Japanese developer Cave made a name for itself in the mid 1990s with a series of manic vertically scrolling shooters, including ESP Ra.De. from 1998.

It’s got a funny name, and the bullet hell action is almost a joke, but there are actually ways of surviving the ridiculous on-screen onslaught.

Like all Cave games: there are rules and there is reasoning, and there are ways out of every impossible situation.

Graphically: ESP Ra.De. is stunning, with some beautifully-drawn and coloured backgrounds and sprites. Now only if you could see them in the melee…

More: Cave arcade games on Wikipedia