It feels like we've been talking about a physical release of Ikaruga for ages now - it was just over a year ago that it was first announced by Nicalis - but a release date is now finally around the corner.
The new trailer above confirms a 24th September release date for the physical game in Japan, and Nicalis has taken to Twitter to say that it'll also arrive "soon" in the west. Thankfully, the western version also appears to be dropping this year.
If you haven't already played it, we'd certainly suggest that you either grab it from the eShop or get your hands on one of these physical copies. We awarded it a mighty 9/10 in our full review, and liked it so much that we gave it sought-after spot on our list of the best shmups on Nintendo Switch.
Have you been patiently waiting for Ikaruga's physical version? Let us know if you're planning on buying a copy with a comment.
[source twitter.com, via nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 27
I've been patiently waiting for this one. Successfully kept myself from buying the GCN version.
Before buying this, please take a look at the bad practices Nicalis has been accused of by some of the developers they published games for and consider whether or not you're willing to support such behavior by giving them your money.
There's a reason why Nicalis hasn't been able to secure new games for over a year now. Just saying.
Edit: because this isn't common knowledge I'd like to point everyone to an article Nintendo Life published about this issue.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/nicalis_investigation_reveals_tales_of_ghosting_slurs_and_mistreatment_of_staff
A fantastic game that I loved in 2005. Xx
Sweet. May sell my Game Cube copy and update with this.
Good shooter but overrated imo. Radiant Silvergun is better and doesn't rely on a gimmick for its central gameplay. Ikaruga does sound and look beautiful though.
I would have been more tempted if it was a bundle of Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun. I already have both the Dreamcast and Gamecube versions, so not sure there's much point in triple dipping. It's cool it exists though, although I hope it's not too expensive, given the eShop version is reasonably priced...
@Synthatron_Prime Funny, I found Radiant Silvergun to be dull, and found Ikaruga thrilling.
Excellent news, I’ll be snatching this up as soon as it’s available.
It's a shame this might be the last thing we see from Treasure. A Treasure collection for the Switch would be a dream. I'd even take a quick port of Sin and Punishment even if it wasn't a big seller (Wii U hello). More Treasure in HD please!
@TG16_IS_BAE Both are quality. Guess it depends on what gameplay you prefer. And to clarify i will be getting this of course.
Amazon JPN as of now no NA shipping.
Still can’t bring myself to buy anything from Nicalis.
Can I guess the US version won’t get the neat mini ship?
@Synthatron_Prime Oh, absolutely. I recognize that just because I don’t like it, that others won’t. It’s considered one of the best shmups ever, it just wasn’t for me.
@BadBadMountain Is Treasure not around anymore or something?
Love this game but I’m terrible at it have it on Dreamcast and GameCube but I will probably end up buying it for the switch just wish I had a proper strategy for playing it I would love to see under defeat make its way to the switch
@Shulkalot Do you have some sources for that? I know that they weren't and still ain't keen on getting that Blacksad game fixed but what your saying is new to me.
@Timmytron
Sure thing buddy. There was an article about it on this very website. Here's the link:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/nicalis_investigation_reveals_tales_of_ghosting_slurs_and_mistreatment_of_staff
I'm still holding out for a Bangai-O remaster! I'd take Radiant Silvergun as well...
Not interested in supporting Nicalis whatsoever.
I'll stick to the superior GCN version.
First comment makes me sad. I mean...it's Ikaruga. Who doesn't want that game on their console? Weird.
@TG16_IS_BAE they are sort of still around, but it's unclear what they're doing or if they are even a game developer any more. They still have a recently-updated website and an active Twitter account, but it's mostly just promoting re-releases of their old games. Ikaruga was the last original game they produced, and that was almost 20 years ago.
If I had to guess, I would say the game development studio is disbanded and the current company called Treasure Co. Ltd. is just a marketing / licensing corporation.
@JJtheTexan That’s heartbreaking if it’s true!
@TG16_IS_BAE It is rumored that they only exist in a capacity to license their older games to new hardware. Their last new titles were S&P:Star Successor (Wii, 2009) and Gaist Crusher (3DS, 2013) which sold poorly and I've heard no news of any new releases. Pitty. I feel like Platinum picked up where Treasure left off in the "Action" department.
@BadBadMountain Never been a fan of Platinum. Tried their stuff, including Bayonetta and Transformers Devastation but their style is not for me
@TG16_IS_BAE Bummer, I find their games to be incredibly enjoyable palate cleansers (Vanquish, MG:Uprising, W101) after lengthy RPG's. Even consider their more recent titles like Nier:Automata, Astral Chain, and Bayo2 to be near AAA experiences. To each their own. Cheers.
@BadBadMountain You too! Glad you enjoy them. Nier was especially brutal, because I wanted to enjoy it but I just can’t do the “mostly empty, giant open world” thing anymore.
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