History VideoGame / Ikaruga

Click [[{{DarthWiki/Ikaruga}} here]] to switch polarity.

''Ikaruga'' is a modernized take on the "BulletHell" school of [[ShootEmUp Shoot 'em Ups]], developed by Creator/{{Treasure}}. It's widely regarded as one of the best examples of the genre, and a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun''.

Here, everything comes in one of two polarities: black or white. Black ships fire black shots, and white ships fire white. Your ship is unique in that you can switch between the two polarities at will.

Your ship's BattleAura can [[EnergyAbsorption absorb bullets]] of the same polarity, but is [[OneHitPointWonder destroyed by shots]] of the opposite polarity. However, ''your'' shots do damage to both polarities, with double damage to targets of the opposite polarity, giving you the option to fly with your defences down to increase your offensive power. Absorbed bullets [[ChargedAttack charge up]] your special attack, a [[{{Roboteching}} homing]] BeamSpam. Finally, the scoring system allows you to accumulate "chain" multipliers by destroying three enemies of the same polarity in a row.

That's all there is to the game: no other gimmicks, no other features. Just five levels of careful design, switching polarity, and more bullets than you can shake a stick at. ''Ikaruga'' is a work of art that way: it takes a simple idea and plays that idea to its most logical extreme. All five levels are {{That One Level}} in one way or another, but there is something to be said for elegance.

Released as an arcade game (using the Sega NAOMI platform) and on the Dreamcast in Japan in 2001, it was later ported to Gamecube systems around the world in 2003. In 2008, it was ported to Xbox Live Arcade. ''Ikaruga'' may a have PC release via {{Steam}} if it is voted to be greenlit [[http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=183195387 here]].

** [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/dreamcast/file/561887/23884 CTRL+F 'Extras' to read an English translation of the prologue from the Dreamcast GD-ROM.]]

** The [[http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Ikaruga/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410878 XBLA version]] is no slouch either; for a game enhanced for 720p, it squeezes by at fifty megabtyes, which is saying more than other shooters on the serviced unscaled for high-definition displays..

[[quoteright:111:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/IkarugaWhite_753.png]]

''Ikaruga'' is a modernized take on the "BulletHell" school of ShootEmUps, developed by Creator/{{Treasure}}. It's widely regarded as one of the best examples of the genre, and a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun''.

Released as an arcade game (using the Sega NAOMI platform) and on the Dreamcast in Japan in 2001, it was later ported to Gamecube systems around the world in 2003. In 2008, it was ported to Xbox Live Arcade.

!!Tropes used in ''Ikaruga'' :

* AGodAmI - Horai Tenro and her followers, once they found the [[ArtifactOfDoom The Power Of The Gods]] and started calling themselves the Divine Ones.
* AllThereInTheManual: in the true tradition of ShootEmUps, the only place you will find anything remotely resembling a coherent plot for the game. And not even then, in the Gamecube version.

* AnimalMotifs - Ikaruga and Ginkei, the two ships, are named after birds. Ikaruga is also the name of the village where it was built.
* TheAtoner - Kagari, as she used to be a mercenary for the Horai.

* BossWarningSiren: The game had a similar message to ''Radiant Silvergun'': "WARNING: The big enemy is approaching at full throttle. According to the data, it is identified as . NO REFUGE".

* TheEmpire - The Horai.

* {{Roboteching}}

* TwoAndAHalfD: Almost everything in the game is 3D, but the game, being a BulletHell shooter, plays out on a 2D plane with some cutscenes shown on a full 3D plane at the start of each stage and boss, as well as at the end of the entire game.

* BottomlessMagazines: Averted in the console-exclusive Prototype Mode. Firing a shot uses one bullet, and firing your HomingLasers uses 120. [[EmergencyWeapon If you run out of bullets you'll be downgraded to a short-range attack.]] Bullets can be replenished by absorbing enemy bullets.

* SequelDifficultyDrop: The game, as notorious as it is for difficulty, is still easier than ''Radiant Silvergun''. The game is shorter, your weapons do not require scoring well (or even ''at all'') to maintain effectiveness throughout the game because ''they don't even power up'', and even if you do play for score, you can now change enemy color after each chain, allowing you to play for score and still destroy most of the enemies.

* EternalRecurrence: Spelled out as such in the final chapter.

* HopelessBossFight: After defeating Tageri, the Stone-Like appears and attacks you with several different patterns of bullets for 60 seconds. You can't even shoot, much less damage it. After you dodge and absorb the BulletHell, the Ikaruga performs a HeroicSacrifice with the energy charged up during that time. Shinra [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascends to a higher plane of existence]] according to the storyline in the Japanese version.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The chapter titles- Ideal, Trial, Faith, Reality and Metempsychosis- represent Man's struggle towards enlightenment, with the aura-enveloped Ikaruga craft symbolising the human soul. Apparently.

* GratuitousEnglish: A few Ikaruga-related art pieces can be seen with the phrase "I'm not regret."

Your ship's BattleAura can [[EnergyAbsorption absorb bullets]] of the same polarity, but is [[OneHitPointWonder destroyed by shots]] of the opposite polarity. However, ''your'' shots do double damage to targets of an opposite polarity to your own, giving you the option to fly with your defences down to increase your offensive power. Absorbed bullets [[ChargedAttack charge up]] your special attack, a [[{{Roboteching}} homing]] BeamSpam. Finally, the scoring system allows you to accumulate "chain" multipliers by destroying three enemies of the same polarity in a row.

''Ikaruga'' is a modernized take on the "BulletHell" school of ShootEmUps, developed by {{Treasure}}. It's widely regarded as one of the best examples of the genre, and a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun''.

''Ikaruga'' is a modernized take on the "BulletHell" school of ShootEmUps, developed by {{Treasure}}, creators of ''RadiantSilvergun''. It's widely regarded as one of the best examples of the genre.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Treasure somehow took the incredible bleakness of RadiantSilvergun and make it darker, in particular with the nearly monochrome watercolor artwork and dysfunctional heroes.

*** [[spoiler: Shinra managed to destroy the Stone-Like, breaking the cycle from RadiantSilvergun.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Radiant Silvergun'', often recognized as one of the best shooters of all time.
** [[spoiler: The real last boss' very definitely final form, and [[AllThereInTheManual what happened to those that came across it is extremely similar to what happened to the researchers in Radiant Silvergun.]]]]

That's all there is to the game: no other gimmicks, no other features. Just five levels of careful design, switching polarity, and more bullets than you can shake a stick at. ''Ikaruga'' is a work of art that way: it takes a simple idea and plays that idea to its most logical extreme. All five levels are {{Scrappy Level}}s in one way or another, but there is something to be said for elegance.

* BreatherLevel: Chapter 5, which is substantially easier than the previous two chapters and has extremely simple chaining. Even the [[BossInMookClothing Bosses In Mook Clothing]] that show up at the end of the pre-boss section that fire massive bullet storms only fire in one color, allowing you to easily build up your homing laser attack to finish them off.

In ''Ikaruga'', everything comes in one of two polarities: black or white. Black ships fire black shots, and white ships fire white. Your ship is unique in that you can switch between the two polarities at will.

->''"WARNING: The big enemy is approaching at full throttle. According to the data, it is identified as ''Butsutekkai''. NO REFUGE"''\\
-- Warning screen before each boss in ''Ikaruga''

That's all there is to the game: no other gimmicks, no other features. Just five levels of careful design, switching polarity, and more bullets than you can shake a stick at. ''Ikaruga'' is a work of art that way: it takes a simple idea and plays that idea to its most logical extreme. (Obviously, YourMileageMayVary, especially when it comes to the sheer difficulty of the game.) All five levels are {{Scrappy Level}}s in one way or another, but there is something to be said for elegance.