Raiden III — raiden

Raiden III is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game developed by MOSS and released in 2005. It marked the franchise's return after an 11-year hiatus following Raiden DX, featuring a new visual style and setting in a different universe from previous games. Raiden III is the first game in the series to use the Taito Type X arcade system, developed by Taito, moving away from the traditional arcade systems used in earlier installments.

Gameplay

Players control the new Fighting Thunder ME-02 aircraft, which functions similarly to previous ships in the series. In two-player mode, a unique "starburst" attack is activated when one player lines up directly in front of the other. In Double Play mode, both players share lives, bombs, and have the continue option disabled. The PlayStation 2 version allows both players to be controlled with a single controller.

Weapons

The Fighting Thunder ME-02 fighter is equipped with two primary weapon slots: the main weapon and a secondary weapon, both of which increase in power with collectible power-ups. Additionally, players have access to screen-clearing bombs that destroy enemy bullets and deal significant damage. At the start of the game or after losing a life, players begin with the default Vulcan Cannon and no secondary weapon, along with three bombs (bomb count adjustable in settings).

Main Weapons

Wide Vulcan: A spread weapon that fires small yellow bullets in multiple directions (3, 5, or 7 depending on power level). Each upgrade increases the spread. This weapon is associated with the red crystal and requires five pickups for maximum power.
Lightning Laser: A focused blue laser that fires in a straight line and swerves slightly with lateral movement. Upgrading increases its width and damage. This weapon is associated with the blue crystal and requires five pickups to fully upgrade.
Proton Laser: Replacing the Bend Plasma laser weapon from previous games, this narrow green beam swings in a wide arc (up to a 45-degree angle) with lateral movement. Upgrading enhances its width, brightness, and damage. This weapon is associated with the green crystal and requires five pickups to reach full power.

Secondary Weapons

Each secondary weapon increases in power and damage with additional pickups:

Nuclear Missile: Fires forward-moving missiles that spread out horizontally before accelerating. Direct hits and explosion damage affect nearby enemies. This weapon is associated with the yellow "M" icon and requires three pickups for maximum power.
Homing Missile: Fires missiles that automatically seek nearby enemies. Although less powerful, this weapon is ideal for tracking multiple targets. It is associated with the green "H" icon and requires three pickups to fully upgrade.
Radar Missile: Similar to the Nuclear Missile but partially guided, drifting laterally before aligning with targets. Like the Nuclear Missile, its explosions cause significant area damage. This weapon is associated with the purple "R" crystal and also requires three pickups for full power.

Special Weapon

Bomb: Unlike previous games, the bomb in Raiden III detonates instantly, creating a spreading flame from the player’s position that clears the screen of bullets and damages all enemies in range. Bomb stock can be increased up to seven with "B" power-ups; each additional bomb collected awards 5,000 points. Any unused bombs are worth 5,000 points each at the end of a stage.

Miscellaneous Items

Extra Life (1UP): Grants an additional life and appears in Stages 3 and 6. Any remaining lives at the end of a stage are worth 10,000 points each.
Full Power-Up: Appears under certain conditions, such as frequent player deaths, and upgrades primary and secondary weapons to their maximum level. If already at maximum power, it awards 10,000 points. It appears as a cyan "P" icon.
Fairy: Found by shooting specific objects in Stages 1 and 4. When collected, the fairy provides power-ups if the player’s craft is destroyed. Unlike previous games, this fairy cannot be damaged by the player.
Point Item: Worth 500 points when collected and an additional 10,000 points at the end of the level if not lost during play. If the player dies, all accumulated medals reset to zero.

Stages

Raiden III consists of seven stages, the first three set on Earth and the last four in space. The stage design pays homage to previous Raiden games, with elements from earlier titles, such as the first stage being based on the original Raiden and bosses resembling those from Raiden II and Raiden DX. Unlike its predecessors, Raiden III does not loop upon completion; instead, it concludes with an ending animation.

Stage	Name	Boss	BGM
1	City	BS-01	Lightning Strikes
2	Countryside	BS-02	Electric Resistance
3	Ocean	BS-03	Dawn of Sorrow
4	Space Station	BS-04	A Labyrinth of Steel
5	Huge Enemy Battleship	BS-05	Intruder
6	Floating Continent	BS-06	Invisible Menace
7	Enemy Final Base	BS-07	Last Fear

Scoring

The scoring system includes basic multipliers and collectible items. Players can achieve a multiplier of up to ×2.0 by quickly destroying enemies as they appear. Collecting medals, fairies, hidden targets, and excess power-ups also contributes to the score. The "flash-shot" multiplier rewards quick enemy destruction, with the multiplier decreasing based on the enemy type. In Double Play mode, a bonus score is awarded to the player with the most kills at the end of each stage.

Raiden III × Mikado Maniax (2023)

A special edition, Raiden III × Mikado Maniax, was released for major platforms in February 2023. This version includes all content from the original game, a newly arranged soundtrack by Mikado Game Center, and online leaderboards.

The Flash Desire Raiden III Game Capture DVD

In Japan, a capture DVD titled The Flash Desire Raiden III Game Capture was released on November 2, 2006, priced at approximately 6,090 yen. The DVD includes roughly 120 minutes of gameplay footage, along with an additional CD with 70 minutes of gameplay footage. Its features include:

Normal Mode Capture: Gameplay footage capturing a full playthrough in Normal Mode.
Double Play Mode Capture: A complete playthrough of Double Play Mode.
Outtakes and Extras: Special techniques, high-score gameplay beyond normal mode, and the opening movie.

Gallery

External Links

Raiden video games
Raiden series	Raiden ● Raiden II (DX) ● Raiden III ● Raiden IV (Overkill) ● Raiden V (Story)
Raiden Fighters series	Raiden Fighters ● Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive ● Raiden Fighters Jet (text transcript)
Compilations	The Raiden Project ● Raiden Fighters Aces ● Raiden Legacy
Other Seibu Kaihatsu/MOSS shmups	Stinger ● Scion ● Air Raid ● Viper Phase 1 ● Caladrius (Blaze) ● Raiden NOVA