Ikaruga
Developer(s)	Treasure, G.rev
Publisher(s)	JPN SEGA (Arcade) JPN ESP (DC) JPN NA EU Atari (GC)
Designer(s)	Hiroshi Iuchi Director, BG Graphic Design, Music Atsutomo Nakagawa Co-Director, Main Programmer Yasushi Suzuki Character, Object Design Satoshi Murata Sound Effect, BGM Data Edit Masato Maegawa Executive Producer
Release date(s)	JPN December 20, 2001 (Arcade) JPN September 5, 2002 (DC) JPN January 16, 2003 (GC) NA April 15, 2003 (GC) EU May 23, 2003 (GC)
Genre(s)	Vertical scrolling shooter, Manic shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, 2 player Co-op
Platform(s)	Arcade, Dreamcast, GameCube
Input	8-way Joystick, 2 Buttons
Arcade cabinet	Upright
Arcade system(s)	Sega NAOMI
Arcade display	Raster (Vertical)

Ikaruga (斑鳩, Ikaruga^? lit. 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 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"). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (710x712, 140 KB) Cover for videogame Ikaruga, Dreamcast version. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... G.rev (or ) is a Japanese arcade videogame developer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... Entertainment Software Publishing (エンターテインメント・ソフトウェア・パブリッシング), or ESP, is a computer game publisher. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... This article is about a corporate game company. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... Treasure Co. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 2001 in games 2000 in video gaming 2002 in video gaming Notable events of 2001 in video gaming. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2002 2002 in games 2001 in video gaming 2003 in video gaming Notable events of 2002 in video gaming. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in computer and video games. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in computer and video games. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in computer and video games. ... Video games are generally categorized into genres. ... Scrolling shooters are a type of video game, a subgenre of shoot em up . ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... Doom popularised co-op on the PC. Cooperative gameplay (often abbreviated as co-op) primarily refers to a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates with the absence of player-controlled competitors. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... Joystick elements: 1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Button (computing). ... This arcade cabinet, containing Centipede, is an upright. ... An arcade system board is a standardized printed circuit board or group of printed circuit boards that are used as the basis for multiple arcade games with very similar hardware requirements. ... The Sega NAOMI (New Arcade Operation Machine Idea) is a development of the Sega Dreamcast technology as a basis for an arcade system board. ... A computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor when the meaning is clear from the context, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ... Binomial name Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1768) The Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to south China and Southeast Asia. ... Scrolling shooters, or scrolling shoot em ups, are a type of video game. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... 2001 2001 in games 2000 in video gaming 2002 in video gaming Notable events of 2001 in video gaming. ... Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ... The Sega NAOMI (New Arcade Operation Machine Idea) is a development of the Sega Dreamcast technology as a basis for an arcade system board. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Black Belt, Dural, Dricas, Vortex, Shark and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... A spiritual sequel or spiritual successor is a sequel or successor to a computer or video game, movie, comic or even a stage play. ... Radiant Silvergun is a vertically-scrolling shooter video game, developed by Treasure Co. ...

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. This yin-yang gameplay mechanic was previously explored in another Treasure game for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation called Silhouette Mirage. Ikaruga was well received by critics, with scores averaging around 85%. The Sega Saturn ) is a 32-bit video game console, first released on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America and July 8, 1995 in Europe. ... The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... Silhouette Mirage is a video game that was developed by Treasure Co. ...

Plot

Several years ago in the small island nation of Horai, one of the most powerful men of the nation, Tenro Horai, discovered the Ubusunagami Okinokai—the Power of the Gods. This energy emanated from an object he dug up from deep underground and granted him unimaginable powers. Soon after, Tenro and his followers, who called themselves "The Divine Ones", began conquering nations one after another. "The Chosen People" carried out these conquests in "the name of peace".

Meanwhile, a freedom federation called Tenkaku emerged to challenge Horai. Using fighter planes called Hitekkai, they fought with the hope of freeing the world from the grips of the Horai - but all their efforts were in vain. They were no match for the Horai and were eventually almost completely wiped out. Miraculously, however, one young man survived. His name was Shinra.

Shot down near a remote village called Ikaruga, inhabited by elderly people who had been exiled by the Horai's conquests, Shinra was dragged from the wreckage and nursed back to health. Shinra regained his health and pledged to defeat the Horai, and the villagers entrusted him with a fighter plane that they had built themselves, called the Ikaruga.

The Ikaruga was no ordinary plane, designed by former engineering genius Amanai with the help of Kazamori and the village leaders. Hidden in a secret underground bunker and launched via the transportation device called the "Sword of Acala", it is the first fighter built that integrates both energy polarities, and is capable of successfully switching between the two. Also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa. ...

Gameplay

In most scrolling shooters, any enemy fire will damage or destroy your ship on contact, but in Ikaruga only bullets of an opposite polarity (i.e. a black bullet hitting a white ship 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 of an opposing polarity, the enemy will take double damage. Therein lies much of Ikaruga's challenge, particularly during boss encounters where they may fire an intertwining mesh of bullets of opposing polarities. 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.

Stage 2 boss fight; the use of the polarity system is evident

Adding an extra layer of gameplay, skillful players may also perform combination "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, eventually rewarding the player with an extra chance/life. This form of point scoring is similar to the one used in Radiant Silvergun, but in that game enemies are red, blue and yellow. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the entirely original "bullet eater" or "dot eater" strategy, wherein the player doesn't shoot down a single enemy, including bosses, which retreat after a set period (usually 100 seconds). Image File history File linksMetadata Ikaruga_01. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Ikaruga_01. ... Radiant Silvergun is a vertically-scrolling shooter video game, developed by Treasure Co. ...

Despite the fact that only 4 individuals are responsible for its creation (an uncommonly small team at this point in game development), Ikaruga features 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). This same mode can be used without rotating the monitor by configuring the controls, in essence changing the game from a vertical scrolling shooter to a horizontal one. 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 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. The aspect ratio of an image is its displayed width divided by its height (usually expressed as x:y or x×y, with the joining colon or multiplication symbol articulated as the preposition by or sometimes to). For instance, the aspect ratio of a traditional television screen is 4:3...

In addition, Ikaruga features a 2-player simultaneous mode (with player two piloting the Ginkei fighter plane), an in-depth slow-motion tutorial mode (with stage tutorials becoming accessible to players who reach them in the main game), and an in-game art gallery featuring character and mechanical designs by Yasushi Suzuki (who previously did designs for Treasure's Sin and Punishment for the Nintendo 64). Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth (罪と罰 tsumi to batsu) is a video game by Treasure Co. ... This section needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

Development and release

Ikaruga was developed by a four man team in Treasure Co. Ltd led by lead game designer, BG graphic designer and music composer Hiroshi Iuchi.^{[citation needed]} The game, when completely uncompressed, amounts to a mere 18MB. This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

Ikaruga was the first game for which the company (Treasure) released an official Speed Run video, the Ikaruga Appreciate DVD, before Konami released the Gradius V "Options" and "Perfect" DVDs.^{[citation needed]} The print run for the Dreamcast version was a very limited 50,000 copies, distributed only in Japan. For this reason, the Dreamcast version is considered rare and fetches high prices on internet auctions. A speedrun is a play-through of a computer or video game, the whole game or a selected part such as a single level of it, with the intent of completing it as quickly as possible. ... Gradius V ) is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Treasure Co. ... eBay is one of the most widely known online auction websites The online auction business model is one in which participants bid for products and services over the Internet. ...

Spiritual theme

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 chapter names of "Ideal", "Trial", "Faith", "Reality", and "Metempsychosis" suggest humanity's struggle towards Enlightenment, with the aura-enveloped Ikaruga craft symbolizing the human soul. References to Buddhism abound, such as the aforementioned "Sword of Acala" and "The Stone-like" (probably a mistranslation of The Immovable One). 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 for more details. Radiant Silvergun is a vertically-scrolling shooter video game, developed by Treasure Co. ... Metempsychosis is a doctrine among some followers of Eastern teachings which expresses the theory of transmigration, that the human spirit may incarnate from one body to another, either human, animal, or inanimate, which is very different from the doctrine of reincarnation, which holds that man is an evolving being progressing... Also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa. ... Also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa. ... Taoists Taijitu The concept of Yin Yang originates in ancient Chinese philosophy, most likely from the observations of day turning into night and night into day. ...

Reception and legacy

In its first week (2002/9/2–8), the Dreamcast version of Ikaruga debuted 5th on the Weekly Famitsu Magazine Top 30 selling about 18,596 units.^{[citation needed]} The top game was Shin Sangoku Musou Moushouden "Dynasty Warriors" at 140,053 units that week.^{[citation needed]} The following week it dropped off the chart. In its first week (2003/1/13–19), the Gamecube version of Ikaruga debuted at number 20. It sold about 6,916 units with the top game that week was Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire at 105,173 units.^{[citation needed]} By the next week, it dropped off the chart. Cover art for Issue 1 of Famitsu magazine, June 1986, then known as Famicom TsÅ«shin FamitsÅ« abbreviated ファミ Fami) is a Japanese video game magazine published by Enterbrain, Inc. ... The official Pokémon logo. ...

The unimpressive Japanese sales numbers probably have more to do with the game's genre, which generally garners a rather small (albeit devoted) following, than the quality of the game itself. Game Rankings places the average review score for Ikaruga at 85%.^[1] Metacritic gives the Gamecube version a metascore of 85 out of 100. ^[2] Game Rankings is a website which keeps track of video game reviews from other sites, and combines them to present an average rating for each game. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ...

Ikaruga is a reasonably difficult game on its Easy gameplay level, but can become exceedingly frustrating on Normal and Hard modes (the difference being enemies erupt in a barrage of suicide bullets when shot down on the higher difficulty settings), despite the player's ship's rather forgiving collision detection. Some have criticized it as requiring rote memorization over skillful play, because all of the enemies and chains appear exactly in the same place, 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 pick up, yet difficult to master. Additionally, the game does not contain any story-driven cinematics, despite the unusually imaginative character designs and settings. In physical simulations, video games and computational geometry, collision detection includes algorithms from checking for intersection between two given solids, to calculating trajectories, impact times and impact points in a physical simulation. ...

An Xbox Live Arcade version is rumored. Details are scarce but include the entire original game in High Definition and supposed multi-player and leaderboards over Xbox Live, and remotely.^[3]

Trivia

• The name of aircraft in Japanese version are actually birds. The Japanese Grosbeak is a bird often known as Ikaru, and is both black and white, much like the ship in the game. The Lady Amherst's Pheasant, known as the Ginkei and is native to China and Tibet is the basis of the second player craft.

• The final boss that appears in Ikaruga, a pulsing red diamond, is virtually identical to the final boss that appears in Radiant Silvergun.

• The Dreamcast GD-ROM contains several Ikaruga artwork "wallpapers" that can be accessed from a PC CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

• The North American box cover for the Gamecube version contains the infamous IGN quote, "Our frothing demand for this game increases." which has become synonymous with slow-witted game journalism on prominent Internet discussion groups.

• The duality concept was also used in a playable minigame called "Duality" in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

• The musical leitmotif of Radiant Silvergun loops in the first 16 bars of Ikaruga's epilogue track.

Binomial name Eophona personata (Temminck & Schlegel, 1848) The Japanese Grosbeak, Eophona personata, is a finch. ... Binomial name Chrysolophus amherstiae (Leadbeater, 1829) The Lady Amhersts Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae. ... GD-ROM is the proprietary optical disc format used by the Sega Dreamcast. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In musical notation, a bar or measure is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration. ...

See also

• Treasure Co. Ltd, the developer of Ikaruga.
• Radiant Silvergun, the precursor to Ikaruga.

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Radiant Silvergun is a vertically-scrolling shooter video game, developed by Treasure Co. ...

References

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Ikaruga at the Killer List of Videogames
• Ikaruga (arcade) at GameFAQs
• ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. See templates for deletion to help reach a consensus. ›

Ikaruga at MobyGames The Killer List of Videogames (otherwise known simply as KLOV, pronounced Kay-El-Oh-Vee) is a website devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. ... GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. ... MobyGames is a website devoted to cataloging computer and video games, both past and present. ...

• Review at 'Destroy All Monsters!'