Thanks to ININ Games for the review code

Title: RAYZ ARCADE CHRONOLOGY
System: Nintendo Switch
Price: $49.99
Release Date: 06/30/2023

Prelude

M2 returns with another Taito compilation, after the success of their Darius sets, with this one containing the trilogy of Taito’s Ray shooters: Rayforce, Raystorm and Raycrisis. Just like the G-Darius port, the 3D games got cool new HD versions, so just how does this M2 collection stack up?

Presentation

Upon booting the game, you get some lovely rearranged music from the series on the game select menu, but like G-Darius HD, there isn’t much else here besides picking one of the three games. Sadly, this set doesn’t have anything in terms of old archival material or arcade flyer scans like M2’s Toaplan sets, which is a big shame as I would have loved to see all the cool concept art behind these games, but what you do get are Neo HD versions of the two 3D games, Rayforce and RayCrisis.

Wow, speaking of those versions, the Neo HD treatment is just utterly stunning. All three games look outstanding in their original forms, don’t get me wrong; Rayforce has stellar spritework with some cool scaling effects, and Raystorm/Crisis use 3D models in a low-poly asthethic that still manages to be impressive with how crazy their later stages can get with the background details, but the Neo HD versions of the latter two feel like complete transformations of them, and are a huge upgrade. The originals are very nice to have as a comparison, but the extra detail from Neo-HD just has to be seen in motion to be believed.

M2 also provides a few border and gadget options to mess with, allowing you to throw up game information like the amount of lasers you have and points remaining until your next extend, along with a very basic CRT filter that I found decently effective in the case of Rayforce. Even niftier for that game is the fact you can use a vertical mode to play it in proper resolution, making it perfect for flip grip and yep, the gadgets/filter work great with it sideways. (Although achievement popups look a little squished when they happen this way)

There are also a good amount of screen options to choose from, allowing for a few screen sizes to fit each game to your liking. Even cooler is the love and care M2 poured into the Audio side of things, as not only can you adjust the volume of each game’s BGM/Sound levels, but you can even toggle an alternative soundtrack for each of the three games, leading to each entire game having a new set of arrangements to play along with, all sounding pretty good. You even have a slider for arcade ambience, sorta like how some Sega AGES releases would let you turn on background noise to replicate the feeling of being in an actual arcade. G-Darius HD had something like this too, but I feel it works a little bit better there as that port had an arcade-themed screen border that worked perfectly with the ambience, which sadly none of the Ray games here sport; just some assorted key art on the sides of the screen.

Gameplay

When starting the game, you are brought to a simple menu, with the option of the three games to choose from, their replay galleries, an achievement list with in-game achievements per game, and a credits roll. Both Raystorm and Raycrisis have Neo-HD versions, and all three games have online leaderboards for scorechasing fun. So let’s get into these three titles!

RAYFORCE– This started it all, and is the only 2D game in the set, but as noted above, this game has an incredible presentation, with excellent sprite scaling and music, really shining out, and introduced the main gimmick of the lock-on laser.

What would otherwise be a typical shooter with a rapid fire shot really turns into a great scorechaser due to this mechanic. While it may seem tempting to just mash the laser button like an alternate shot button, especially due to the lack of a traditional bomb, the main point of the lock-on is to target multiple enemies at once, which increases the amount of points given from popcorn enemies, or deal multiple hits to bosses or bigger enemies, especially if you manage to lock your entire stock of lasers onto one target. Bosses with multiple segments to target and attack are also pretty darn fun to fight, with some offering a bit of variety in how you can defeat them (or prolong their fights for more points)

Thus, Rayforce ends up being a pretty strategic shooter, with the score multipilers being a great way to rack up points and get closer to extra lives, and the lasers being a very fun mechanic to mess around with. It looks gorgeous, controls silky smooth, and is simple, tight shmup fun, working both as a great scorechaser and just a fun co-op shump to blast through. The Remix Soundtrack option available here is that of the Saturn version, which is a neat little bonus.

RAYSTORM– Going into a horizontal display with 3D polygons, Raystorm ups the ante in almost every way, not only introducing a screen clear SP Attack that works akin to your traditional shmup bomb, but improving the lock-on to be a lot more useful with the addition of the Hyper Laser, a huge burst of energy that can be pulled off if every laser is locked onto the same target. Add another playable ship with a different set of lasers, and you have yourselves an excellent sequel that moves the series into 3D very well.

Just like the first game, Raystorm is fully playable in Co-Op, and whichever way you choose to play, this shooting romp is just non-stop fun. Each stage has lots of opportunities for big points via the lock-on, and the level designs are just good enough to make 1CC attempts a lot more exciting than RayForce. Of the three games in the set, this was the one I returned to for leaderboard chases the most, and the NEO-HD version gives all the 3D models an outstanding upgrade, easily becoming the best game of the entire package, and with a wonderful arranged soundtrack as a sweet extra bonus.

RAYCRISIS– Another 3D entry, and the final game in the series. This time around, the arcade machine has an in-game save of sorts, which can throw up a variety of different routes and stage orders at you, increasing the variety tenfold. You still have a SP Attack and Hyper Laser, only now there are three ships to choose from, with one being a secret unlockable. All three are rather fun, with the third ship ditching the hyper laser for more lock-on opportunities.

The lack of a fixed, linear path does get a bit weird, especially if you’re just getting used to this one. On one hand, it’s incredibly fun to see a new set of stages to tackle each time you start the game, but on the other, it can be very annoying to not always have the ability to practice a set of levels that you want, since while you can choose from a new set or your previous set upon starting a credit, that’s all the customization you have; no full-edit mode of any kind, and you’re at the mercy of the game deciding what the new routes will be to go on any further.

Still, Raycrisis carries a lot of the fun factors from the previous games, with a lovely HD makeover, online leaderboards and local co-op sweetening the replay value even more, and the lasers continue to provide lots of scorechasing opportunities, even with the varied stage orders. I found this to not hit nearly as well as Storm for me due to not having a locked, linear path and being a little less tight than that game was, but make no mistake, Raycrisis is still crazy good, even if it ends up only taking a half-step with some of its new ideas and being a bit too complicated with the routing for its own good.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ray’z Arcade Chronology is yet another wonderful set from the minds of M2. Having only played RayForce before diving into this collection, I still found myself enjoying that entry quite a lot when playing it here, especially with the online leaderboard and vertical mode options allowing for more scorechasing fun. But being introduced to the outstanding Raystorm and the pretty good Raycrisis here, along with some jawdropping HD remasters for both of em that I argue work better than that of G-Darius’ HD attempt, really leave this as a must-own set for shooting fans, especially from the strong quality of Raystorm alone.

None of the three games in this set are bad or even mediocre at all, but when one goes so above and beyond in offering as much fun as Raystorm, I am thrilled to have discovered a new favorite gem through this compilation, and my only big gripe with it comes from the lack of archival materials or bonus content outside of going for simplistic in-game achievements and some arranged soundtracks. Still, the stuff you get here is top notch, and M2 nailed everything they could; from play control, emulation, DIP Switch settings, and the quality of the HD remasters, Ray’z Arcade Chronology may be a pricey package, but one that’s well worth the cost at the end of the day, especially if you’re a fan of scorechasing  shooters.

I give Ray’z Arcade Chronology an 8 out of 10.