Ikaruga

GRAPHICS

Although the concept is simple, meaning that the screen is relatively sparse, the game is graphically nothing short of amazing. Flesh blasts of colour litter the screen as gamers battle it out against other fighter planes progressing through levels at rapid pace. Colour is a key part of the game as planes deliver double damage to planes that are different colours to theirs, but on the other hand can absorb bullets from planes the same colour, which helps build up energy to be released as a fire homing laser.

The rapid pace means that the screen is constantly filled with explosions and quick fire action as new planes appear and others disappear onto the screen within seconds of each other. The Ikaruga fighter plane has a force field around it so gamers can see exactly what is coming in their direction, and although the plane is small in comparison to other vehicles it is compact so that gamers can swerve out of the way of oncoming vehicles and showers of bullets.

The presentation of Ikaruga is simple, the main game is in the middle, to the left side scores, the energy metre, and credits displayed, whilst the right side sees the same information displayed for player two or a simple "press start" command inviting a second player to come in and join the game. Ikaruga really does take shooting games back to the roots of the genre in every aspect yet maintains a modern feel. It is amazing how the game can have credits, no save points, and a typically arcade feel to it yet possess graphics that see illuminating lights, perfectly recreated cloud textures, and mind blowing explosions. Ikaruga does far more than is required for a game that is primarily concerned with gameplay in the graphics department and will leave the gamer worn out and amazed!

20/20

SOUND

Ikaruga provides a soundtrack similar to those heard in traditional coin-op gains but amplifies the sound so that it is particularly clear, re-enhanced and gives a cinematic rather than arcade sounding experience to the game. Shooting and explosions are just as required whilst the background music is appropriate to the action. If gamers are fighting regular planes then the music is simply standard, orchestral battling music, but if a boss appears then the music changes a little and gamers know they are in for a hard fight. An electronic voice plays a sound role in the sound of the game announcing the amount of points collected from shooting down various fighters and reminder gamers whether it is "easy" "normal" or "hard" mode they have selected. The electronic voice compliments rather than hinders the gaming experience unlike the cheesy American voice-overs heard on the likes of Crazy Taxi.

19/20

GAMEPLAY

It's always said that the simple ideas are the best, and in this case it is true. Ikaruga is one of the most addictive gaming experiences to play partly due to the fact that it is so simple yet complex at the same time! There is no storyline in Ikaruga so unlike the majority of games released today (Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Silent Hill) it is the merits of gameplay and not the storyline that lures people back to play the game. Simply put Ikaruga is the modern day equivalent to Space Invaders. Gamers take control of an Ikaruga fighter plane; they must take the plane through a series of five chapters spanning over eighteen stages of frantic shooting action. Gamers can play the game with a choice of three views: vertical or horizontal letterbox (the traditional approach) or full screen. Regardless of the view the experience is the same.

The difference between Ikaruga and the classic Space Invaders is the way in which colour plays a key part in the gameplay. Gamers face white and black planes, depending on the colour of their plane will depend on how enemies affect them. If enemies are the same colour plane then gamers can absorb enemy bullets and build up their energy bar, but if enemies are of an opposite colour then enemy bullets will harm your plane but on the plus side your bullets will be twice as powerful as they would be if you were shooting with a plane the same colour. To make matters better rather than being presented with a choice of which plane to control a simple click on a button allows the plane to alternate instantly between colours. This leads to quick alternating as players absorb a large shower of white bullets and then a parade of black bullets. Once an energy bar is full players can then deliver a homing laser damaging all enemies around, this can particularly effective when taking on numerous amounts of planes at once.

The action is simple in structure; five chapters, split into a total of 18 stages. Gamers fight through planes, avoid obstacles of bullets and make instant decisions when alternating between the colours of the plane. At the end of each chapter there is a boss that must be defeated employing clever tactics, blasting, and several homing lasers. As expected the further gamer's progress, the harder both bosses and other planes are to defeat. Five chapters does not sound much but once a gamer dies that is it because like all coin-ops there is no save facility. Starting from the beginning may not sound like fun to some gamers but bearing in mind that Ikaruga doesn't take that long to complete once it has been mastered it is a wise choice for Atari to implement no save feature.

Ikaruga is highly addictive and will keep gamers coming back to it again and again for several reasons. Firstly gamers will insist on attempting each level so that they can progress past difficult points, secondly there is the added incentive of completing the game under certain time conditions to unlike various options, thirdly there is the option to beat previous scores, and finally there is the multi-player mode where friends can team up co-operatively!

24/25

LIFESPAN

Completing the game through once will not take the most hardened of gamers too long but for the average gamer it could take a matter of weeks to perfect Ikaruga. Even when the game has been completed through once the title is far from finished with; there are three difficulty levels, a multi-player mode where friends can co-operate together, and various extra modes. The "conquest" mode will prove particularly useful for those who are stuck on a particular section of Ikaruga. Conquest provides gamers with every stage they have unlocked and allow gamers to play these stages on normal or slow mode, there is also the facility to view a demo showing how the stage should be tackled, so those that are unsure how they should approach a particular problem can simply watch the demo and view the best way to complete different stages flawlessly. Practice allows gamers to simply replay favourite stages from the start, so although there is no save facility as such gamers can automatically go to the best stages if they want a quick five minute blast on the game before going out, or if they wish to show off to friends!

There are other extra modes available for gamers that can be unlocked by playing or completing Ikaruga under fixed conditions. Tutorial is available as an introduction to the game but should only really be viewed once as it is an easy game to get to grips with. If gamer's master everything on Ikaruga and feel there is no more life left in the game there is always the option to register scores online, so completing the game will only be achieved when you are the best in the world. Since there are many gamers out to achieve this gamer's could be in for a long wait...

24/25

ORIGINALITY

There isn't really any game that quite compares to Ikaruga. Admittedly Panzer Dragoon Orta for the XBOX has a retro feel to it but this is nothing like Ikaruga.

Ikaruga is separate from today's shooters yet in so many ways similar to those of years gone by. Although not an entirely original concept Ikaruga has taken the simple formula of Space Invaders from the past, expanded on it, made it much more addictive and added a whole new tilt to the game. 7/10

OVERALL

Ikaruga has the ingredients to be hailed as a classic along with the likes of Tetris. Any gamer who wants to play a game purely for the purpose of having fun Ikaruga is for you.

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