Rayzanber III

neoalphazero · Post by **neoalphazero** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 3:57 am

Rayzanber III was one of the first PC Engine games I owned and one of the last I played. Sometime in the late 90's I got a new shrinkwrapped copy for pretty cheap and just sat on it as a rainy day pursuit. It didn't help that part 2 was one of the most grueling games ever made or the fact that the only review I read of Rayzanber III doled out harsh criticism (oddly enough the review was by Working Design's Vic Ireland).

It was a suprise to find this is one of the better shooters on the system. For one thing, the game comes off as well-balanced hori shooter. Your standard shot is decent, power ups are OK, and the speed boost held over from the last game is a help in tight spots. The real star though is the addition of homing missiles as a standard weapon (triggered by holding off the fire for a second or two). Being thrown back to a check point was no longer a dire situation, unlike many other games in the genre you had a weapon other than a pea shooter to take on impossible mobs in later levels. It can be likened to Border Down to some extent.

The audio wasn't too bad either, some oddly tranquil tracks but still well-composed. The game's graphics also struck a chord. The backgrounds can be a bit dull but the enemies have a distinctly alien look to them in design and animation. Instead of simply drawing things with big teeth or the standard Giger designs, the creatures have a natural quality to them like jellyfish or single cell organisms. In fact, it took a while to figure out where I've seen design like this before I realized the game matched certain parts of Thunder Force IV. Though I haven't beaten the game I have to wonder if one of Data West's crew transferred to Technosoft after the company's demise. Both games use more organic and Earthy colors for their palette and both seem to share the same unique enemy design.

Thoughts? *-neo

rolins · Post by **rolins** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:23 am

I don't know anything about the company history, but Rayxamber III is certainly one the best pc-engine games.

The graphics I don't think were dull, but awesome. The shades of brown, red, and greys they used were impressive, including the detail they put in the bosses and environments. IIRC they're was only one stage which was dull and it was the place where you're submerged in water.

I really liked using the rocket boosters, and they actually have some use here. Your ship ain't that quick so it's a thrill to escape danger in the last moment. Reminds me of Steam Heart's, also a cool shooter.

Most powerups I thought were too weak, boring and useless. Probably best option is the red capsules for fire, since they seem to do the most damage.

My real complaint is the difficulty. While it may seem challenging, you'll zoom past the levels fairly easy and there's only one boss thats tough. I've actually beaten this game with one life on maniac mode, which wasn't any tougher than default mode.

Keranu · Post by **Keranu** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:58 am

I think Rayxamber III is pretty damn sweet. One complaint I can give though is the annoying, loud sound effect that comes off that yellow weapon; it was a little painful to the ears and it distracted the awesome soundtrack.

maxlords · Post by **maxlords** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:55 am

Hmmm...I have Rayxanber II and III. I found III playable but just barely...you've gotta be dedicated to get ANYWHERE in it. That's one hard game there. Muted colors, but it's a beautiful game. Course, Rayxanber II is easily the hardest shmup ever made...

xaer0knight · Post by **xaer0knight** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 3:44 am

maxlords wrote:Hmmm...I have Rayxanber II and III. I found III playable but just barely...you've gotta be dedicated to get ANYWHERE in it. That's one hard game there. Muted colors, but it's a beautiful game. Course, Rayxanber II is easily the hardest shmup ever made...

Never had a chance to play Rayxanber III, but Id agree. The 2nd one is the hardest shmup i have ever owned or even played. I thought that RII has some of the best 16bit sound and graphics in the era, i need to pop that in and play it again

jp · Post by jp » Sun Apr 09, 2006 4:07 pm

I never got to play Rayxanber III. I really wanted to get it back when I had a PC-Engine Duo... but I never did get around to that. Seemed like it would be awesome.

I did however, manage to get Rayxanber II. And yes, that game is impossibly hard. I could make it to level 4 on 1-life, but after that... no, its not do-able.