Raiden
Red to spray the whole screen, blue to melt whatever's in front of you.
Coming soon to UsuArcade
Votes to bring it to the arcade: 0
In the meantime, head into the arcade and play the cabinets that are already there
- Year
- 1990
- Manufacturer
- Seibu Kaihatsu
- Players
- 2 players at once
- Genres
- Shoot 'em ups
- Decade
- '90s arcade games
Raiden was the shooter cabinet the hotshots gravitated to. Fast and tough, with tanks rolling out from every corner and bullets coming at you from the very first second, it earned its reputation among vertical shooter fans in the early 90s.
It isn't in the UsuArcade arcade yet, but it's on our wishlist. If you spent whole afternoons trying to clear the first loop, give it your vote.
History
Seibu Kaihatsu released it in 1990, and it was such a hit that it launched a long-running series with plenty of sequels. It was ported to a long list of consoles and home computers of the time.
You can see its influence in a lot of later shooters: swappable color-coded weapons, a screen-clearing bomb and a demanding pace became trademarks of the genre.
How to play
You fly a fighter jet up the screen. Colored power-ups swap your main gun: red is a wide spread that covers a lot of ground, and blue is a powerful focused laser straight ahead. Grabbing the same color again powers it up. You can also carry secondary missiles, either straight-firing or homing.
You get a limited stock of bombs that wipe out the area and bail you out of tight spots. The classic advice: don't hang out near the top of the screen, because enemies come in fast and you'll have no time to react. And guard every life: starting over with the basic gun deep into the game is rough.
Fun facts
- The two main weapons are color-coded: red and blue.
- It kicked off one of the longest-running shooter series around.
- The arcade version let two players fly at the same time.
In the arcade
Raiden is coming soon to UsuArcade. It's on the arcade wishlist and you can vote for it with the “I want to play it” button; the most-wanted games show up first.
Until then, the arcade has other vertical shooters to play solo or with friends: Aero Fighters, with its 90s flair; Capcom's 1943: The Battle of Midway; and Slap Fight, with its power-up system. Free in your browser, with chat, spectators and arcade high scores.
Once Raiden lands in the arcade, you'll be able to play it online two-player, each on your own phone or PC, in the same game.
FAQ
Can I play Raiden on UsuArcade?
Not yet. It's on the wishlist and you can vote for it with “I want to play it.”
What year did Raiden come out?
1990, from Seibu Kaihatsu.
How many players is Raiden?
Two players at the same time.
Which weapon is better in Raiden, red or blue?
It depends on the stage: red covers more of the screen and blue packs more punch straight ahead. Lots of players switch depending on the enemies.
What similar games are in the arcade?
Aero Fighters, 1943: The Battle of Midway and Slap Fight are already free to play on UsuArcade.
