Raiden V

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 170 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Raiden V Game Cover
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"Raiden V: Director's Cut" is the latest entry in the classic arcade shooting series, now on PC with improved graphics and new features. The game offers a Story Mode with branching storylines based on performance, Boss Mission mode with leaderboards, and a Gallery filled with art. It supports 1-2 player offline play, has a new damage system, distinct ships with unique abilities, a Cheer Attack feature, voice acting, and exclusive levels in the Director's Cut.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 170 reviews
story10 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • The gameplay is solid and retains the classic Raiden feel, providing a fun and challenging experience.
  • The game features a variety of weapons and a new cheer system that adds a unique twist to the gameplay.
  • Graphics and sound design are well-executed, with a good sense of speed and engaging music.
  • Visual clarity is poor, with bullets often blending into the background, making them hard to see.
  • The dialogue and story mode can be distracting and feel unnecessary during gameplay.
  • There are technical issues, including controller support problems and crashes, which detract from the overall experience.
  • story94 mentions

    The introduction of a story mode in Raiden V has received mixed reviews, with many players feeling that the execution detracts from the gameplay experience. While some appreciate the attempt to provide a narrative and character dialogue, the overwhelming and often distracting voice acting, combined with a lackluster story, has led to frustration among players who prefer a more streamlined arcade experience. Overall, the story is seen as a commendable effort but poorly integrated, making it a significant weakness of the game.

    • “The journey along the way rewards you with lovely period graphics, extra information on either side of the screen to preserve the aspect ratio, and what feels like a lot of radio commentary plot as you go through the levels.”
    • “I liked the fact that it has a storyline with characters and dialogue.”
    • “Basically, this is more of a story-driven version of Raiden compared to the prior arcade titles in the series - the actual gameplay is similar to Raiden 3 & 4 but with some nice new options, like being able to choose the specific versions of each power-up you want, a sort-of co-op assist feature, and branching storyline paths which are determined by your skills.”
    • “Raiden V’s biggest weakness is the manner in which its story is presented.”
    • “The main distraction is a horrendously mindless babble that is constant and I think is meant to be a 'story'... but it's just inane idiotic rubbish - with no way of turning it off.”
    • “It's bad enough as it was that the story itself was a tad mediocre at best, but the fact that I constantly had to deal with dialogue going on in the background while I was trying to concentrate on blowing up anything that came to my screen made it quite challenging at times to focus on what I was doing.”
  • music70 mentions

    The music in the game has sparked mixed opinions among players, with some praising its epic rock orchestration and immersive quality, while others find it uninspired and inferior to previous titles, particularly those featuring Go Sato's compositions. Many agree that while the soundtrack is well-composed and fits the gameplay, it can become forgettable and lacks the iconic melodies of earlier games in the series. Overall, the music is generally regarded as good, but opinions vary widely on its effectiveness and appeal.

    • “The soundtrack alone (which slays if you're a fan of this genre) is enough to immerse oneself into the experience.”
    • “The rock orchestra soundtrack just made this game perfect.”
    • “Well worth the money - the gameplay is intense, the UI is excellent, the environment and models are detailed and varied, the music rocks, the sound design is great, there is a full voice-over that spans the full length of the game etc. this really is a full game, condensed like a power metal solo into a few hours of frantic fun - no bargain bucket here!”
    • “While the music is very well-composed, I do not find the majority of the tracks something that I enjoy listening to while playing or putting them on while I'm doing something else.”
    • “- uninspired music”
    • “The music can kind of supplement the gameplay, but it becomes dull very quickly, and easily forgettable.”
  • gameplay62 mentions

    The gameplay in Raiden 5 is generally well-received, featuring classic mechanics from the series alongside new options like customizable power-ups and a co-op assist feature. However, some players find the dialogue distracting and the bullet visibility lacking, while others appreciate the intense action and detailed graphics. Overall, it offers a solid experience for both newcomers and veterans, though some technical issues and aesthetic changes have drawn mixed reactions.

    • “This is a fun though odd version of Raiden which incorporates a distracting, dialogue-heavy storyline into the background of the mostly standard Raiden shmup style gameplay.”
    • “Basically this is more of a story-driven version of Raiden compared to the prior arcade titles in the series - the actual gameplay is similar to Raiden 3 & 4 but with some nice new options, like being able to choose the specific versions of each power-up you want, a sort-of co-op assist feature, and branching storyline paths which are determined by your skills.”
    • “Well worth the money - the gameplay is intense, the UI is excellent (full but all useful), the environment and models are detailed and varied, the music rocks, the sound design is great, there is a full voice-over that spans the full length of the game etc. this really is a full game, condensed like a power metal solo into a few hours of frantic fun - no bargain bucket here!”
    • “When it comes to the gameplay... well, it's your usual Raiden game with its iconic weapons returning once again; as those will be the only weapons you'll need since the rest of them are terrible.”
    • “The dialogues during gameplay are annoying, but can be muted in the settings.”
    • “Graphic and gameplay is a step down from Raiden IV.”
  • graphics60 mentions

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the retro aesthetic and smooth visuals, while others criticize the lack of significant improvement over previous titles and limited graphical options. Many players appreciate the sense of speed and polished design, but there are complaints about crashes on dedicated graphics cards and blending issues with bullets and backgrounds. Overall, while the graphics are considered nice for a shoot 'em up, they fall short of modern standards and expectations.

    • “The journey along the way rewards you with lovely period graphics, extra information on either side of the screen to preserve the aspect ratio, and what feels like a lot of radio commentary plot as you go through the levels.”
    • “Graphics have that 'retro' feel but polished to 11 out of 10.”
    • “The game's graphics are silky smooth and control very well with an Xbox One controller.”
    • “Graphics aren't amazing, there's no options for FXAA or MSAA (or any options beyond resolution in general) (6.5/10 at best)”
    • “More or less a super disappointing release with less options than IV and worse graphics than even III if that can be believed.”
    • “The 2D graphics are merely the same level as those of Raiden IV, and the 3D models are so carelessly built that the only explanation is being lazy.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the witty banter between the captain and his assistant, others find the jokes, particularly those related to coffee, to be out of place and lacking in comedic impact. Localization issues are noted, with some humor failing to translate effectively into English, leading to a disconnect in the overall comedic experience. Despite these criticisms, the game is still recommended for its engaging narrative and entertaining dialogue.

    • “I love the narration of the game when you're playing the various stages and it has great humor in between levels with the captain and his assistant having different opinions on things.”
    • “A must play for a grand arcade series for 25 years, if you love a challenge along with some hilarious conversations with a side of seriousness in total eclipse of galactic warfare, then this is the game you should own!”
    • “Kind of funny I couldn't play it with an Xbox One controller, but the game supported arcade sticks without any extra setups.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers impressive replayability, particularly for a shmup, thanks to multiple difficulty levels and three different ships that are all unlocked from the start. This variety encourages players to revisit the game and experiment with different strategies.

    • “There are several difficulty levels and 3 different ships to choose from, all unlocked from the start of the game, which greatly increases replay value.”
    • “Multiple difficulty levels and 3 ships make for great replay value for an arcade-style game.”
    • “Impressive replayability value for a shmup.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, expressing a desire for more flexibility in route selection to alleviate the monotony of unlocking story paths. The current system requires restarting stages, which adds to the frustration, and many hope for future improvements to enhance the experience.

    • “The game pacing is very slow and tedious.”
    • “I would've much preferred if they gave you the choice of picking your route, allowing you the harder route only if you met the requirement, but having the option to pick any of the other routes even if you do (without having to restart via stage select), which would honestly make unlocking all story routes so much less tedious than it currently is. Perhaps sometime in the future they could fix this, but who can say...”
  • stability4 mentions

    Users report significant stability issues, particularly with controller support, which is often buggy and unreliable. Additionally, the game experiences frequent glitches when used in conjunction with NVIDIA GeForce Experience.

    • “Controller support is buggy and may not work!”
    • “The game doesn't work well with NVIDIA GeForce Experience; it glitches a lot when used.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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