Raiden III brings vertical shooting back to basics. Heavy gunfire, massive explosions and unforgiving scrolling. No frills, just raw arcade joy at its sharpest. A reassuring classic.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter2 players7+
Co-op
Description
A Moss and UFO Interactive vertical shoot'em up released in 2005 (US, Europe, Japan), a reboot of the Raiden franchise. Two plasma fighters face waves of mechanical invaders in a 3D visual setting but pure 2D vertical gameplay. Two-player co-op, a medal system and elevated difficulty faithful to the Raiden tradition.
Raiden III review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
A reboot of the saga after a long eclipse, Raiden III sets fully 3D-modeled backdrops beneath a play plane kept in pure vertical 2D. Its visual signature is the purple plasma weapon, a sinuous ray that snakes toward the nearest enemy, writhing across the screen, flanked by the red vulcan and the blue laser. Military bases, carriers and cities scroll below, while the combat itself stays flat and legible.
The soundtrack revives the Raiden fanfare. Go Sato weds orchestra and military rock, heroic brass laid over rhythmic guitars and pressing drums, reintroducing the series' emblematic flight theme fans had awaited for years. Far from the icy electronica of contemporary bullet hells, this entry embraces a martial, melodic grandiloquence, a warlike anthem accompanying each fighter's assault.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
A return to the fundamentals of the Seibu vertical, it throws cross-fire, armored bosses and a relentless rise in intensity at the player. Switching between cannon, laser and missiles to suit the moment, while keeping precise positioning, makes all the difference. Stern but highly readable, it carries on a rigorous arcade tradition dear to genre purists.
True to the arcade tradition, this vertical shooter pits you against military fortresses and a final mothership bristling with cannons. The famous serpentine laser becomes a weapon of choice for dismantling these colossi under a hail of fire. Plain but fearsomely solid, it makes its guardians into walls of fire where precision trumps everything.
Is Raiden III still worth playing in 2026?
A shoot'em up from Seibu Kaihatsu, Raiden III extends the legendary vertical shooter series, where you pilot a fighter against waves of enemies and massive bosses, juggling an arsenal of shots and lasers in a demanding action faithful to the pure arcade tradition. The readability of the action, the satisfaction of the overpowered shots and the demand of the patterns appeal to fans of shoot'em ups and arcade nostalgics. The high difficulty and the niche character bound the appeal to the general public. For a fan of vertical shoot'em ups or an arcade nostalgic, the title keeps a perfectly preserved intensity and demand.
