Ikaruga (computer game)
| Ikaruga | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Studio | Treasure Co. Ltd. , G.rev | ||
| Publisher | Sega , ESP , Atari | ||
| Senior Developer | Hiroshi Iuchi , Atsutomo Nakagawa , Yasushi Suzuki , Satoshi Murata , Masato Maegawa | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
December 20, 2001 (Japan) | ||
| genre | Shoot 'em up | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | 8-way joystick ; 2 buttons | ||
| casing | Upright | ||
| Arcade system | Sega NAOMI | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | Get PEGI Marking for Xbox Live Arcade Version | ||
Ikaruga ( Japanese: 斑鳩 , German: " Maskenkernbeißer ") is an arcade game that was released in 2001 by the Japanese game manufacturer Treasure Co. Ltd. was released on Sega's NAOMI system and later ported to the game consoles Dreamcast , GameCube , Xbox 360 and Windows . It's a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up in which the player controls a fighter plane .
The mechanics of the game consists of shooting down opponents whose polarity can be of two types: either black (red) or white (blue). The player's ship can switch back and forth between these two polarities if desired.
Game mechanics
The mechanics of the game in Ikaruga mainly focus on switching between the different polarities. In the mostly vertically scrolling shooter, enemy fire of a different polarity inflicts damage to the player's ship, while fire of the same polarity inflicts the same energy. Little by little you unlock the special weapon of the game: a target-seeking laser that can fire up to 12 bursts of fire (depending on how much energy has been collected). Switching between the polarity of the fighter not only changes its color, but also that of the bullets fired. Balls with a polarity other than that of the opponent cause double damage. Switching between polarities is therefore a central part of the game mechanics; the player has to choose between double damage and (relative) invulnerability. This is particularly important in the various boss battles. Navigating and dodging the enemy bursts of fire is an additional challenge for the player.
Experienced players have the option of stringing combinations together and thus receiving additional points. For example, if three opponents of the same polarity are destroyed one after the other, a so-called chain is created. The more opponents of the same polarity are repeated and destroyed in a row, the more points are awarded to the player and he ultimately receives an additional life. On the other hand, there is the completely opposite strategy , with the help of which the player tries to constantly collect balls of the same polarity and thus receive more and more energy. If the player has not shot down an opponent in a certain time window (usually a hundred seconds) and was not hit, he also receives an extra life.
Although only four developers worked on the game (an unusually small team), the game contains completely three-dimensional landscapes and a compelling soundtrack . It is also possible to adjust the control to the horizontal if the screen is rotated by 90 ° in order to use the full area of the screen ( Tate mode). If Ikaruga is played with a normal screen position ( Yoko mode), black bars appear on the left and right in order to adapt the image section to the screen and thus avoid distortions.
Ikaruga also includes a multiplayer mode , a detailed tutorial that slows down the game, and a gallery of character and machine designs by Yasushi Suzuki, who previously developed for Sin and Punishment (also Treasure).
action
In the small fictional island state of Hōrai, one of the most powerful men in the world, Tenrō Hōrai ( 鳳 来 天 楼 ), discovers the Ubusunagami Ōkinokai ( 産 土 神 黄輝 ノ 塊 ) - the power of the gods. This power emanates from an object that he has lifted from a greater depth. Tenrō Hōrai uses this power together with his followers, the "Divine", to subjugate other nations under the pretext of securing peace .
Meanwhile, a confederation called Tenkaku ( 天 角 ) tries to overthrow Hōrai and maintain freedom with the help of the most modern fighter planes ( 飛 鉄 塊 , Hitekkai ). The pilots try in vain to stop Hōrai's armada; eventually they will be completely worn away. Only one pilot named Shinra ( 森羅 ) survived.
Its fighter plane crashes near an almost deserted city, the few inhabitants of which are nursing the young pilot back to health. The city is one of the many victims of the war and is mainly inhabited by the elderly as their children were forced to join Hōrai's forces. Shinra swears vengeance, and eventually tries to stand up to Hōrai with the help of a ship called Ikaruga Hōrai built by the city's residents.
However, Ikaruga is not a normal airplane. Developed by a former mechanical engineering genius named Amanai and the residents of the city, it is able to switch back and forth between the two energy polarities at will. It is hidden in a bunker under the city and launched using the “Sword of Acala ” launcher.
Development and publication
Ikaruga was developed by just three developers and the management of Hiroshi Iuchi, who is also responsible for the game design and the soundtrack, the programmer Atsutomo Nakagawa and the illustrator or character and object designer Yasushi Suzuki at Treasure Co. Ltd. A young company called G.rev , which needed money to develop their game Border Down , hired some team members to help. Development took an unusually long time for arcade shooter standards; two years passed from the first line of the program to the final publication .
Ikaruga was the first game for which the developer (Treasure) released an official superplay video - the DVD "Ikaruga Appreciate" - before Konami's Gradius V "Options" - and "Perfect" DVDs. The version for Dreamcast was limited to 50,000 copies and was only released in Japan. For this reason, the Dreamcast version is now considered rare and achieves high prices at Internet auctions.
interpretation
A much praised aspect of the game is the light appeal of an intellectual and spiritual theme. As with his earlier work, development manager Hiroshi Iuchi wanted to give the game a deeper meaning. The various chapters have names such as “Ideal” ( 理想 , Risō ), “Examination” ( 試練 , Shiren ), “Faith” ( 信念 , Shinnen ), “Reality” ( 現 実 , Genjitsu ) and “ Samsara ” ( 輪 廻 , Rinne) ), which indicate the exertions of man on the way to enlightenment or enlightenment, while the hero's ship reflects the human soul (see Yin and Yang ). Various references to Buddhism can be found not only in the combat aircraft mentioned above, but also in the naming of the various objects in the game, such as the "Sword of Acala" mentioned above.
Web links
- Website about Ikaruga at the manufacturer (Japanese)
- Ikaruga at MobyGames (English)