Raiden Fighters Jet

Overview

Raiden Fighters Jet is a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up developed and released by Seibu Kaihatsu (along with Fabtek in the North America release) for arcades (using their Seibu SPI hardware) in 1998.

The third and final installment of Raiden Fighters, as well as the final game by Seibu Kaihatsu, Raiden Fighters Jet builds on its predecessor with a unique branching path system (where player performance determines how the game progresses). The game's story ties-in with this, as most of the game is a simulation of the "XTF-1 Project" in order to determine if the player is capable of piloting a new experimental fighter craft (the Ixion).

Similar to the rest of the series, it was included in two compilations: the 2019 Raiden Fighters Aces and the 2012 Raiden Legacy.

Aircraft

The game includes 14 playable aircraft, each with their own performance and weaponry. Unlike previous games in the series, all of them are available by default and both players can now select the same aircraft.

Most of the aircraft from Raiden Fighters 2 return with minimal changes, with the only non-returning ones being the Aegis II-C and Dark Sword. Only one new fighter is added: the Ixion.

Normal

• Aegis IV
• Beast Wing
• Chaser 2000
• Death Header
• Eraser
• Flying Ray
• Griffin
• Hell Diver

Special

• Raiden mk-II - Originally from Raiden II / Raiden DX. Very slow maneuvering. Does not use a "main cannon", instead using both sub-weapons simultaneously. Its Laser sub-weapon fires twin plasma shots at a fast rate, with upgrades transforming it into a continuous plasma beam that sways with the ship and locks-onto enemies. Its Missile sub-weapon launches volleys of homing missiles. Cannot use charged attacks and uses a unique Bomb attack based on their corresponding game's.

• Judge Spear - Originally from Viper Phase-1. Insanely fast maneuvering. Does not use a "main cannon", instead using both sub-weapons simultaneously. Its sub-weapons are fast-firing but all fire in a straight spread in front of the ship, with the Laser firing multiple vulcan shots at a faster pace and the Missile firing twin missiles at a slower pace. Cannot use charged attacks and uses a unique Bomb attack based on their corresponding game's.

• Raiden mk-IIβ - An alternate version of the Raiden mk-II. Average maneuvering. Its Laser sub-weapon fires volleys of vulcan shots in a wide arc while its Missile sub-weapon fires volleys of cruise missiles.

• Blue Javelin - An alternate version of the Judge Spear. Fast maneuvering. Its Laser sub-weapon fires vulcan shots in an arc, while the Missile fires multiple bursts of missiles at multiple angles.

• Miclus - Seibu Kaihatsu's mascot and a hidden target in the Raiden series. Average movement. Its weaponry is unique in that it doesn't use sub-weapons at all, only rapidly spitting fireballs in an arc from the upgradable "main cannon". Its Slave companion ships are also replaced with fairies (which are hidden power-ups in the Raiden series) and its Bomb is replaced with a continuous flamethrower burst (which can sway with player movement).

• Ixion - New to the series. In the main game, players switch to the Ixion if they progress further enough into the game, although their sub-weapons and Bomb attacks are transferred.

In addition, through a special cheat code, players can play as a hidden "Slave" variant of their currently selected aircraft. While they share the same appearance as the ship's companions (and thus have a smaller hitbox) and share the ship's maneuvering speed, all variants have the same weaponry (based on the companion ship's high-powered shots, with no sub-weapons or charged attacks).