Why is this regarded so highly?

[Mr. Stimpson]

I get that it's a good game, but I don't understand why people keep saying that this is the best shooter on Steam (it feels more like a puzzle game than shooter. i'd even say eXceed 2nd does the mechanic better as it pertains to the shooter genres). With options like eXceed 3rd, Danmaku Unlimited 2, and Crimson Clover, (not to mention some of the shumup titles like Astebreed, but that's a different comparison) this game is just "meh" in comparison.

Obviously this is my opinion, but I'd like to know yours. Why do you feel Ikaruga is the best shooter here on Steam over all the other great entries into the genre?

[Da Killah Genius]

originally, this game was a sega dreamcast release before it came to gamecube & PC (steam). Why Is it the best you ask, because nothing comes close to better like a bullet hell-arcade game....

[its game over man game over]

hey is there any where on steam you can or could put foward requests for game ports. or a dev team who might pick up on requests for games ie arcade shumps.

[Ikagura]

I enjoyed Radiant Silvergun more for the level and boss design but i dont think that ikaruga is overrated (maybe Touhou is the most praised shmup of this century, almost overrated by a great fandom)

[Kohi_Noir]

I love because it basically feels like playing a piece of art. I like the shmup genre a lot but many titles are just the same thing over and over again, no matter how well they are done. Ikaruga re-thought the entire genre. It's a simple and clever concept. Just the very basic idea of changing the formula "shoot everything, dodge everything" to giving and receiving with an almost musical rhythm is wonderful. Both this and Radiant Silvergun are about practising some restraint and making strategic decisions which other shmups don't do as much. I have played this game for many years and it keeps messing with my head in interesting ways, which I appreciate.

I never got into the standard bullet hell shooters because finding the only two pixels on the screen where I won't die feels like a chore.

[Cheese]

Originally posted by Kohi_Noir:

Ikaruga re-thought the entire genre. It's a simple and clever concept. Just the very basic idea of changing the formula "shoot everything, dodge everything" to giving and receiving with an almost musical rhythm is wonderful.

No.
Ikaruga is about shooting everything just like most every other shmup. The only thing is that you have to shoot everything in sets of 3 like-colored enemies if you want a good score. The 'holding off on shooting an enemy until a specific point for a higher score' concept is present in other shmups as well.
There are also plenty of shmups where you don't have to dodge everything, thanks to bullet canceling mechanics in a large number of games, manipulating something which blocks bullets like R-Type's Force or X-Multiply's tentacles, bullet absorbing or reflecting mechanics in games like Reflex, Giga Wing, Mars Matrix, Recca, Eschatos, etc. Ikaruga is not at all unique in this respect, let alone a re-thinking of the entire genre.

Originally posted by Kohi_Noir:

Both this and Radiant Silvergun are about practising some restraint and making strategic decisions which other shmups don't do as much

You say "restraint", but in practice all it is is hard memorization with little to no room for deviation.

[Ikagura]

This was a shmup from the early 2000's...

It was a time where the genre wasn't trendy anymore (until in the 2010's with the indie shmup games)

[ApocalypseMeow]

Originally posted by Cheese:

Originally posted by Kohi_Noir:

Originally posted by Kohi_Noir:

Both this and Radiant Silvergun are about practising some restraint and making strategic decisions which other shmups don't do as much

You say "restraint", but in practice all it is is hard memorization with little to no room for deviation.

I think this is a legit flaw in Ikaruga and many other shmups. Shmups should be punishing, but should ideally revolve around split-second decision making, not memorization.

[VonBlade]

Mushihimesama, DDP Resurrection, Deathsmiles, Crimzon Clover, Dariusburst CS, Raiden IV... I think Ikaruga struggles to be the best shmup on Steam that was once in the arcades, let alone best when you include GWars, R360, Trouble Witches etc. But I just prefer my shmups a little more hellish.

[Ikagura]

Calling a game overrated when I never see people talking about Shmup without mentionning Touhou? I mean Ikaruga was the major Shoot'em up of the early 2000's. This was also the first shmup to involve a part of puzzling (white/black switching), especially in an age where this genre came down in the public interest (because of 3D FPSes and many simulation games oposed to more arcade games).

This game, with Radiant Silvergun, are a big stone in the Shmup history.

Speaking of which: please bring back RS on Steam as well

[Cheese]

Originally posted by Ikagura:

Calling a game overrated when I never see people talking about Shmup without mentionning Touhou?

No.
1. More than one thing can be overrated, and to different degrees or in different spheres.
2. Touhou being mentioned more isn't a statement on the quality of Touhou. It doesn't mean people rate it more highly. Sonic 2006 gets brought up more often than Sonic Heroes. Guess which one people think is better.
3. Touhou is an ongoing series with more than a dozen games, let alone fangames. Ikaruga on the other hand is one game from 16 years ago. This alone could explain the difference in amount of mentions.

Just look for some "Top # Shmups of All Time" sort of lists. See how often, and in what positions, any Touhou game pops up in comparison to Ikaruga.

This was also the first shmup to involve a part of puzzling (white/black switching)

I'm real tired of the "Ikaruga is a puzzle game" or "Ikaruga has puzzle game elements" meme.
It has polarities, where enemies fire bullets the same color as themselves, you absorb like-colored bullets, and like-colored enemies take reduced damage from your shots.
That's not a puzzle though. There are no puzzles in the game.
The scoring system is a bit puzzle-like, but you could say the same of many shmups. RayForce, for instance.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Dandy(DK):

i like Counterattack and Raiden Overkill ,sine Mora etc :-)

I liked Sine Mora (even if I took a lot of bullet because I couldn't figure out where the hitbox was

[Succubus Nirriti]

totally agree with OP: eXceed 3rd, Danmaku Unlimited 2-3, and Crimson Clover To each their own.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Nirriti:

totally agree with OP: eXceed 3rd, Danmaku Unlimited 2-3, and Crimson Clover :cinnamon: To each their own.

these games are also good (especially Crimzon Clover) but these are different than Ikaruga (or even RS). Different shmup type.


Ikaruga is barelly a bullet hell to be honest.

[Mega.uk.com]

Originally posted by Ikagura:

Originally posted by Nirriti:

totally agree with OP: eXceed 3rd, Danmaku Unlimited 2-3, and Crimson Clover :cinnamon: To each their own.

these games are also good (especially Crimzon Clover) but these are different than Ikaruga (or even RS). Different shmup type.


Ikaruga is barelly a bullet hell to be honest.

The devs described it more as a shoot'em up puzzle game, just like RS

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Mega_gtr_wrath:

Originally posted by Ikagura:

these games are also good (especially Crimzon Clover) but these are different than Ikaruga (or even RS). Different shmup type.


Ikaruga is barelly a bullet hell to be honest.

The devs described it more as a shoot'em up puzzle game, just like RS

Really? To be honest Radiant Silvergun feels more like a classic shmup (with multiple shot type)
RS has some RPG elements and more bosses than a typical shmup (that's why I love a lot about it).

I really wish the game to come on Steam