Ikaruga, the holy grail of shmups

I’m a big fan of arcade-style shooters. Games like Galaga, Space Invaders, Aero Fighters, 1942, R-Type, Star Force, Gradius…all those type games. I’ve spent much effort trying to collect these games through emulators and lucky buys, but one hot shmup has eluded me until now.

That game is Ikaruga, cited by many as the best shmup there is. Ikaruga was an arcade game first, then ported to various consoles several years ago. It ended up on the GameCube and DreamCast, both of which I didn’t own. I had never played Ikaruga, but wanted it solely based on the mythical legend it has earned.

I first tried my normal emulator route, trying to find a DC or GC emulator for my PC. After some time and failed efforts, I gave up on that path and figured I’d just have to wait until it finally got ported to a system I had.

Then just yesterday after I started following Major Nelson on Twitter, he sent out a free redemption code for Ikruga. Ikaruga? For 360? Really?! I had no idea it had been released into the XBL Arcade…go figure. Right then I knew my Friday night would be a little more exciting. (Yes, playing video games on a Friday night is pretty much on par)

It was time for Ikaruga to put up or shut up. I got the demo first before I dropped by 10 bills on the full game. I wasn’t too surprised to find that Ikaruga does live up to its billing as an awesome shooter.

Ikaruga differs from most shooters because there is really more thought required to play than just dodging bullets and shooting baddies. Your Ikaruga ship can change “polarities” when fighting, between red bullets and blue bullets. There are red bad guys and blue bad guys. When you’re using your blue ship, you absorb blue bullets. When you’re red, you absorb red bullets.

This simple act and need to switch colors to successfully fight your way through the game adds a dynamic that I’ve never experienced before. Most shooters start off strong but then putter out because it does end up being nothing more than dodging and returning fire. With Ikaruga’s color switching, you have to think beyond just avoid enemy fire. As it was put in the Matrix, there will be a time when you won’t have to dodge bullets - you’ll be able to stop them entirely.

For $10 you can’t go wrong with Ikaruga if you enjoy the arcade games. Just be prepared for a strong challenge. I’m an experienced shmup player but Ikaruga is just hard. Ikaruga turns the mindless shmup gaming model upside down and actually makes you work. It’s nice to find a game that actually lives up to the reputation it has been given.