Ikaruga

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Ikaruga (斑鳩, Spotted Dove) is a vertically-scrolling shooter video game developed by Treasure Co. Ltd. It was released in the arcades in 2001 on Sega's NAOMI system and subsequently ported to the Sega Dreamcast in Japan and then worldwide to the Nintendo GameCube. It is a spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun, and the introduction says it is "Project RS2" (usually interpreted as "Project Radiant Silvergun 2").

The gameplay consists of shooting enemies who come in one of two polarities: either black(/red) or white(/blue). The player's ship can be either polarity, and can be switched at will. The first character in the title (which is normally pronounced in its Japonic reading as /fu/ or /madara/, or its Sinitic reading as /han/) means spotted or variegated, which can be interpreted as a metaphoric reference to this polarity change.

One unique feature of this game is the way in which only opposing bullets (i.e. a black bullet if the player's ship is white and vice versa) can kill the player. If the player is hit by a bullet of the same color, that bullet is absorbed and stored - if enough energy is stored, homing projectiles can be released by the player, the number determined by the energy stored up to a maximum of 12. Correspondingly, if a player shoots an enemy that is a different polarity than he or she is, the enemy will take double damage. Players also can perform "chains" for points. A chain occurs when three enemies of the same polarity are destroyed consecutively. The more sets of three enemies that are dispatched in a row, the more points are acquired.

The game uses its high production values well, with full three-dimensional landscapes and a strong soundtrack. It also has a TATE mode - the ability to rotate the game's display by ninety degrees while the player's monitor rests on its left side (for full-screen arcade size). When the game is played with the display in a normal orientation (YOKO mode), the sides of the screen are blank because the game field itself is taller than it is wide. If it is turned on its side, it can take up the whole screen and still have the same aspect ratio.

Ikaruga is a reasonably difficult game on its Easy gameplay level, but can become exceedingly frustrating on Normal and Hard modes. Some have criticized it as requiring more of a player's memory than his/her reflexes in order to gain the most points, because all of the enemies and chains appear exactly in the same place and time every time the game is played, with a few exceptions. Still others prefer to recognize it as a work of art in videogame form: Simple in design, brilliant in execution, easy to pickup, yet difficult to master. An interesting feature of the arcade release (which is also included in the home formats) is the 'Trial Game' mode, where infinite lives are awarded for a single credit on the first level, but only the first two chapters of the game can be played, offering a good way to practice. Ikaruga is generally highly regarded in the shoot-em-up community for its unique "puzzle" gameplay patterns, and top players are revered.

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Screenshot gallery

Boss fight

Note the combo system

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Trivia

Ikaruga (斑鳩町; -cho) is also the name of a town located in Ikoma District, Nara, Japan. The Horyu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located there.
The two kanji used for Ikaruga independently mean "Spotted" or "Marked" and "Pigeon" or "Dove". The Japanese Grosbeak is a bird often known as Ikaru, and is both black and white, much like the ship in the game.

To date, Ikaruga is the only game for which the company (Treasure) has released an official Speed Run/Superplay video, the Ikaruga Appreciate DVD.

Part of the much-appreciated artistry of the game is the subtle echoing of a spiritual theme, although many dismiss this idea. Like its predecessor, Radiant Silvergun, director Hiroshi Iuchi intended this work to carry a heavier meaning. The stage names of "Ideal", "Trial", "Faith", "Reality", and "Metempsychosis" suggest humanity's struggle towards Enlightenment, with the aura-enveloped Ikaruga craft symbolizing the human soul. In enhancement of the theme of Polarity are the pilots of the player craft: The Ikaruga piloted by Shinra, embodying Masculinity, and the Ginkei piloted by Kagari, embodying Femininity. See Yin-Yang.

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