Ikaruga
Radiant Silvergun is surprisingly well known for a game that only came out in Japan. Any hardcore shoot’em up fan knows it. But not many have had the chance to play it, despite being released for the Saturn (one of the easiest systems to play import games on); the game sells now for over $200 US on ebay. Ikaruga is the spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun (meaning not a sequel, but designed and built with the previous game in mind). Like Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga is considered one of the best shmups of all time. The game came out in Japan on the Dreamcast, and was ported to the Gamecube here in North America. Even on the gamecube it’s hard to find a copy, and they are quite expensive, so it was great when the game was released on XBLA for only 800 MS points ($10).
Onto the review! Ikaruga is a shoot’em up game, but it introduces a very interesting gameplay mechanic. The polarity fields are set this game apart from other shmups. While going through the levels you’ll be assaulted by both black and white enemies. At the press of a button you can change the polarity of your ship from white to black, and back. The basic idea is that while you are white, you can absorb white bullets, and black bullets can kill you. While you are black, the opposite is true. Once you absorb enough shots you can fire them back as a special move. This makes for an incredibly unique shmup experience, and because of the gameplay it allows the game to throw way more enemies at you then you would usually be able to handle. It also introduces some interesting level designs that start to feel more like a puzzle game than a shmup.
The game has your typical modes, and chaining system you’d expect from a shmup. There are also online leader boards for the XBLA version to see how you rank among the best. Once you clear a stage you will unlock it for stage select which is a great way to get to see the further stages if you’re not a great player.
Finally there’s the two player mode. A mode that a lot of shmups have been leaving out recently, but that is crucial to any good shmups success. Just like the single player mode, the two player mode is quite unique for Ikaruga. This is because of the same mechanics. Typically you and your partner would just go through the levels as you would in single player, but in this game, there’s a huge bonus for working together. That being that you’ll be able to do much better as a team. The idea is simple, since you can absorb bullets the same color as you, each player can remain a single color for most of the game. Working as a team you can shield each other from incoming bullets. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience when you and your partner work together to completely obliterate the game… well the first level or two at least. Even with this strategy the game is incredibly tough. You have to be a master and work incredibly well with your partner to get through this one.
Ikaruga makes a lot of games top 5 shmups list. For me it’s #1. It’s innovative, fun and addictive. I recommend everyone pick this up. Even if you’re not a big shmup fan, this is a game worth owning and at least playing around with once and a while.
