Boutique physical games publisher Strictly Limited Games have revealed details of their upcoming collection of Taito shoot ‘em ups: Ray’Z Arcade Chronology.
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What games are included in the Ray’Z Arcade Chronology?
Set for release in Q1 2023, the Ray’Z Arcade Chronology collects Taito’s ‘Ray’ trilogy – RayForce, RayStorm and RayCrisis – in their original arcade forms, along with HD versions of RayStorm and RayCrisis. Excitingly, the HD versions are brand new – and have been put together by the remastering experts at M2.
What’s special about the Taito’s Ray series shmups?
Aside from the spectacular and timeless audiovisual presentation, Taito’s 90s trilogy – starting in 1994 with RayForce and ending in 1998 with RayCrisis – had two features that made the games feel unique. Firstly, the lock-on system – allowing players to target and destroy multiple enemies at once, with homing weapons – and secondly, the layer system. The layer system sees enemies attacking on the same plane as the player, as well as the one below them – meaning that players have to keep their eyes on two fronts at once!
When will pre-orders be made available?
Pre-orders go live in two waves, so if you miss out on the first – make sure you’re ready for the second! Wave 1 goes live on Sunday, 31st July at 12 AM CEST and Wave 2 is live on Sunday, 31st July at 6 PM CEST.
What editions of Ray’Z Arcade Chronology will be available?
There are three editions being made available from the ‘standard’ Limited Edition, to the Limited Edition Pixel Frame Bundle and finally, the spectacular Collector’s Edition.
What’s in the Limited Edition?
The Ray’Z Arcade Chronology Limited Edition is an individually numbered copy of the collection – for PS4 or Switch – and a manual. It’s limited to 3500 Switch copies and 2000 PS4 copies worldwide, priced at EUR 49.99.
What’s in the Limited Edition Pixel Frame Bundle?
The Ray’Z Arcade Chronology Limited Edition Pixel Frame Bundle contains the Limited Edition – so the game for PS4 or Switch – with a manual, but also a stunning, framed piece of pixel art portraying an in-game boss battle. Limited to 2000 Switch copies and 1000 PS4 copies worldwide, this bundle is priced at EUR 79.99.
What’s in the Collector’s Edition?
The Ray’Z Arcade Chronology Collector’s Edition contains a huge selection of amazing collectibles, as well as the Limited Edition of the game and the Pixel Frame artwork. As well as these – coming in a Collector’s Edition Box – there’s a flyer, two posters, six arcade stickers, a live concert Blu-ray, a live concert album, a strategy guide and material collection. It’s an essential edition for fans of the series. This edition is priced at EUR 129.99 and limited to just 2500 Switch copies and 1500 PS4 copies worldwide.
Final Reminder for Ray’Z Arcade Chronology Pre-Orders!
Remember, pre-orders go live at 12AM CEST on Sunday 31st July – which, depending on where you are in the world, could mean that they’re live on 30th July – do make sure to check what this means for your local time zone so you don’t miss out on these spectacular collections. You can check out the time remaining and sign up for an alert at this link to the Ray’Z Arcade Chronology page at Strictly Limited Games.
Jason – who lives in the UK – has had a lifelong interest in video games, which all started when he discovered Space Invaders in the early 80s. The first game he ever completed was Wonder Boy in Monster Land on the Sega Master System – which remains one of his proudest gaming achievements. Jason is a passionate writer – and has been writing about gaming since the late 90s. He currently runs pop culture blog midlifegamergeek.com, which he updates on a daily basis (and has written more than 700 articles on the blog alone!).
Outside of video games, Jason is a keen tabletop gamer, film buff and comic book fan.
