| The Earth Fighter Rayieza | |
| Developer: | Enix Pax Softnica (Family Computer) |
| Publisher: | Enix Nintendo (Family Computer) |
| Producer: | Yoshihiro Hosaka (Ginga no Sannin) |
| Designer: | Makoto Kuba |
| Artist: | Shintaro Majima Go Nagai (Ginga no Sannin characters) |
| Programmer: | Makoto Kuba (Rayieza) Yukio Tamura (Ginga no Sannin) |
| Composer: | Y. Sawamura (Rayieza) Yukihiro Takahashi (Ginga no Sannin) Hiroaki Hontani (Ginga no Sannin) |
| Released: | Enix releases Family Computer |
| Genre: | Role-playing video game |
| Modes: | Single-player |
| Platforms: | PC-8801 FM-7 X1 MSX Famicom |
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Enix. It was originally published in 1985 for the PC-8801, FM-7, X1, and MSX personal computer systems. The game was ported to the Famicom on December 15, 1987 by Nintendo under the title . The programming was done by Pax Softnica.
The game takes place in a sci-fi setting instead of a fantasy world. The characters from Ginga no Sannin were designed by Go Nagai, who also drew the illustrations for the game's package. The background music from Ginga no Sannin was composed by Yukihiro Takahashi. Takahashi included an arranged version of Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Rydeen" as the battle theme.
In the year 2300, the human race created an Earth federation government and spread out into space to begin colonizing the surrounding planets. However, an alien species from the far reaches of outer space began attacking the human forces, putting the very survival of the human race at stake. Though it was only a matter of time before Earth fell to the enormous power of the enemy forces, the Earth's army commander issued an order calling all of the units dispersed around the colonized planets to return to Earth. The player takes the role of a young soldier who was stationed with the Rayieza unit on the planet Mars. The journey begins as he makes his way back to Earth along with the other members of his unit.
The Family Computer port of the game was released on December 15, 1987. Though the game is largely a faithful port of the PC version, some arrangements were made, such as the addition of a side-scrolling screen when the player lands on a planet's surface, or Rimi being able to use psychic powers. During the later parts of the game, enemies begin to appear very frequently, and new enemy special attacks were added which can lower the maximum hit-points of allied characters (lowered points return the next time the character's level increases).
Game designer Makoto Kuba stated in an interview that the name was changed due to trademark issues. He also stated that Nintendo may have published the game so that Enix would not have to be associated with a "low-quality" game.
The theme song for The Earth Fighter Rayieza was included in an album titled "Enix Game Music". It was released by GMO Records on October 25, 1987.[1]