Developer: Data West Publisher: Data West Release: 06/07/91 Genre: Shooter
I have played many difficult games in my time as a gamer. But few have ever made me as angry as Rayxanber II. I can appreciate a decent challenge when it is balanced well. For all of the bluster surrounding Dark Souls the games are totally fair once you learn their mechanics. But Rayxanber II takes it to another. From its woefully under-powered weapons, cheap enemy placement, and ridiculous boss battles, the entire game seems as though it were designed to frustrate to no end. The Turbo Grafx has far too many legitimately great shooters to bother with this obscurity.
If the name Rayxanber does not sound familiar it is with good reason. The series never left Japan and also got its start on the FM Towns Marty, one of the most obscure systems of all time. The Marty was home to many a near perfect arcade port but not much else and was Neo Geo level expensive. The first Rayxanber was one of the few original titles for the system and a vicious game. Data West did little to curb its insane difficulty; this is one of the most difficult titles I have ever played. Even with save states it is still frustrating. Sadly the high challenge ruins the games few good points.
Rayxanber II does not offer much choice in terms of weapons. You have three options: the flame laser, explosion gun, and multi-shot. When a weapon appears it cycles through four directions. The direction it is facing when picked up is where its fire is concentrated. This is useful for certain situations but unless you have played the game beforehand can leave you screwed. You can charge each weapon for a more “powerful” shot but it is so weak it isn’t worth the wait time. Lastly you can use your charge meter for a quick movement burst that can also burn enemies. Good luck managing that however.
Here’s the thing about your weapon options: they don’t matter. All weapons seem a level too underpowered compared to the opposition you face. Most enemies are large bullet sponges that seem to take a few seconds too long to kill. And they almost always attack in groups. Even the game’s opening seconds demonstrate this. The game spawns a few moving turrets that are impossible to destroy with your standard shot. This is before you receive your first weapon too. All it would have taken are your weapons being a little stronger or the enemies weaker to make the game bearable.
I say that but that isn’t entirely true. Rayxanber II’s difficulty comes from more than just weak weapons. I found a lot of the enemy placement to be questionable. Enemies appear from all sides of the screen. There’s nothing wrong with that but any sensible game at least choreographs their appearance. Not so here. Rayxanber II delights in its gotcha moments and is full of these at every turn. Boss battles require insane flight skills just to reach their weak point. The boss of the fifth stage is still one of the most unbelievable creations I’ve come across in some time. And if you die you might as well reset, the bosses are near impossible with the standard shot.
It truly is a shame that Rayxanber II is so flawed as I like a lot of its levels. The rare times where the game’s flaws are not in the way show that underneath is what could have been a solid game. Stage three is a unique take on the shooter staple massive battle fortress. Here it is a massive mecha crab where you must avoid its legs while fighting incoming enemies. It is an awesome premise let down by so many enemy waves from every direction that I question if someone play tested it. The final level is a maze of tunnels where you must duck in between different paths to avoid enemies and a ship eater. Unfortunately it moves too fast and is far too long, and the lack of any checkpoint kills it.
About the only positive I can give with few caveats is that the game looks amazing. There is no question that Rayxanber was “inspired” by R-Type. However the quality of the art and sprites set it apart. The biomechanical designs are top class and varied, with few stages sharing the same enemies. Rayxanber II has a generous amount of parallax scrolling and tosses around massive sprites with reckless abandon. Unfortunately slowdown is present and pretty crippling at times. The game shows little restraint and as a result stages three and four devolve into a slide show at times. The soundtrack is great but unfortunately is mostly from the first game.
In Closing
Rayxanber II could have been a decent game were it not for the over the top difficulty. But even then it would still only rank in the middle of the pack among the TG-16 shooter library. There are far better titles in the genre to spend your money on this one. Listen to the soundtrack on youtube and avoid the frustration of playing Rayxanber II, you’ll thank me later.
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