The Japanese Raiden Trad port, identical in content. A decent Seibu vertical shooter but technically limited.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Vertical shoot-'em-up with a combat jet battling enemy aerial armies, American version. Published by Fabtek, released in the USA in 1992. Top-down view, vertical shooting, two simultaneous players and missile and laser power-ups. American version of Seibu's Raiden vertical shooter on Super Nintendo.
Raiden Trad review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The game keeps the arcade board's military aesthetic: grey and olive aircraft drawn with a concern for plausibility, bombed cities, aircraft carriers, burning factories. The weapons, by contrast, break entirely with realism, with that undulating purple laser which remains the series' instantly recognisable signature.
The score adopts a martial tone without emphasis: synthetic brass, fast drums, steady bass driving the advance without ever demanding attention. The themes are cut to circle through long stretches of shooting, and the boss entrances break the rhythm in one stroke, the only moment when the music allows itself a real surge.
Raiden Densetsu in its US NTSC form is the American side of Seibu's shooter, distributed by Fabtek opposite the Japanese source. On the flagship market it circulates first as a bare cart, its value settling on a clean complete copy or a graded seal, cardboard box behind it. A solid but dated vertical shooter with no short run: more of an NTSC shmup-shelf item than a rarity in its own right.
Is Raiden Trad still worth playing in 2026?
Raiden Densetsu is the Japanese version of Raiden Trad, a port of Seibu Kaihatsu's famous vertical shooter, playable in simultaneous two-player. You chain gunfire and homing missiles against enemy waves and massive bosses, straight in line with the arcade. The port stays honest but technically limited, with slowdown and a sometimes sluggish pace. For fans of classic shmups and retro co-op, it is a decent cartridge, especially enjoyable to discover with a friend by your side.
