Overview – developed and published by Riez-ON, AI-deal-Rays is a fast paced 3D action game, set in a world of advanced AI androids, where technological advancements have led to AI and humans living together. One night, you meet AI-Deal, a full-intelligence android during an emergency, becoming her owner and entering intense battles. This title is available on steam, with a link to the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Riez-ON for providing the copy of AI-deal-Rays used for this piece, via the Keymailer service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Mature Content Advisory: this title is intended for mature audiences, with sexualised content, elements of fanservice and scenes of a sexual nature. There is also an optional “Adult Content Pack” which includes additional sexual content, but this is not included with the base game. If you are uncomfortable with any of the content listed above, or are under the age of 18, then please take a look at the other content on the site instead.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. Please note, I will be only covering the core of the gameplay, as I do not wish to spoil any of the surprises that this game has for players.
Story – in the year 2200, technology has advanced to the point that AI Androids are now part of human society, with various groups utilizing them for a range of purposes. However, the full intelligence androids known as the “Re;ON Series” have been released, engaging in high intensity battle. One fateful night, you encounter the Re;ON Series TYPE-X2 Ai-deal, becoming her owner and setting in motion a series of events that may change the future forever.
Gameplay – AI-deal-Rays is a full 3D action game, featuring battles against autominous AI androids in fast paced battles. Each of the 10 chapters features dynamic third person battles, in a variety of arenas, like above a high tech cityscape, among the clouds and even in space itself. The player as the owner controls Ai-deal, the experimental Full intelligence android, armed with a variety of weaponry, allowing for close range and distance combat.
During the battle segments, the player can use a streamlined combat system, with two main functions split between offense and defence. The offensive skills that players can use are affected by the range, with long, middle and close, altering the attacks that will be unleashed. When the player is closer to their foe, they will be able to hit hard with rapid melee strikes. But if they are far away, they will use projectiles to hit from a safe distance.
In order to close the gap, the player can engage a dash skill, quickly boosting in when charged and striking their targeted foe. The player will also be able to bombard the enemy with ranged attacks as they charge, giving an opportunity to stun the opponent. When in close to an enemy, the player may be able to activate Cluster Drain, a special technique that drains the health of the foe. This can be very useful, as it will also recover damage taken in battle.
As damage is done and energy is drained, the player will gain special charges, shown below Ai-deal’s energy bar. When these have been filled up, powerful Sonic Burst moves can be deployed, with four of them that can be activated against foes. At long distances, the player can unleash a powerful beam attack, hitting all in the path. However, at closer distances a powerful melee combo can be activated, for devastating damage to the target.
The battles that occur will rarely be single combatant encounters, as additional enemies will appear and try to swarm Ai-deal. To prevent getting overrun, there are two skills that can be employed, the first is the Extermination skill, which attacks all enemies within a set range. The other is the Counter Burst, which has the capability to interrupt enemy attack. All of these skills use up different amounts of Burst charges, adding a little strategy to their use.
Attacking is all that Ai-deal can do, as she has access to the Mirage Line, a special evasive manoeuvre that allows for attacks to be avoided. By using this skill, ranged attacks can be dodged, enemies can be evaded and openings can be found by getting behind attackers. If the player can time the skill right, they will perform Flash Move, allowing them to gained higher evasive skill, closing in faster on their targeted enemy and preventing any damage.
As there will be multiple combatants on the field regularly, the player can use a targeting system, switching between foes. All enemy combatants have a health bar, allowing the player to decide which of their foes poses the greatest threat. This can be very useful when combined with the Extermination Sonic Burst, taking out weakened enemies with ease. The effective use of all offensive and defensive skills is the key to surviving combat encounters.
In each chapter, there is more than just the battles. To drive the story forward, there will be cinematic scenes with dialogue between the owner, Ai-deal and others pushing the story forward. There will also be event scenes, offering the player some breathing room between battles with interactions with Ai-deal and her owner. There are several options during these events, allowing the story to progress, while also offering extra world building details.
When a chapter is completed, there will be an ending scene, showing characters of the game, similar to an ending from an anime series. During these chapter endings, a theme will play and a set of credits will play out. After the ending has played out, the player will be returned to the main menu, where they can access a variety of options. The player can alter the look of Ai-deal, changing her color, parts and even her skin, with a cel-shaded anime style option.
On the main menu, players will also be able to change the attacks that Ai-deal can use, mixing up her tool-kit as new attacks are unlocked as the player progresses. This adds further depth to the combat experience, letting players mix things up. Players will also be able to replay previous events and battles, being able to experience the events again. Last is the Encyclopedia, a special feature that lets players look at all of the Androids in the game upon completion.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – Ai-deal-Rays offers both mouse and keyboard as well as controller support, with the streamlined controls working well in both styles. As standard the mouse operates all of the attacks and defense, with keyboard handling the movement. For gamepad users, the controls are laid out in a comfortable and easy to use way. On the pause screen, there is a control layout for easy reference. All inputs can be remapped, but the layout won’t reflect that.
Difficulty – there are two difficulty settings for Ai-deal-Rays, which affect the way that battles play out during the campaign. The recommended option for all players is Normal, which offers a fair and balanced challenge that can be beaten with a little persistence. The other option is Story, which makes battle significantly easier, giving players a more relaxed and less intense experience. Both options offer an experience for players of all skill levels.
Presentation – from a visual standpoint, this game is gorgeous to look at, with all of the female models being quite pleasing to the eye. Then there are the environments, which take a page out of the classic Mecha battle games, with the high-tech cityscapes and mechanical architecture. I especially enjoyed the use of space, with the vast open cosmos and stars in the distance, which added to the spectacle of the battles.
Then there are the chapter endings, which was an interesting stylistic choice, making each “episode” feel complete after it is cleared. The soundtrack of Ai-deal-Rays is varied, with a mix of soft melodies and fast paced electronic compositions, which helped to build the atmosphere of the story and battles. To round it out, there is an unusual use of voice acting, as all of the female characters have voices in Japanese only, yet none of the male characters are voiced.
Final Thoughts – I am an enjoyer of mech style arena battles, with games like Zone of the Enders being a personal favourite. Ai-deal-Rays is reminiscent of this genre, with the anime style and fast paced action. This is combined with the engaging narrative, which managed to pull me in and get me invested, making me want to know what happened next. The entire experience may feel brief, at around 6 hours, but it is engaging for the entire duration.
There were some unfortunate issues with this release, having crashes due to conflicts with other software, but this was remedied quickly at the start of play. The only thing that may put players off is the fanservice and sexual content, with the use of jiggle physics, risqué outfits and sexuality at various points of the game. That aside, I have no issue recommending this game to fans of the arena action genre, as it can really pull you in and want to see what happens next.
In the end, I give Ai-deal-Rays a final score of 4.75/5. This is one of the better games in the 3D action genre I have played, with streamlined controls that enhanced the fast paced action of combat. This is combined with the stunning visuals, music and a narrative that is engaging for the full, if a little brief game length. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to the game will be below.
Link to Steam version (HERE)
NOTICE TO UK USERS: If you are from the UK, due to the new regulations that have been implemented, this game will require credit card age verification to view the page and purchase the game. If you are unable to verify, there are workarounds, but I will not be sharing them here for legal reasons.
W.Kohaku Media 