Ray'z Arcade Chronology Review (Switch eShop)

The limited edition retailers are getting out of hand again. The Ray'z Arcade Chronology, originally released in Japan back in March, and published by Taito for Switch and PlayStation 4, is receiving a European release courtesy of ININ games. Bizarrely, ININ Games are releasing two different compilations: this, the Ray’z Arcade Chronology, and the RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection. The latter, available in both physical and digital versions, only includes the HD touchups of RayStorm and RayCrisis, losing RayForce from the lineup. This makes it more a nerfed edition than a limited edition, and its existence somewhat baffling. Confounding things further, Strictly Limited Games have already released and subsequently sold out of its own physical version of the Ray’z Arcade Chronology, which contained all three titles plus an exclusive in R-Gear, an unearthed, unfinished prototype RayForce sequel.

The thinking behind these chopped-up, multi-licensed variations is bizarre, and sadly R-Gear isn’t present on ININ’s digital Ray’z Arcade Chronology. Despite this, it’s a fine package thanks to seasoned port-masters M2. Presentation is excellent, with nicely bound menus and plenty of information attached to its various screens. On board are five versions of three games, in that RayStorm and RayCrisis feature both original and new high-definition versions. Much like we saw with G-Darius HD, these remasters are beautiful enough that the originals are relegated to little more than historical curios; and, unless you’re using a CRT in an attempt to replicate the original look, they’re wholly overshadowed by M2’s upscaling work. That said, M2 has included a 'no burn-in' screen option precisely for people interested in running the games on old tech.

Another bump in the road of the Ray series’ Switch releases is that the first game, RayForce (also known as Layer Section and Galactic Attack) was released by City Connection back in early 2022, as a port of the Sega Saturn game. City Connection, despite having troubles with latency in its releases, upped its game somewhat with a decent port of a port. But, with M2’s practices a gold standard, and this being the arcade game proper, City Connection’s stab is now largely defunct.

RayForce, a 1994, 2D pixel-drawn title that showboats with incredible contiguous stages that segue from one epic set-piece to the next, as well as a knockout Zuntata soundtrack, is presented here perfectly. Like its sequels, it operates on two planes of battle: your primary laser sweeping up anything ahead, and your lock-on target able to trace over and detonate multiple targets beneath.

It’s an enjoyable system, encouraging scoring by way of lock-on chains, a calming patter of blips, and repetitive volleys of fire. It builds to a fantastic crescendo within Con-Human’s interior — the parasitic antagonist who has taken over Earth and rebuilt it as a technological organism. M2’s Gadgets — HUD information that borders the screen — can be arranged freely for all three titles, and the scanline filter, though non-adjustable, looks great. There are perfect-pixel options and the ability to rotate the screen as you desire, as well as configurable controls. Latency is the big one, and as far as we can tell, seems relatively non-existent, and certainly tighter overall than City Connection’s release. With this being the optimal way to play RayForce on your Switch, it’s a package easy to recommend for this game alone.

RayStorm, Taito’s 1996 arcade sequel, keeps the action in 2D but uses 3D polygons to build a beautiful, cinematic space battle with the occasional dynamic camera sweep. RayStorm is slightly more on a tilted axis, meaning it takes a little while to pre-empt the point where incoming lasers will strike. Offering two ships with different properties, the R-Gray 2 totes a snazzy, purple lightning-homing attack with double the number of lock-on points.

It’s a fantastic piece of work, and, while arguably not as grandiose as its predecessor’s segueing stages, impresses with fantastic visuals, dwarfing enemies, and a dazzling future-tech aesthetic. It also adds a new regenerating special attack that demands precision owing to its downtime intervals. For some, this may be the best of the series, depending on how you like your shoot 'em ups, and the soundtrack is consistently out of this world. It’s a tough game, and slightly above RayForce in terms of difficulty, but superb fun to mine for a one-credit clear.

RayCrisis is the final entry in Taito’s three-pronged saga, acting as a prequel to the first game, and is by far the most eccentric. You play the ‘Waverider’ computer virus, infiltrating the Con-Human supercomputer, its digital antibodies attacking you in the form of gun-toting ships. It takes the series' narrative themes to an extreme, but, safe to say, remains a largely straightforward shoot 'em up outside of its plotting.

Using the same vertical, 2D plane with 3D graphics as RayStorm before it, RayCrisis has a bit more nuance to its scoring system beyond chaining enemies with your lock-on. Initially, the first three stages are randomised, with repeat plays allowing you to manually choose the sequence. There is new weaponry in the form of the Hyper Laser and Round Divider special attacks, their deployment geared around destroying enemies simultaneously for score. The Hyper Laser is used automatically, turning red when you have a maximum number of lock-ons, while the Round Divider is a rechargeable sweeping bomb. A nice new feature is the way the lock-on reticle has an added degree of movement, moving downward when you hit the bottom of the screen and then retracting when you head up again. The key difference in RayCrisis, though, is the ‘Encroachment’ system, which acts as a form of rank. The fewer enemies you kill, the encroachment percentage meter rises, skipping you straight to the last boss and a bad ending if it reaches 100%. Killing enemies at speed and not letting them escape the screen keeps this low enough to play out all available stages and maximise scoring potentials.

RayCrisis is by far the most involving of the three games, and also a tad visually busy, its abundant detail occasionally making it difficult to spot enemy fire. It’s also angled like RayStorm with perhaps even more of a tilt, and that takes some adjustment. Its structuring might not be to everyone’s liking, but it's a good counter-weight to RayForce’s beautiful simplicity and RayStorm’s middle ground.

While the Ray'z Arcade Chronology is well executed, we are mildly disappointed that outside of the given extras, including achievements, online leaderboards, and replays, there are no bonuses in the form of art galleries or other historical tidbits. There are also no slow or rewind features, options that made City Connection’s release somewhat appealing, and, quite startlingly, no training modes that we can see. Home ports of RayStorm for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn also featured bonus ships and ‘Extra’ modes that altered the parameters of the game; while RayCrisis had a few unique bonuses, too. Sadly, none of this is present in this particular compilation.