<s>
is	O
a	O
vertically	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
by	O
Taito	O
for	O
the	O
Taito	B-Application
F3	I-Application
arcade	O
hardware	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
in	O
1995	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
1997	O
,	O
then	O
rereleased	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
in	O
2012	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
trademark	O
problems	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
home	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
it	O
was	O
renamed	O
Layer	B-Application
Section	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
version	O
was	O
released	O
outside	O
Japan	O
retaining	O
this	O
name	O
,	O
but	O
when	O
Acclaim	O
published	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
for	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
and	O
European	O
markets	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
renamed	O
Galactic	O
Attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
titled	O
Gunlock	B-Application
in	O
European	O
arcades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
distant	O
future	O
,	O
human	O
governments	O
,	O
across	O
the	O
planet	O
Earth	O
,	O
construct	O
a	O
massive	O
supercomputer	B-Architecture
,	O
named	O
"	O
Con-Human	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RayForce	B-Application
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Tatsuo	O
Nakamura	O
,	O
assisted	O
by	O
designer	O
and	O
planner	O
Tomohisa	O
Yamashita	O
and	O
graphic	O
designer	O
Hideyuki	O
Katou	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
for	O
inspiration	O
,	O
Nakamura	O
turned	O
to	O
Taito	O
's	O
earlier	O
game	O
Master	B-Application
of	I-Application
Weapon	I-Application
for	O
its	O
aerial	O
top-down	O
perspective	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
thought	O
would	O
work	O
well	O
with	O
3D	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
also	O
inspired	O
by	O
Namco	O
's	O
Xevious	B-Application
,	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
targeting	O
reticule	O
for	O
firing	O
bombs	O
at	O
ground-stationed	O
targets	O
;	O
not	O
wanting	O
to	O
simply	O
repeat	O
this	O
,	O
Nakamura	O
decided	O
on	O
a	O
lock-on	O
laser	O
that	O
destroyed	O
multiple	O
enemies	O
at	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
chose	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
themed	O
around	O
"	O
inorganic	O
"	O
substances	O
,	O
an	O
idea	O
previously	O
used	O
in	O
Konami	O
's	O
Gradius	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
their	O
experience	O
with	O
designing	O
Darius	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
the	O
production	O
staff	O
had	O
little	O
issue	O
with	O
balancing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
graphics	O
,	O
Katou	O
chose	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
metallic-esque	O
look	O
similar	O
to	O
Darius	B-Application
,	O
despite	O
the	O
disgruntlement	O
of	O
the	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
Taito	B-Application
F3	I-Application
System	I-Application
arcade	O
hardware	O
proved	O
to	O
be	O
difficult	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
when	O
designing	O
levels	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
hardware	O
's	O
scaling	O
techniques	O
with	O
backgrounds	O
and	O
objects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
work	O
around	O
,	O
background	O
objects	O
were	O
made	O
to	O
be	O
simple	O
geometrical	O
shapes	O
and	O
cylinders	O
,	O
using	O
similar	O
techniques	O
in	O
Sega	O
's	O
Space	B-Application
Harrier	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	O
game	O
Metal	B-Application
Black	I-Application
was	O
the	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
dust	O
cloud	O
effect	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
titled	O
Layer	B-Application
Section	I-Application
,	O
a	O
nod	O
to	O
the	O
multi-layered	O
level	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
thought	O
of	O
using	O
pre-rendered	O
computer	O
graphics	O
for	O
the	O
visuals	O
,	O
however	O
Namco	O
's	O
NebulasRay	B-Application
already	O
employed	O
the	O
idea	O
to	O
the	O
anger	O
of	O
Katou	O
,	O
leading	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
instead	O
feature	O
all-2D	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RayForce	B-Application
was	O
presented	O
at	O
the	O
1993	O
Japan	O
Amusement	O
Machine	O
Association	O
(	O
JAMMA	O
)	O
tradeshow	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
trademarking	O
the	O
title	O
,	O
Nakamura	O
and	O
the	O
others	O
requested	O
all	O
three	O
Taito	O
arcade	O
departments	O
to	O
come	O
up	O
with	O
alternative	O
names	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
Gunlock	B-Application
and	O
RayForce	B-Application
were	O
chosen	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
becoming	O
the	O
official	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
RayForce	B-Application
on	O
their	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
1994	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
third	O
most	O
popular	O
arcade	O
unit	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
typically	O
caught	O
between	O
its	O
high	O
quality	O
design	O
and	O
its	O
antiquated	O
gameplay	O
and	O
stylistics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rad	O
Automatic	O
of	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
Magazine	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
fun	O
but	O
severely	O
outdated	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
both	O
graphics	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
though	O
he	O
did	O
praise	O
the	O
absence	O
of	O
slowdown	O
and	O
the	O
authentic	O
arcade	O
feel	O
of	O
the	O
tate	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
he	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
fun	O
,	O
he	O
noted	O
it	O
was	O
being	O
released	O
alongside	O
a	O
host	O
of	O
top-quality	O
Saturn	B-Device
titles	O
(	O
including	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Sega	B-Application
Rally	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
,	O
"	O
Come	O
on	O
-	O
be	O
honest	O
now	O
-	O
is	O
this	O
really	O
the	O
sort	O
of	O
game	O
you	O
coughed	O
up	O
£300	O
to	O
play	O
with	O
your	O
high-tech	O
next	O
generation	O
gaming	O
system	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
review	O
the	O
game	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
in	O
1997	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
editors	O
ranked	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
as	O
the	O
86th	O
best	O
console	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
citing	O
its	O
dual-layer	O
mechanic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
some	O
point	O
this	O
concept	O
was	O
abandoned	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
RayStorm	B-Application
,	O
which	O
instead	O
sported	O
polygon-based	O
3D	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
prequel	O
,	O
RayCrisis	B-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
X-LAY	O
appears	O
as	O
a	O
downloadable	O
ship	O
in	O
Taito	O
's	O
Dariusburst	B-Application
:	I-Application
Chronicle	I-Application
Saviours	I-Application
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
on	O
Taito	O
Memories	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Xbox	O
and	O
PC	O
versions	O
of	O
Taito	O
Legends	O
2	O
,	O
but	O
these	O
releases	O
all	O
run	O
in	O
upscanned	O
640x448	O
resolution	O
,	O
which	O
results	O
in	O
slight	O
flickering	O
,	O
no	O
scanlines	O
and	O
slightly	O
blurrier	O
image	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
arcade	O
and	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
versions	O
.	O
</s>
