Ikaruga

"Ikaruga brings something new to the table."

The gaming world is full of shooters, many of which fail to stand out. Many are sub par and fail to deliver. Others are stale with gameplay and fall flat. This shooter, however is one that goes against the grain and takes a risk on bringing a new concept, the ability to change your ship's color. This may seem menial, but it is very crucial to the gameplay and this is what makes it different. This game started as an arcade game, that was later brought to consoles. Some say this game is a possible sequel to Radiant Silvergun, but I can not confirm this as fact.

Gameplay: Very difficult to say the least. Your ships color is very important, you choose between being black or white. When you are white you absorb white shots and are damaged by black shots. Vice versa with the black. As you absorb the shots, energy is built up and eventually you can release it and destroy nearby enemies. Black enemies are weak against white and white are weak against black. You also have to constantly maneuver your ship to avoid hitting shots and running into enemies. Running into enemies regardless of color will cost you a ship. Changing ship colors is a must, it is not possible to complete the game without doing so. Controls here are pretty simple with only 3 buttons that you will use. The d-pad makes your ship a little easier to control than the analog stick would. This game, however,does not support the analog stick. There is also a tutorial mode if you are still confused about the gameplay. You can also practice a stage before you start your actual game so you get accustomed to the difficult gameplay.

Graphics: This game is simply stunning, the environments are very nicely done. Your ship looks awesome and its neat how it looks when you interchange colors. The explosions after you defeat a boss are also amazing. The attention to detail in this game really shows, and adds to the overall feel. The use of 3-D environments in a 2-D game works surprisingly well. The only problem is during an explosion there is some slowdown, as well in other parts in the game.

Sound: The music in the game is very nice, but you hardly have time to actually have time pay attention to it. When you are at the select game mode menu the music is very dramatic with drums and snares. You feel like you are about to experience something special, and that's just in the select mode menu. During gameplay the music is full of synths and a sort of upbeat melody. When you are about to face a boss the music changes tone to a more dramatic and fast paced sound. The sound effects are very good and fit the game like a glove. Whether its you firing a laser or blowing up an enemy. Every blip and blap is done well.

This game as fun and difficult as it is, only has 5 chapters. The game is probably beatable in 20 min or so, but time will differ between your skill level and game difficulty. Completing all the difficulties will take you a while though and trying to get points to get ranked adds to replay value. The 2 player feature can be especially entertaining. Playing with another person almost makes it an entirely new game as you have you change your strategy and work together. Trying to out due each other in score adds to the fun as well. The 5 chapters this game offers is a little bit of a let down, since they leave you wanting more.

My experience with this game is one that was truly great. This old-school style shooter with new added twists will be a refreshing change of pace. If you can find this game I encourage you to get it. I hear its pretty hard to find on the Dreamcast. There is also a Game Cube version if you missed the Dreamcast version.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/03