Raiden V Review

"Bullet Extreme"

Campaign/Gameplay

Raiden V is the latest in the long running extreme bullet hell type shooter where you control Raiden in a long scrolling battle against oncoming ships. Things have changed over the years and I do recall playing one of the earlier entries many years ago with this latest one being just as fun. The game features a narrow play field in the middle of the screen where you scroll upwards taking on waves of enemies coming at you from multiple locations. This can be from the air, sea or land with a wide range of enemies and bosses at the end of each level. There are also sprawling story lines available for multiple playthroughs and a number of level selects if you want to go for those high scores as everything is being tallied. There is also just a ton of statistics scrolling on the sides of your narrow view window and two people chatting story aspects though I mostly ignored them as the action on-screen was tense. The game also looks great with 3D worlds that were continuously changing as the game sent you through a great variety of environments. At one point you'd be soaring over a city and then you'd be at a ocean scene or perhaps a desert. The speed was great and matched the game well without ever getting an issue with the pacing. Despite being bullet hell to a degree I still felt it was quite fair and never too difficult always giving you a good chance for getting out of the way. There are also a number of abilities such as bombs or calling in a friend to help out and a cheer meter to send a friendly greeting to other players.

Raiden V Screenshot

The Conclusion

I really enjoyed Raiden V as it was a completely unique experience on the console and generally a ton of fun to play. It was crazy taking on bosses as my bullets sprayed across the screen annihilating everything on site and it offered a good balance for difficulty. There was also a huge list of options for difficulty if you find normal too difficult or want more of a challenge then there's definitely something for you. The campaign has a decent length to it with multiple jets and story paths to take as well with them. It's a complete package that fans of the series will love and fans of crazy bullet scrolling games will enjoy.


Raiden V Review on Xbox One
Review Code Provided by MOSS CO.


Rating Overall: 8.2

Gamerheadquarters Reviewer Jason Stettner