Anyone ever try to get good at Ikaruga?

greedostick

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Who here has tried to get good at Ikaruga? I mean real good, not just 1cc. Like fucking demolish this game with an absurd score without dying.

I've played this game off and on since the the Dreamcast days, and I struggle hard. I've almost 1cc'd it without trying to worry about points. The last stage boss is brutal though.


So I messed with it a bit on Switch today. The top score for this game on Switch is 34,613,960 points. I downloaded this replay and watched it a few times.

I have crazy respect for people who can destroy Ikaruga like this. I really think you have to be a god tier gamer to do it.

My struggle with the game is I destroy something, flip polarity, and forget I have bullets from enemies destroyed coming my way. Or, I lose track of what polarity I am, and try to absorb a bullet and die.

One day I would really like to put in the work and get gud, but honestly I don't know if I have it in me. I think you have to have a really unique brain to pull this off. Or else I'm missing something.
 

Kid Panda

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No you don't need anything special. If you put the hours you put into Skyrim or dark souls into a shmup, then you will play at this level. People don't realize that it's usually hundreds if not thousands of hours poured into these games. There are guys for instance that have 1500 hours into DDP Daioujou and score in the billions.
 

GohanX

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Man, I'd be happy if I could just 1cc it. The last two stages destroy me.
 

fake

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No you don't need anything special. If you put the hours you put into Skyrim or dark souls into a shmup, then you will play at this level. People don't realize that it's usually hundreds if not thousands of hours poured into these games. There are guys for instance that have 1500 hours into DDP Daioujou and score in the billions.

I have a hard time improving, even when I put the hours in. I think it comes down to a few things. One is the "stupid mistakes", where even though I'm in the zone, something ridiculous or unlucky happens. Another is that it can be hard for me to make the right move, even when I've looked up what to do on YouTube, I get nervous and forget what I'm supposed to do.
 

ChuChu Flamingo

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monkeypacman.jpg
 

Kid Panda

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I have a hard time improving, even when I put the hours in. I think it comes down to a few things. One is the "stupid mistakes", where even though I'm in the zone, something ridiculous or unlucky happens. Another is that it can be hard for me to make the right move, even when I've looked up what to do on YouTube, I get nervous and forget what I'm supposed to do.

That's part of the thing, once you dump hundreds of hours it's like playing any other game, you don't get nervous. Remember when you were a kid and super Mario bros would make you get nervous if you were somewhere you had never been? It's the same thing. I still get nervous when playing certain shooters simply because I'm not familiar with the area.
 

BerryTogart

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Ikaruga is a totally awesome shooter - but I can't even 1CC it - let even "get good" :)
 

oliverclaude

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This game is like Money Puzzle Exchanger, you have to do the math to enjoy it. I always hated math ;).
 

roker

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Man, I'd be happy if I could just 1cc it. The last two stages destroy me.

Stage 4 is just unreal. too much switching and dodging that rotating thing gives me nightmares. Played that summabitch for like a year and couldn't get passed Stage 4 without continuing.
 

GohanX

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Stage 4 is just unreal. too much switching and dodging that rotating thing gives me nightmares. Played that summabitch for like a year and couldn't get passed Stage 4 without continuing.

It really is the stuff of nightmares. If I could get past it I could probably do stage 5 with some practice.
 

fake

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Stage 4 is just unreal. too much switching and dodging that rotating thing gives me nightmares. Played that summabitch for like a year and couldn't get passed Stage 4 without continuing.

That's where my wall is too.
 

awbacon

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I've never had the patience to "get good" at shmups that way. Sure I can 1cc a few but the intricacies of the super high scoring have always eluded me
 

oliverclaude

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I've never had the patience to "get good" at shmups that way. Sure I can 1cc a few but the intricacies of the super high scoring have always eluded me

Getting good differs between arcade and console STGs. First are mostly about score, yes, the latter though, you play on different difficulties to see different endings like in Musha Aleste on the Mega Drive, sometimes even different gameplay like in Super Aleste or new boss tactics like in Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie on the SFC. Here, a one life clear is more important than score, which is often broken anyway like in Super Aleste through the life extension bug in Area 5. So, maybe you'll have more patience/motivation to get good at shmups on console terms.
 

Gog

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I tried with the GameCube version which I brought very shortly after launch. Watched the videos that were included on the disc (very handy in those pre YouTube days), but as Roker, GohanX & FakeXsound mentioned, stage 4 was where it all fell apart. That rotating bastard just slayed me.
Still a game I remember fondly and I love the design and mechanics, but I haven’t actually played it in years. Should probably pick up the one of the re-releases at some point so I can get my arse handed to me all over again.
 

greedostick

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Where would one find the Ikaruga World Record Score?

Possibly with a video. I'm not finding a overall WR score via google or youtube. Just individual stage world records.
 

GohanX

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I tried with the GameCube version which I brought very shortly after launch. Watched the videos that were included on the disc (very handy in those pre YouTube days), but as Roker, GohanX & FakeXsound mentioned, stage 4 was where it all fell apart. That rotating bastard just slayed me.
Still a game I remember fondly and I love the design and mechanics, but I haven’t actually played it in years. Should probably pick up the one of the re-releases at some point so I can get my arse handed to me all over again.

Ikaruga is pretty frequently on sale on Steam really cheap. You can also grab it on Xbox 360/Xbox One or Switch if those are your preferred weapons.
 

Gog

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Ikaruga is pretty frequently on sale on Steam really cheap. You can also grab it on Xbox 360/Xbox One or Switch if those are your preferred weapons.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm console peasant at the moment, so a Switch version would be my weapon of choice currently. It would also be the first purchase I've made for it since I brought Super Mario Odyssey on launch.
 

greedostick

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Thanks for the heads up. I'm console peasant at the moment, so a Switch version would be my weapon of choice currently. It would also be the first purchase I've made for it since I brought Super Mario Odyssey on launch.

Get the flip grip with it. Well worth it.
 

GohanX

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Thanks for the heads up. I'm console peasant at the moment, so a Switch version would be my weapon of choice currently. It would also be the first purchase I've made for it since I brought Super Mario Odyssey on launch.

At this point I don't think the version matters. A calculator could run Ikaruga at 60fps. All the ports are probably based off of the excellent Xbox 360 version anyway, I can't tell any difference between the game on 360, Xbone X, and Steam other than some small options changes. I just got the flip grip so I'll probably be getting the Switch version soon as well.
 

roker

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I've never had the patience to "get good" at shmups that way. Sure I can 1cc a few but the intricacies of the super high scoring have always eluded me

1cc is the only "high score" I care about. I still think about my 1cc in Armed Police Batrider. That game is fantastic. I've 1cc'd other games (not just shmups), but that one will always be my favorite. I don't remember my score and I don't care!
 

Gog

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Get the flip grip with it. Well worth it.

The flip grip is a cool piece of kit. I know I’d have a TATE splurge if I did pick one and cash is a bit tight currently. Very tempting though.

I once messed up a CRT many many years ago before I knew any better by TATE-ing a model that wasn’t durable enough to be stood on its side. When I tipped it back the colours streaked badly, especially white. It gradually got better, but I remember it never displayed white correctly again after that.
 

greedostick

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1cc is the only "high score" I care about. I still think about my 1cc in Armed Police Batrider. That game is fantastic. I've 1cc'd other games (not just shmups), but that one will always be my favorite. I don't remember my score and I don't care!

I feel you there, I've always went for the 1cc with any shooter, and could care less about the score. I don't know though, something about Ikaruga just makes me want that score. I think it is in part because you really have to be scoring well to do good. Like I know if I can push my score just a little higher, I can make it a little further. In other games I have played, such as Progear, Death Smiles, etc.. I feel like the score is just a second way to play the game. With Ikaruga however, if you're not scoring well, you're probably getting your ass handed to you. The score is almost a direct reflection of how well you are doing compared to your score. If you are not scoring well, you are probably not shooting because you're scared stray bullets will come your way, or you will open a half of the stage that will unleash chaos. I have this issue just after the boxes in stage 2. The only way I can get through is to not fire, and play it safe, but I am determined to one day roll through there guns blazing.

So I've been practicing more. Maybe an hour or so after work each night. Some of this is watching replays of the top Switch scores.

I have to say, the more I play this game, the more I like it. I already thought I liked it a lot.

Besides the obvious great things about Ikaruga, such as the puzzle system, polarity system, great music, and elegant presentation, here are a few things I have come to realize that makes the game really enjoyable for me.

1. The Bomb System: In most SHMUPS I've played, you are allotted a specific number of bombs, or maybe pick some up. In Ikaruga, you are rewarded with almost infinite bombs for taking risks, and playing well. I don't feel like there's much RNG involved, shit doesn't just float off the screen, I get the bomb because I put myself in the situation and am rewarded it.

2. I don't feel like Ikaruga is a "twitch" SHMUP. This goes back to me stating one of the great things about Ikaruga is its elegance. Your time in this game isn't really spent dodging, it's spent manipulating the polarity of your ship, and the stuff that's flying at you. With this system, instead of dodging like crazy, you simply transition in a safe area. I guess technically it's still dodging, but it doesn't feel like it to me.

Anyway, to cut off a long post. The more I play Ikaruga, the more I realize what a beautiful game it is. Just so many good things. The design of a game really says something, when you completely get your ass handed to you, and you keep coming back for more. Ikaruga probably offers the same feels a gambling addict gets when he loses it all, but comes back for more.
 
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oliverclaude

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If you are not scoring well, you are probably not shooting because you're scared stray bullets will come your way, or you will open a half of the stage that will unleash chaos.

A pacifist run can be fun, too. Blazing Star even rewards you for it with an appreciably lesser rank, helping to survive the penultimate stage.
 
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