Raimais

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Raimais

Developer(s) Taito
Publisher(s) Taito
Platform(s) Arcade Game
PlayStation 2
PSP
Release date(s) April 1988
Genre(s) Action game
Mode(s) Single player, 2-player

Raimais (レイメイズ Reimeizu) is a maze chase arcade game released in April 1988 in Japan by Taito.[1]

Overview

As Arkanoid was a remake of Breakout, Raimais is a modern twist on dot-eating games like Head On (1979 Sega) and Pac-Man (1980 NAMCO). Different kinds of enemies, as well as a variety of characters, power-up items and other new added elements and ideas were introduced.

The game is played with a four-way joystick and 2 buttons, one to accelerate and the other to use items. As in Pac-Man, to clear a maze the player must collect all dots while avoiding the enemy. The game consists of 32 mazes total plus boss fights (some optional, some not). The Japanese version also has a storyline and a final boss fight.

Raimais uses Taito L System hardware which based on an 8-bit CPU. Even though at the time the Taito L System was outdated, this does not affect gameplay performance.

In-game BGM's were composed by Mar. of Zuntata. Pony Canyon / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Taito DJ Station : G.S.M. Taito 5 - PCCB-00037) on August 21, 1990.

Story

Rika Midorikawa, a heroine of bikers, in order to rescue her kidnapped brother, rides her Organizer to challenge the mazes.

Multiple endings

The Japanese version of the game has a storyline and 2 endings, good and bad. In order to see Good Ending, the Mirror of Light (Hikari no Kagami) must be obtained. Otherwise the player gets the bad ending. This mirror can be obtained at the Reverse Round entrance at 23rd Round (down).

Clearing mazes

In each level the player starts from the bottom row. If the player collects every "Energy Plate" (the dots) in a stage, all enemies and the items the player did not take disappear. 8 gates will be opened, two in each direction, to proceed to the next stage. The direction chosen determines which maze is next. Taking either door in the same direction has the same outcome. One of them probably is a backup, in case the maze design blocks one of the gates.

There are 4 different maze types associated with the 4 directions:

  • Up: Red Maze
  • Down: Blue Maze
  • Left: Gray Maze
  • Right: Green Maze

The direction taken does not affect the stage design. For example, if "Down" is chosen on round 22nd, the same 23rd round will be seen.

Energy Plate types

Energy Plates come in 8 colors.

  • White: 50 points
  • Orange: 60 points
  • Light blue: 70 points
  • Green: 80 points
  • Red: 90 points
  • Blue: 100 points
  • Purple: 110 points
  • Yellow: 120 points

Metal Plates are different. Multiple passes are required to collect these. Every 8 rounds the number of passes increases by 1.

  • Round 1 to Round 8: 2 times
  • Round 16 to Round 9: 3 times
  • Round 17 to Round 24: 4 times
  • Round 25 to Round 32: 5 times

The points awarded for Metal Plates are calculated by the round number x 50. So in the 10th round these will be 500 points.
Since Metal Plates have the highest points, to get a high score the player may choose mazes with plenty of this type of plate.

1 Up

The player can get an extra life by reaching 80,000 points (once/default setting).
The [P] item that can be found in mazes also gives an extra life (extremely rare).

Items

  • LASER - Gives ability to fire a laser to destroy enemies. The laser can be fired with the item button. This item can be collected more than once to increase the fire rate (maximum 4). This ability is kept after losing a life, but not to the next maze. There is also automatic rapid-fire available by holding down the item button.
  • SLOW DOWN - Slows down the enemies.
  • BREAK - Opens up 2 gates to advance to the next stage w/o requiring the current one be cleared.
  • ARMOR - Gives shield to protect player from dangers. Like the laser, the more items you take, the more hit points can be gained.
  • CRASH - Clears dots on the screen. This works like passing over every dot on the screen once, so Metal Plates may still require more passes.
  • PLAYER EXTEND - Gives an extra life.
  • OTHER ROUTE - Opens an entrance to the Reverse Round where a giant boss is hiding.
  • RAINBOW - Causes a random effect. Some possible effects are cleaning up all plates on the screen including Metal Plates, or giving a powerful shield.

Reverse Round

To enter a Reverse Round, take the [O] item. This will open a gate called Other Route. Pass through the gate to get to Reverse Round.
This round has two parts. The first part is a boss fight with a giant insect.
To beat the bosses, laser items are provided. Different types of boss will require different numbers of hits.

  • Praying Mantis: 20 hits
  • Beetle: 30 hits
  • Fly: 40 hits
  • Dragonfly: 50 hits

Every hit scores 30 points. Beating a boss scores 20000 points.

In second part, Gum Can appears. He gives the player a message. After that the next level will start. Here the player can't choose a direction for maze preference. It will be same as the last choice.[2]

Gum Can

Gum Can is a mysterious alien-looking creature somewhat resembling a pig, and he resides in Reverse Round. In the first encounter (in early stages), he will introduce himself, as well as tell the player about Rika and the story of the game. In other encounters he will tell the player some hints and sometimes give an item. If the player gets an item it can be used with the item button.

Items include:

  • Hyper Armour: A shield that can endure 8 hits.
  • Time Stopper: Stops enemy movement for a certain amount of time.
  • Invincibility: Invincibility to enemies for a certain amount of time.
  • Warp: Warp to specified round.
  • Maximum Speed: Grants maximum speed - Round 17 only (right).
  • Mirror of Light: The most important item that is used in the Final Round - Round 23 only (down).

Enemies

The number of enemies and their starting position differ between stages. The player can destroy enemies with the laser, but they will revive from the same position after a while. Colliding with enemies also destroys them. If player has Armor, this can be used to attack, as colliding while Armor is active destroys the enemy and the player only loses the Armor (or one hit point for every collision). Otherwise the enemy will respawn at that point and will be invulnerable for a while.

Enemy names

Name of the enemies are introduced by the Gum Can while at reverse round depending upon the place.

Despite that tremendous research to find every single name. It is unfortunate to say there are no information about the some enemies. One of them is the "Orange" enemy. So players called those as just "Orange Car". Other one is two similar types of enemies which are either blue or pink called "Double Codeine". Blue codeine and Pink Codeine.

  • Orange car: The enemy which first appears. The kind of its movement is little chasing the organizer. When it faces with the organizer, as a feature it utilizes a U turn. It won't make the turn if there is too much distance, so it is possible to crash with those at higher speeds. At the place where speed is fast these are powerful opponents. 30 points.
  • Nitrite: Green car. Goes along with the right side of the fences. Harsh enemies can utilize higher speeds. 20 points.
  • Synthemesc: Green spider. It stops many times many places and occasionally jumps. While jumping, it is possible to pass under. Depending upon the place it can be difficult enemy. 40 points.
  • Datura: The enemy like the red amoeba. Hitting it does not kills player, but until round clear, or losing a life, player's speed slows down. When players hit these more than once, maximum 2 times slow down possible. Armour does not effect these, but can be defeated with the laser, like the other enemies it revives similarly. 0 points.
  • Wood Rose: Yellow body with green canopy. After blinking, it will disappear. It blinks again and appears. While blinking, this one is harmless. This one doesn't much chase the organizer. 40 points
  • Double Codeine: 2 types of similar pink and blue enemy car. Their method of moving is different. Pink tries position probably to move together with the organizer. While blue pursues the organizer. 50 points.
  • Norganizer: Replica of organizer. This enemy can take item has appeared and if laser is taken, equips the laser and attacks with it, (as for the other item there is no effect, but it becomes disadvantageous as it consumes precious items). Furthermore places the yellow plates. Considerably a powerful opponent, but there is a major feature that it advances in contrast to the direction where the player pushes the joystick. When this is utilized, many stages becomes kinda easy, as long as they don't take any laser. 80 points.

Stage setting

There are also the various setting up in stages, some of these considerably has become troublesome and doesn't have any formal names.

  • Shutter: It opens and closes at fixed time. If it closes while passing, kills the player.
  • Barrier: Covers the passages. Collision with these is same as touching the enemies. But it won't revive again. Levels with these will also have Armour's to help player use it with barriers. Player will lose (or degrades) Armour but won't die. If player has invincibility can pass these w/o dying. It is unfortunate or maybe a missed feature, enemies can pass freely these without any damage.
  • Slip: Slides organizer, choosing any direction at that time becomes impossible. The sliding distance depends on speed. Because of that, to change the direction or enter some corridors, it makes it necessary to slow the speed down.
  • Bomb: When the organizer passes by on, it shines, after a while it explodes. Enemy can be defeated with this explosion. When it explosion takes place, if player is in the range, even with the Armour, it kills the player too.
  • Block: Square blocks. Like the walls it blocks routes similarly, but there are times they are placed where there will be a gap between walls and blocks and these gaps can become important.
  • Tunnel: A passage the direction to which the tunnel is connected. In tunnel there is no collision possible with enemies.

Meteor

There are two instances:

  • Time spent on stage for clearing rather long.
  • After clearing the maze and gates appeared, waiting without entering.

When player does either one, HURRY UP! message will show up as the indication meteors will fall from outside the screen. When it hits, kills the player, in other hand, when passing the place where the meteor fell, it knocks the speed down.

Firstly, despite of there is enough time to clear each stage, in some occasions it will be just enough so there won't be any spare time left after stage clear.
Second, After taking all energy plates, when player is distant to the gate and in the inner part of the dead end, this might be problematic if player lose some time to get out.

Warps with perfect play

There are demonstration scenes at round 4, 12, and 24 (can be skipped as on Gum Can scene, with 3 times pressing the button). If player reach these without losing any life, after demonstration, player will warp to reverse round of same direction stage as selected in warp rounds.

After clearing round 4, if entered UP, player will warp to round 8's up side reverse round. After that level round 9 UP will start. So player can also choose which level to warp (up, down, left, right) at warp round.

  • Round 4 → round 9
  • Round 12 → round 17
  • Round 24 → round 29

Per every warp, player gains 50.000 bonus points. With the reverse round it might become about 75.000 points total. But if not warped, at that skipped stages, it is possible to take more than 75K points. It may be not feasible between rounds 4-8, but it is possible at rounds 13-16 and 25-28 to take more than 75K.

Round hints/tips

Hints listed here shows carefully selected easiest mazes per each round. Including Other Route, some rare item locations and high score possible mazes.

ROUND 2 - RIGHT

ROUND 3 - UP

  • DOWN: Reverse round - Invincibility
  • RIGHT: Reverse round - Nitrite info

ROUND 4 - RIGHT - WARP ROUND

  • RIGHT: Reverse round possible.

ROUND 5 - RIGHT

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • DOWN: Reverse round - Time Stopper

ROUND 6 - DOWN

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • RIGHT: Reverse round - Datura info

ROUND 7 - UP

  • DOWN: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • LEFT: Reverse round - Mirror of Light hint

ROUND 8 - DOWN (or UP)

  • DOWN: Reverse round - Mirror of Light hint
  • LEFT: Reverse round - Dragonfly - Mirror of Light hint

ROUND 9 - RIGHT

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • DOWN: Reverse round - Gum Can tells something like a riddle "My replica has Mirror of Light, I believe he was in north direction". Since the mirror is on round 23 DOWN(south), he might meant replica is in north but real one stays opposite direction.

ROUND 10 - UP/DOWN

  • LEFT: Reverse round - Laser Rapid-Fire info. Round 11 LEFT is difficult, so be warned.
  • RIGHT: Reverse round - Wood Rose info

ROUND 11 - UP

  • DOWN: High score round with Random item, reverse round - Time Stopper
  • RIGHT: Very hard, 2 Random item, reverse round - Double Codeine info

ROUND 12 - DOWN - WARP ROUND - Player will warp to round 17 in case of perfect play (w/o losing life). So if 1-UP item preferred exit with UP. For Maximum Speed item take Right. See round 17.

  • UP: High score, reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • DOWN: Rainbow item, reverse round - Time Stopper
  • LEFT: Very hard, reverse round - "The item absorbs, amplifies and emits every light, which round was it in..." hint
  • RIGHT: Considerably hard

ROUND 13 - LEFT

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • RIGHT: Reverse round - Norganizer info

ROUND 14 - RIGHT

  • UP: Very hard, reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • RIGHT: High score, reverse round - Meteor info

ROUND 15 - RIGHT

  • RIGHT: Reverse round - "At next level, items will appear suddenly." hint

ROUND 16 - RIGHT

  • DOWN: Average, reverse round - "The item absorbs, amplifies and emits every light, which round was it in..." hint
  • LEFT: Hard, reverse round - "The item absorbs, amplifies and emits every light, which round was it in..." hint
  • RIGHT: If you came here from reverse round of 15, items will appear immediately at beginning.

ROUND 17 - UP/RIGHT

  • UP: 1-UP
  • RIGHT: Reverse round - Maximum Speed item

ROUND 18 - RIGHT

  • DOWN: Reverse round - Warp item (warp to round 22)
  • RIGHT: Reverse round - Time Stopper

ROUND 19 - UP - Hard all over

  • DOWN: Random item, reverse round - Invincibility
  • RIGHT: If you take Time Stopper from round 18 use it immediately after beginning. Reverse round - Hyper Armour

ROUND 20 - DOWN (or LEFT)

  • DOWN: Random item, reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • LEFT: y=x level. Reverse round - Multiple Final Round info. Don't take reverse round here, exit with DOWN for high score

ROUND 21 - UP

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • LEFT: Very hard, random item, reverse round - Warp item, warp to round 24 left which means you skip round 23 down for Mirror of Light.

ROUND 22 - DOWN/RIGHT - Very hard all over, when clear this round choose DOWN

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour (Warning! you'll miss Mirror of Light)
  • RIGHT: Reverse round possible (Warning! you'll miss Mirror of Light)

ROUND 23 - DOWN - The round where player can take Mirror of Light

  • DOWN: Reverse round - Mantis (20 hits) - Mirror of Light
  • UP: Reverse round - Time Stopper

ROUND 24 - DOWN - WARP ROUND

  • UP: Reverse round - Invincibility
  • DOWN: High points, you'll be here if you took Mirror of Light
  • LEFT: Reverse round - Time Stopper

ROUND 25 - RIGHT

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • DOWN: Rainbow Stage
  • LEFT: Random item, reverse round - Invincibility

ROUND 26 - LEFT

  • DOWN: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • LEFT: RACE Stage
  • RIGHT: Hard, reverse round possible

ROUND 27 - NONE (?RIGHT) - Hardest round

  • UP: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • DOWN: 7 random item, high points possible, reverse round - Hyper Armour

ROUND 28 - LEFT

  • UP: Reverse round - Rainbow item info
  • LEFT: Reverse round - Rainbow item info

ROUND 29 - DOWN

  • UP: Reverse round - Invincibility
  • DOWN: High points
  • LEFT: Reverse round - Hyper Armour

ROUND 30 - UP

  • DOWN: High points
  • LEFT: Reverse round - Hyper Armour
  • RIGHT: Reverse round - Time Stopper

ROUND 31 - UP

  • UP: Reverse round possible - Dragonfly (50 hits) - Hyper Armour
  • DOWN: Hard, reverse round - Hyper Armour

ROUND 32 - RIGHT - Easy round all over

  • UP: Reverse round possible - Dragonfly (50 hits) - Multiple Final Round info
  • DOWN: Reverse round possible - Multiple Final Round info
  • RIGHT: Reverse round possible - Multiple Final Round info

FINAL ROUND - JAPANESE VERSION ONLY
Here this is the final round. Our hero talks to 'bad man' says something like "I cleared every maze of yours, now please give my brother back". Bad man refuses and draws his weapon.

Here you dodge from lasers, to do this you'll see a little arrow pointing UP, DOWN or LEFT will show up next to Energy level every time the enemy tries to shoot you. When you hear a woman voice (it tells something like use the Mirror of Light) a button image will appear instead. Press fire button as soon as you saw it.

In [NORMAL] difficulty player gets 60.000 points game clear bonus.
In [VERY HARD] difficulty player gets 100.000 points game clear bonus.

[VERY HARD] difficulty makes enemies faster. But the difference affects only first 9 levels as after that level enemies already fast, it becomes similar to [NORMAL] setting game play. So anyone who can clear the game on [NORMAL] also can beat on [VERY HARD] mode.

Technical specifications

Taito L System hardware
Prom Sticker : B36

CPU:

  • Main CPU: Z-80 @ 6.665 MHz
  • Slave CPU: Z-80 @ 4.000 MHz
  • Audio CPU: Z-80 @ 4.000 MHz

Sound Chip:

  • Yamaha YM2610 @ 8.000 MHz

Display:

  • Resolution: Raster, 320x224 @ 60.000 Hz
  • Color Depth: 12 Bit
  • Colors available: 4096
  • Onscreen colors: 256 (16 global palettes with 16 colors each)

Sprites:

  • Simultaneously displayable: 128
  • Sizes: 16x16, 16 colors (15 unique + 1 transparent)
  • Vertical and Horizontal Flipping capability

Tiles:

  • Sizes 8x8, 16x16, 8x8 with 16 colors

Tile Maps:

  • 3 Maps, all 512x256 for Background, Foreground and HUD/Texts

Memory:

  • Z80 (Main/Slave) 16 KB (?)
  • Z80 (Audio) 8 KB (?)
  • VRAM 8 KB (?)

Ports

Consoles:

Computers:

  • PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] [EU] (March 31, 2006, "Taito Legends 2")
  • PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] [US] (July 10, 2007, "Taito Legends 2")

References

  1. ↑ http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/レイメイズ
  2. ↑ http://sanse.no-blog.jp/blog/2012/09/post_32a4.html

External links

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