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ikaruga
review entry |
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"Induce them to adopt specific formations, in order to know the ground of death and life."
- Sun Tzus, The Art of War
Since the dawning of mankind, battle and bloodshed have always held an inner, unseen conflict that truly shows the darkness of war. While many may assume it to be hatred, suffering, and greed, these are just products of the truth that lays within us all… survival. While I and my brethren weren't of the fittest of warriors, we indeed showed honor and pride to go on in life… to flourish among all others that flourished, with peace, without war. It was during this time of prosperity that false gods, first formed from men, power hungry and starved…struck. They conquered, pillaged, and worst of all, obliterated things and beings into nonexistence. Through fire and the icy depths of hell as the dead screamed for a savior, my people, the Tenkaku, emerged to challenge the false gods. Sending ourselves mounted on our special warplanes, the Hitekkai, we battled long and hard against the forces of evil.
We Failed.
By Heavens glory I was the last to stand. The rest of my people lay dead, sent to the utopian afterlife where they were to be at peace forever. I was left to do their battle. It was fate that chose I and that was something that couldn't be escaped.
In a remote village where I was shot down there were those with the secret to defeating the evil that exterminated all. It is now that I take the responsibility - no - the obligation to sit in the cockpit of this ship, a ship of no mercy, a ship of Heavens wrath… the Ikaruga. With the hope of a small village and the spirits of my lost brothers, I fight on. Not to save a people. Not for revenge. But for life.
The final battle is about to commence and I am ready.
I am Shinra…
Presentation
A good challenge is hard to find these days in the gaming entertainment world. Most games that are considered hard by general gamer's standards these days are due to either faulty design or just plain bad coding. A true gem from Treasure, a young developing company straight from Konami, has finally arisen to offer gamers a challenge that not only is meant to be difficult, but is also executed in a well thought out manner. There are no bad glitches here or any coding that resembles ala Matrix gone wrong, just simplicity at its finest, offering the gamer something to work for with great reward.
Ikaruga springs from the shooter genre, a genre once thought lost in the past with such games as Galaga or Space Invaders. While retaining the same scope of "shoot anything that comes near you" in a 2D format, Ikaruga jumps to a much greater goal. The designers at Treasure decided to spice their project up by adding actual gameplay mechanics that only gave the game longevity, but depth as well.
How can this be? How can a game such as this have any depth when even the epic story spans only a little over half a page of the rule book? How is it possible for a game such as this to be long when it only has five levels?
It's called the "Concept of Black and White."
Now before you get confused I'm not talking about the very average game made by Lionhead Studios. On a more philosophical level, the concept of black and white mimics that of the yin and yang. Being that the game has a strong Japanese atmosphere about it, even more noticeable with the oh so influential Sun Tzu's text on the cover art and the obvious Japanese names and war references, it comes to no real surprise that this was an actual concept thought out for the game. The concept of "black and white" is a very simple one. You and your enemies consist of different polarities, or colors. Being that you're the hero you can easily switch between colors to your advantage. Both colors have a sort of magnetizing effect. While white can destroy black and vice versa, white can also absorb black and vice versa, allowing you to either destroy your opponents or absorb their oncoming fire and use it to gather energy for a stronger attack. Seem easy enough? If so, try thinking of this while having to switch between polarities every split second as random courses of different color bombardments fly at you mercilessly.
I'll give you time to think.
Gameplay
You already have learned of the "Concept of Black and White", now there is much more to learn, oh so young grasshoppa. I will lay it to you straight. This game will kick your ass and kick it hard. There is no cheap ways to win, there are no revealing secrets, there are no shortcuts, and there is indeed no time to blink. Ikaruga is fast and dangerous and all at once, very thrilling. While you may be focusing on the pretty environments, a large colored ball of plasma may soon be ready to slam into your hull, turning you into small fragments of mesh. While you may be focusing on the white and black balls of plasma coming towards you, you may be unaware of the various enemies ready to fender bender you, which in Ikaruga means, "blow you up". Yes, the game requires fast reflexes and a good amount of instinct, but not without practice. The game is hard, even if the controls are a simple array of move and shoot, but there is indeed no way you will get through this game without training yourself properly. Ikaruga offers a variety of training modes where you can watch demos of perfect scoring players, to actually trying the levels out in slow motion, and then regular speed to perfect yourself for the real deal later on. In Conquest Mode, this is where you hone your skills slowly and surely. When you feel you're ready for a level, you can go onto Practice Mode where the entire level is played out in normal speed. If you feel good enough after that, you can move to the arcade mode and place your talented scores up on the Ikaruga website (www.ikaruga-atari.net) and gloat.
But what is the secret to getting a high score? Strategy.
What? There's strategy involved in blowing things up? If you asked that question then the answer is yes, not all of us placed firecrackers in random orifices of frogs or cats when we were younger. In the game of Ikaruga if you destroy three enemies of the same polarity in a row, you get bonus points. Continue this trend and your score increases phenomenally. Break the chain and you start back down earning crumbs off of little pot shots. It is difficult to keep the chains going, but with enough practice on each level it becomes easier to spot where to get the best hits. If there are too many enemies on screen, how do you hit them all at once? Well, that is where the "Power Blast" comes in. While you can deal more significant damage to an enemy using the opposite polarity of their own, you can also absorb the same polarity, saving up enough energy to release this special attack. These attacks consist of a barrage of missiles that literally obliterate everything around you, considering how full your power meter is. With enough gust and good timing you can pull off some devastating combos that not only will impress your friends, but the ladies too.
Graphics
2D games haven't always been the bell of the ball considering the more impressive 3D games that are now dancing away at gamer's hearts. However, there is still life in the gorgeous looking game. Featuring some of the most stunning graphics ever to be seen in a 2D game, Ikaruga is indeed a spectacle to behold. It is true that the game doesn't have vibrant swaying trees etc. but considering that you're about a few miles above the planet you can't really complain. What you do see, however, is beautiful. From an overtop view most of the surrounding areas look realistic and very detailed. Animation is low, but it certainly does show that there was a significant amount of time put into how certain buildings and landscapes were meant to look.
The in game models are possibly what are most impressive. Up close, the Ikaruga and the enemy ships look like finely pieced models of a very obsessive Star Wars collector. Everything seems etched into place, the wings, windows, etc. all is detailed and solid. While it is somewhat of a chore to actually notice these things you'll have no trouble seeing them in your practice sessions when the game is slowed down. Take the time to look, even if you're about to be shredded up by lasers.
Sound
For such a straightforward type of game Treasure lacked no effort to place a well done soundtrack into Ikaruga. It's an orchestrated ensemble of epic music that really gets your blood pumping. Truly this is a great soundtrack and indeed well put for such a game where music is needed for huge, epic battles.
Replay Value
So hard you won't be able to put this one down. There's such a challenge to be had here and such great rewards, you may beat it, but you'll always continue to try to beat it with better scores.
Ingenuity
A fresh new breed spawning from a once dead horse. Props to Treasure for such a masterpiece and a well thought out concept of gameplay.
Conclusion
While I was never truly a fan of the genre, I now feel a slave to it. This game truly challenges your gaming skills and motivates you, wanting you to come back for more ass whooping later. A great concept and overall design.
Rating
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Kevin Mackaben -
GameCubicle Reader |
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