The Raiden Fighters Remix Collection is a comprehensive tribute to Seibu Kaihatsu’s arcade legacy. Developed by MOSS and published by H2 Interactive, this package bundles Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive, and Raiden Fighters Jet, providing both their Japanese and International iterations. It positions itself as the definitive way to experience these 90s gems on modern hardware, but is it really all that it claims to be? Well let’s dive into it and see if this is truly the case or if you should seek out alternative methods to play these games.
While narrative is rarely the focus of a vertical shooter, the collection maintains the series’ distinct futuristic military atmosphere across its three chapters. The trilogy casts you as an elite pilot in a global conflict against a massive insurgent force, with the “story” largely told through mission briefings and the escalating scale of enemy fortresses. Raiden Fighters and its sequel present a straightforward offensive across scorched battlefields and naval bases, while Raiden Fighters Jet introduces a unique narrative; the game is framed as a combat simulation where your performance dictates the path you take, ultimately culminating in a “Real Battle” phase for those who prove their worth. It’s a slim but effective framework that gives weight to the relentless destruction on screen.
The gameplay is where the collection’s variety truly shines, as each title offers a unique mechanical hook. The original Raiden Fighters serves as the foundation, introducing the Slave system where small assist ships can be gathered to amplify firepower or act as shields. Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive expands this drastically with a 14-ship roster and the Hybrid Attack, allowing two players to combine their energy for a screen-clearing blast. This is a very interesting mechanic and rather fun to pull off. Finally, Raiden Fighters Jet acts as the technical peak, ditching linear stages for a performance-based branching system where your skill level determines which of the 12 stages you experience. While the core shooting remains pristine, the “Remix” package adds a Practice Mode, a “no-bullet” Beginner Mode, and Boss Rush mode. All of these modes the remix collection offers is a very unique and interesting way to play these classic games and worth checking out at least once, though may not be something you come back to in favor of the traditional way of playing these titles.
Visually, the pixel art remains stunning, and the inclusion of TATE mode (vertical orientation) and various CRT filters ensures the arcade aesthetic is well-preserved. However, performance on the Switch is currently the collection’s biggest hurdle. While I don’t really notice an issue with any of the games in this collection’s performance, there have been reports of lag when playing on Switch. Reports indicate there being about 106 ms of lag while playing and the FPS dipping into the 50s while playing in handheld mode. This is due to the resolution being rendered at 1080p internally. This is regardless of playing in either handheld or docked mode. What I will say with regards to this is that I personally have yet to experience this lag; or it may be that I just don’t notice it, though you may. This could be due to playing on Switch 2 and with the recent update, or it could be just something that I just don’t notice.
The “Remix” branding of this collection is where it’s most evident. This collection features 30 brand-new arrangements from legendary composers like Soshi Hosoi and Yuki Arai. These tracks are pulse-pounding, blending modern synths with aggressive guitar riffs that breathe new life into the classic stages. For those who prefer the 90s original soundtracks, they are also available and sound better than ever. A standout feature is the BGM Customization, which allows players to mix and match tracks from different eras for each individual stage, creating a personalized high-energy soundtrack to accompany the chaotic bullet curtains. Now as odd as this feature may seem, it really allows you to personalize your play through of each stage which is something that is both very unique and rare to see; not only in a shooter, but in any collection in today’s age of gaming. I hope that this is something that becomes more commonplace in these types of collections.
In its current state, the Raiden Fighters Remix Collection is a high quality preservation of shmup history. It is a generous package that successfully modernizes the experience with a stellar new soundtrack and lets players play these games really the way they want to play them. You can completely customize your experience or play the games the way they were originally played.
If you’re a die hard fan of these arcade games, you may find technical issues with these games and may want to continue to play them using other means. But for those casual fans looking for a blast of arcade energy, this is definitely a must play on your platform of choice. As someone that only really played the Raiden game released on 16-bit consoles, I was blown away by these titles and am happy to have been able to play them. I can honestly say these are must play shooters and this collection should definitely be in your game collection!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.