didn’t even go into the Boss Rush Mode, Level Select, or the Soundtrack Player, but it’s safe to say that this version is a great addition to an arcade lover’s collection. As long as people care about the games of the past, they won’t disappear, they’ll just get remixed. I think I can live with that.

Thank you to NIS America for sending us a copy of Raiden III x Mikado Maniax for this review.

PIXEL PERFECT 

Recommended

J.R. Sommerfeldt is a family man, licensed counselor, farmer, fiber artist, and indie game enthusiast living in the heartland of America. He has found solace living the simple life, and his preference for games centering around narratives, crafting, and exploration is a testament to this.