The player controls the Fighting Ray through six scrolling stages that increase in difficulty. In these stages, the objective is to destroy constantly-moving formations of enemies while avoiding a collision with them and their projectiles, as well as stage obstacles like asteroids. Stages conclude in a boss fight where players must destroy the weak point of an enemy battleship, such as its core or turret guns.
The gameplay was liked for its action and intensiveness. Micom BASIC in particular was fond of its pacing while Shooting Maker showed appreciation towards its innovation and sense of power while playing. The difficulty received criticism from Consoles + though it was seen as a minor setback. The magazine praised Namco for balancing impressive visuals with intense and enjoyable gameplay. Some felt it was too similar to other shooters, but its visual style helped remedy this. NebulasRay also received praise for its array of weapons, soundtrack, and cinematic atmosphere. Retro listed it as being one of the best shooters of all time in 2006, with its intense gameplay and technological abilities being its strong points. Multiple publications have shown interest in the game being re-released for modern platforms.
Japanese: ネビュラスレイ, Hepburn: NebyurasuRei /wiki/Japanese_language
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