If you look at the screenshots, you will see two main colors. Black and White. Only two main colors. Is it a minimalist shooter? No way. Gameplay Your ship can flip between 2 colors: White and Black. When you are White, you absorb White projectiles and blow up from Black ones. When you are Black, you absorb Black projectiles and blow up from White ones. When you are White, you destroy Black enemies faster, and when you are Black, you destroy White enemies faster. If you destroy 3 White followed by 3 Black enemies (or vice versa), a combo multiplier will begin. If you destroy all White or Black, it works in the same fashion. Each level is set up in a way where you can get a full combo each time. When you absorb enough energy, you can fire a super attack which will help you. This game is also very hard. Not R-Type hard. Not Gradius hard. Not even Radiant Silvergun hard. It reaches the highest border of difficulty without crossing the border of frustration. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE!!!!!!! If you like and/or have mastered shooters such as Radiant Silvergun or Dodonpachi, chances are you will not like this game because it is not about holding the fire button down for the entire length of the game. In order to become an Ikaruga Master, you need to conserve your fire; select which enemies to combo next. This is what makes Ikaruga unique. Graphics The backgrounds are very abstract; you probably will not understand if you are flying upside-down or forward. For example, on Level 3, you think you are flying upward, but when you reach the boss at the end, there is a forest below it, telling you that you were actually going forward horizontally. Ikaruga also contains some amazing explosions. They are very large, loud and colorful, but I wish that more color was used in the rest of this game. Sound Perfect. Combines keyboards with symphony instruments to create some of the best music ever to grace the shmup world. Period. Value There are only 5 levels, and there are no real reasons to play again except to try to get on Internet Ranking, but the site is not being maintained, anyway. Recap + Very unique mechanics + Abstract, multidimensional locales + Nice explosions +/- Very Hard - Only 5 levels - Needs more color In Conclusion Ikaruga. Buy it. You'll love it. Buy, Don't Buy, Rent Only, or Don't Bother? Buy
Ikaruga comes from the same team as the ill-fated Radiant Silvergun on the Saturn, which some have claimed to be “the greatest shooter of all time”. With that kind of heritage, it should be expected to have some impressi... Read Full Review
Chances are, you fall into one of two categories. Either you imported the Dreamcast release of Ikaruga last year and are already hopelessly addicted, or you’ve never heard of it before. For those of you who fit into the ... Read Full Review
