Iridion 3D

"It could have been a classic…"

Iridion 3D was one of the most anticipated games on the Gameboy Advance up until its release. It had amazing graphics, great sound, and looked to play very well. How could it have gone wrong? Well, you'll find out if you read on…

Graphics – 10/10

The graphics are the best I have seen on a Gameboy Advance. Even though it was released just as the handheld came out, it still holds the crown for best graphics. You will not understand how good these graphics are from screenshots, you will need to watch a video or the game in action to get the full effect. The backgrounds look just like real 3D from a console like the Gamecube, except for the fact it is a little repetitive. I am not sure, but I think that these amazing backgrounds were managed by using FMV, which is basically a movie rather than actual scenery. Sprites are drawn very well, and have lots of detail. Your ship looks 3D as well, as when you move it, you see it from different angles rather than from directly behind all of the time. Overall, graphics definitely deserve a 10.

Sound – 9/10

The sounds and music are amazing as well. The music quality is brilliant for a Gameboy Advance, and is composed well, too. Each piece of music fits into the level it was made for perfectly. The sound effects are also of great quality, but can be a bit bland, and this is what makes the sound category score a 9 rather than a 10. For example, the first type of laser you have makes a sound like a simple blip when you fire it. The sound category scores 9 overall.

Gameplay – 5/10

Iridion 3D is very fun at first, and you will enjoy the first time you play through immensely. But, on or about your third go, the game starts to get boring. The problem is, although it is mostly what you would expect from an on-rails shooter, nothing truly exciting happens until you get to a boss. There are no imaginative enemies, and they are all very predictable. Another factor that deprives it from being fun is that all of the power-ups are not very well thought out. Every single power up is the same, round object, but is a different colour. You would have at least expected different symbols. And the power-ups themselves are not good. There are no missiles, or anything of the such, just different types of lasers. All of these things make gameplay score a 5.

Difficulty – 9/10

This game is very, very hard. On your first go, you will most likely get game over on the second or third level. The thing that makes it so hard is that it is very, very easy to lose lives, you only get 5 when you start, and that you don't get continues. It is so easy to lost a life because all of the enemies shots are very accurate, and if you don't move out of the way, it is likely that every single shot would hit you. There are also enemies that tend to fly into you a lot, depriving you of lots of health. Also, it is quite hard to see exactly where the enemies are coming from, because your ship gets in the way, and you have to move to the side to see what's coming. The bosses are also quite difficult, but they aren't nearly as hard as in some games. Difficulty earns a score of 9.

Replay value – 3/10

After the first time you complete it, it is likely that you will never come back. The fact that the levels are so bland makes it nearly impossible to find a reason to come back to this game. You may come back once every few months, but only for a couple of minutes, and I doubt you would want to play it more often than that. Replay value scores a 3.

Reminders:
Graphics – 10/10
Sound – 9/10
Gameplay – 5/10
Difficulty – 9/10
Replay value – 3/10

Positive points:
+ Amazing graphics and sound
+ Fun for the first couple of goes
Negative points:
- Gets boring after a few goes
- Hardly any reason to come back to play it again
- Unimaginative power ups
- A bit too hard for some

To the people that have never played this, I know that you want to ignore the poor reviews that this game gets, because it looks amazing, and you think that ‘how could this be a bad game?' Don't fall into this trap like I did. The graphics don't hide a very poor game that is underneath it all.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/19/05