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| Title |
Ikaruga |
7 |
| Publisher |
Atari |
| Developer |
Treasure |
| Genre |
Arcade |
| Players |
1-2 |
| Version |
UK PAL |
Should be a hit
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Since the emergence of Sony into the console market, ?hardcore? console gamers have had a tough time finding games that will satisfy their need for a game that requires a great deal of skill to finish. The Japanese have had their fair share admittedly, but few and far between ever reach these shores. Indeed with the ?childish? image that many (unfairly) perceive Nintendo?s Gamecube to have, it seems a surprise to find the Dreamcast?s final big hit, Ikaruga, released for the purple machine.
For those unaware, Ikaruga is a 3D scrolling shoot ?em up in the same vain as such games as Radiant Silvergun. The player controls a craft which must destroy a plethora of enemies that comes at them. Sounds fairly simple right? Well the beauty of Ikaruga, and indeed what sets it apart from the rest of the ?bottom to top? scrolling shooters is it?s use of the colours (shades, whatever) black and white. For every enemy in the game falls under one of two categories; they are either black or white. The reason this is so crucial, however, is because your ship is also blessed with the same qualities. During play you are able to flip your ship between black and white. While black you are able to absorb black matter (such as enemy attacks) and can deal double damage to white enemies, likewise for white. When destroying enemies of the same colour, they will explode into particles of that same colour which you can absorb to increase your power meter.
Absorbing attacks is crucial if you want to succeed in this game since doing so will allow you to unleash a very powerful attack that will automatically target nearby enemies. The quickest way of building up this meter is of course destroying same colour enemies but also doing so will build up your combos, or Chain Attacks. You can build Chain Attacks by destryong successive numbers of the same colour ships. By cumulating Chain Attacks, players begin to learn that this is where the core of the game lies if they want to be classed as a ?true? Ikaruga player since successfully learning how to build chains is the only way to really achieve the top scores in the game.
The causal gamers among you are probably wondering what the big deal is with gaining hi scores, just as long as you enjoy the game right? Well those blessed (cursed?) with the need to fully succeed in a game will find that gaining the top scores in Ikaruga are the true test of your abilities. The polarity changes make the game a frantic bullet fest and only knowing the game inside out will allow you to fully get to grips with the enormous amount of potential this game has.
Visually it is a stunning game no question. While one might imagine a game comprised entirely of black and white enemies to be rather bland, it is anything but that. The design crew went to town on every aspect of the game, from the ship you pilot, to the enemies, the surrounding areas or even the menu system. It all adds up to an immersive experience something the Japanese have down to a fine craft. The effects team also clearly spent a lot of time and effort making this one of, if not the most visually impressive shooters ever to come out of Japan and it shows. Unfortunately though, it?s not really much of an improvement over the Dreamcast?s graphics. Whether or not that is a testament to the processing power of the Dreamcast or lack thereof in the case of the Gamecube isn?t really the question here though since there are small niggles and certain areas of slowdown that appeared in the Dreamcast version, yet show their head again here. They are indeed minor problems though and nothing that will detract you from your enjoyment of the game.
In terms of sound, again, it is an area that has been crafted to perfection. With all that is going on at any one time, it is easy to think that the sound could get overwhelming. It manages to stay within the boundaries of annoyance though and furthers the immersive experience alluded to earlier. It gives the game that arcade feel that a game like this needs and it?s always a great feeling coming up to a boss encounter with sirens blazing. It?s certainly an experience that gets your blood pumping.
And that?s in essence what this game does for you. It will get you excited, it will get you angry and it will keep you coming back for ?just one more go?. It?s not an easy game by any stretch of the word and players should be warned that a lot of time needs to go into playing this game before any real progress can be made. The learning curve is steep enough to make you realise it?s a game for the hardcore, but it?s there for players to get there feet wet anyway and see if they?d like to take on the challenge.
If you like your games simple and easy then stay away from Ikaruga. It?s as simple as that. Ikaruga is a gamers game and doesn?t try to be anything but that. In a world where publishers are more and more unwilling to take the risk of a game that will require the player to have some skill, it?s very refreshing to see Atari take this gem of a game that for all intents and purposes would never see a Western release any other time, and bring it to an audience that is spoon fed blandness at every turn. If you are a gamer that enjoys a challenge, or think you would like to be a gamer as such, then pick up this game as soon as you can, you will not regret it.
Seth Powell |
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