Raiden Nova Review (Switch eShop)

Some in the UK may know comedy TV personality Adam Buxton, who was once the counterpart of Joe Cornish in the Adam and Joe Show (1996-2001), and, as recently as 2020, was still guesting on popular Channel 4 panel shows. Nowadays, he's more well-known for The Adam Buxton Podcast, but in 1999 he walked into a London-based video game store where I was working as staff, and, retrieving a copy of Raiden DX from the Japanese PlayStation section, asked if I was familiar with it. I told him if he liked the series, it was by far the best entry and a superb arcade port full of bells and whistles. He immediately handed over the cash, wished me a good day, and left. I didn’t bother to say, “hey buddy, I watch you on TV”, but I was impressed with his gaming choice.

Raiden, you see, is like a secret handshake amongst the shooting game hardcore, a distinguished Masonic-like fraternity of middle-aged men who get enthusiastic about blowing things up with spaceships. It’s known by many, but played seriously by few, and since its debut in 1990 its myriad sequels have been largely overlooked by the mainstream. Regardless, it’s an excellent series, from the Raiden Fighters spinoffs to the newer polygonal sequels. So, why the celebrity flex? Well, it left an impression. Not just because it was Adam Buxton, whose TV show was popular at the time, but because I never forgot that Adam Buxton was both a shoot-em-up player and Raiden fan. That was cool.

Fast-forward to 2024, and MOSS, having created three excellent entries with Raiden III through V, have switched gears for Raiden Nova, moving from traditional vertical scroller to twin-stick shooter. Here, the player ship is viewed in an overhead perspective within an endlessly scrolling arena, where you defend against waves of incoming enemies through 360 degrees. Arcade Mode offers six stages to work through, each requiring you to survive a countdown timer of several minutes and a formidable boss encounter. Your ship now has a robust life bar, which when depleted signals the end of the game, and a set of bombs.

Raiden Nova works by feeding you with constant upgrades for your craft. In the thick of it, mini-missions like “destroy 300 enemies” or similar pop up, and achieving these is mostly done as a matter of course. The upgrade counter appears at the foot of the screen, and you can access the menu with a tap of the ZL button. Within the menu you can purchase from a large number of bonuses: increased defence, firepower, shields, new weaponry, and raising your armaments through several levels.

The game is easy initially, and Raiden fans and shoot-em-up enthusiasts will coast the first two stages by simply circling and firing and circling some more. That said, it does get pretty thick with incoming enemies and bullet spreads, and one of the more novel ideas - the quick dash - makes all the difference. By tapping the left shoulder you can dodge in a direction of your choosing, providing momentary invulnerability and a chance to reposition. This enjoyable feature has a cooldown period of a few seconds, promoting strategic use.

The play-field also reaps other rewards. You can find health items, partially refilling your bar, and additional bombs floating around, sometimes released by ground targets. A handy indicator sits on the screen edge, helping direct you toward out-of-sight gifts, while others show the direction of encroaching larger craft. At the end of each stage a major, screen-dwarfing boss-craft enters the fray, often switching the action into a more traditional layout.

Through play you also accrue currency, and this is key, as there’s both a shop option and additional craft to unlock. In the shop you can permanently enhance your craft, making it more powerful from the outset and the game progressively easier. You can expect to make it to stage three or four fairly early on, and earn enough for a few increased armaments. But, to really transform your ship into a formidable war machine, it requires hours of dedicated effort. There’s a good chance genre diehards will finish the game long before having enough coin to empty the shop shelves, but in the meantime there’s an Endless Mode to take on, where you can choose a single stage and have the difficulty ramp up in waves. It’s a pretty fun alternative survival event that triggers the adrenaline in a good way.

The Raiden feel in Nova is partially intact, although much of this is down to its recognisable graphical style and that wonderful purple toothpaste laser snaking around the screen: the series most iconic weapon. While there are patterns to thread, needle and quick dodge, it’s doesn’t really work in the same way as a traditional shoot-em-up, and you tend to find yourself constantly making the same movement arcs, which gets a little tiresome after a while. It’s fun, sure, but feels more like a fan project rather than a bonafide entry.

The graphics are serviceable but slightly outdated, and the maps are little more than background wallpaper. The gameplay is where it counts, though, and Raiden Nova is a fun diversion for a while. Having to constantly pause the action to apply upgrades isn't fun, especially when you forget what’s coming at you, but understand that the ship-building aspect is integral to the game’s sense of reward. At the same time, it’s a little tacked on, because without the shopping and upgrade format the game itself doesn’t do anything particularly interesting as a twin-stick shooter. There are also online leaderboards for score hunters, which is a given for a game like this, and there will definitely be some healthy competition there for a while.

There were also a few frame dips here and there, which honestly surprised us. There's no way this shouldn't be running a stable 60fps on Switch. It's busy, yes, but in terms of power requirements it shouldn't be taxing the Switch too much. Thankfully it's a small issue and not prominent enough to be a dealbreaker. Nova works fine in handheld mode too, but it's certainly easier to negotiate the playfield when docked on your TV.