Green diamonds add one more laser to your potential lock-on maximum, and unlike RayForce, an enemy doesn’t have to be below you in order to lock on them, further boosting the use and priority of the lasers.

Red diamond pick-ups can boost your main weapon power if you pick up three of them, and snagging a single yellow one also bolsters your central weapon. Manual is generally recommended for those who wish to score higher points.Whichever ship you choose, the weapon system is akin to the first game with a few notable enhancements. RayStorm runs on Taito’s rarely-used FX-1B graphical processor (same hardware as ), rendering everything in full-on 3D. You do get a note of when and where you start out each level, but other than that, all you need to know is that you’ve got a lot of polygonal enemy machines to blow apart.

To counter the looming rebel army threat, Earth sends out a covertly-developed fighter codenamed the R-Gray in hopes of penetrating the Secilian atmosphere and obliterating Secilia’s base of operations, the Juda Central Core.The plot is more so what you’d expect of shoot-em-ups as opposed to RayForce‘s “Skynet” setup, but even if it’s not as engaging, it is essentially gravy to what you’re seeing on the screen. However, Selicia intends to obliterate the earth and all the people on it, good or bad. Anyway, the important thing is that the year is 2219 and the rebellious colony of Secilia successfully overthrows the government of the Earth-based Star Federation (which may or may not be a nod to Star Trek). Either RayStorm takes place in a different continuity and is primarily a sequel in name only, or humankind REALLY bounced back from being reduced to a mere 0.02% of its former self. However, there’s a possibility it may not even take place in the same continuity as the first game, as humanity was nearly obliterated in RayForce and the Earth irreversibly corrupted by science gone wrong.In RayStorm, Earth is doing well and humanity has prospered enough to expand space colonies all the way into Orion.

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