Raiden

Raiden is one of the classic vertical "bullet hell" shooters that earned its reputation in Japanese arcades at the turn of the 80s and 90s, and it carried its reputation as a relentlessly hard game with it from there. The arcade original was signed by studio Seibu Kaihatsu, and the game arrived on the Atari Jaguar console in 1995 as one of the few straightforward representatives of the genre on this platform, at a time when most home consoles were focusing more on 3D action.

The player controls a fighter plane and progresses through a series of vertically scrolling levels full of enemy waves, defense towers, and massive bosses at the end of each mission. The pace is uncompromising – the screen quickly fills with enemy fire, and survival requires precise maneuvering, knowledge of attack patterns, and timely collection of weapon upgrades that gradually turn a slow fighter into a flying cannon capable of clearing the screen from edge to edge. The Jaguar version sticks to the arcade original both in pace and visual style, which was by no means a given on mid-1990s home hardware and cost a number of similar ports dearly in terms of playability.

For Jaguar owners, this was a welcome addition of variety to a catalog then dominated by other types of action – fast racing games, technology showcases, or the first wave of spatial shooters. Against these, Raiden offered a classic old-school two-dimensional shooter, with no compromises on difficulty and an emphasis on clean, focused mastery of a screen full of projectiles, where a single mistake often means instant death.

Why play: For fans of hardcore arcade shooters, Raiden on the Jaguar offers exactly what they expect – fast pace, clear graphics, and merciless, honestly arcade-style difficulty.