Update [Wed 14th Sep, 2022 09:35]: Radiant Silvergun has randomly disappeared from the North American Switch eShop. The trailer has also been made private on YouTube. We've popped the Japanese reveal trailer up top for now so you can still get your shump goodness.
For more information on the game's eShop removal, check out our story. Or you can read on further down to find out why people should be excited about this Sega Saturn classic.
Original article [Tue 13th Sep, 2022 18:45 BST]: Today's Nintendo Direct Showcase was full of release dates that either felt very close or very far away. None more so was this the case with news that the classic arcade shoot 'em up Radiant Silvergun, from acclaimed Japanese developer Treasure, would be coming to Switch. What's more, it's landing on the console today!
A classic in its genre, Radiant Silvergun will provide you with five different weapons to take down a constant onslaught of enemies in ships of varyingly ridiculous sizes. The game comes in a retro pixelated look, wearing its arcade and Sega Saturn heritage on its sleeve.
Take a look at the screenshots below to get an idea of the classic-inspired feel that we are talking about:
We reported on rumours that the game might be making the flight over to Switch way back in 2018, and just a few weeks ago, the game was revealed to be coming to Tokyo Game Show — which starts later this week. And suddenly, it's here! And we can play it!
The game is live on the Nintendo eShop right now for $19.99 / £15.29. Prepare for lift-off!
Will you be downloading Radiant Silvergun? Fly on down to the comments to let us know!
Comments 62
To the eshop! GO! GO! GO!
I'm so happy. This is better than anything else that was announced in that Nintendo Direct.
I am going to hold out hope for some kind of physical release.
Gah, you have no idea how hard it's going to be to wait for a physical copy...
...sod it...I'll double dip.
@ecco6t9 Live Wire published it and their three other releases where handled by LRG, so I think there's a good chance.
Great. Now put Guardian Heroes on the Switch.
Buying a digital copy today and two physical copies when Limited Run Games offer up physical copies a year from now.
Already grabbed it. Still one of the greatest parallax-scrolling shmups ever made.
That was a nice surprise.
I'll wait for a sale in a couple months and snag a copy then.
It getting leaked made it less impactful of an announcement, but really happy to see it out today. Definitely gonna get it eventually
Yussssss, it’s here ladssss.
I feel obligated to also point out that Clap Hanz' Easy Come Easy Golf (series known in the past as Hot Shots Golf and Everybody's Golf) was also released today on the eShop ($19.99/£17.59), but only appeared on the Japan Direct.
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/easy-come-easy-golf-switch/
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Easy-Come-Easy-Golf-2267877.html
Absolutely stellar announcement!
I recently realized I love classic STGs. Went on a splurge and purchased 54 different shmups on the eShop with physical editions for all that had them, including the 4 M2 Shot Triggers releases from Japan.
This was my #1 most wanted shooter on Switch. Now we just need Ketsui and Battle Garegga.
I always thought Treasure games were overrated, but I did enjoy this one more than others.
Seems kinda high...I bought these already on Xbox:
Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes.
@ohithere You know, I thought that looked like a surprisingly high quality ripoff of Hot Shots Golf, now I know why. Now that's something I gotta pickup.
@ohithere thanks for the heads up! some Hot Shots Golf on top of Radiant Silvergun on Switch makes a good day even better.
@cheetahman91 Exactly! Guardian Heroes would be perfect on the Switch! Add an online mode and damn I won't play any other game for a while!
I love this game so much that waaaay back in in 1998 I paid a small fortune to mod my Saturn and import a copy... and then in 2001 I bought an actual ST-V arcade cab to play it! Neither of which was particularly easy to do back then in the UK without ebay being what it is now, etc. Totally worth it though!
(Bonus that the ST-V is like the NeoGeo in that you can just buy more carts for it, so eventually had games like Die Hard Arcade, Baku Baku, Steep Slope Sliders and titles from the Virtua Fighter and Cotton series too )
Having it portably is great! I can't recomend it enough. Probably my favourite shmup of all time, certainly my favourite "bullet hell".
I have it on the 'ol 360, but it is tempting to get on Switch. A bit pricey tho, 30 bucks here in canada with tax. A bit much for an excellent but 20+ year old game.
This got the loudest reaction from me at the Direct. I've been waiting for it for a very long time. Switch has become quite the Treasure machine — in part thanks to NSO — and I've fallen in love with the developer: Ikaruga, Sin & Punishment, Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier... So many all-time bangers.
The game is no longer on the US eshop!
It's still on the UK eshop, anyone know why?
@Kilroy Yeah! I just went to buy it now and it's gone. O_O
Great news, does it have tate mode?
@ohithere Your Clap Hanz PSA is the most important part of an existing direct that we didn't get in the west today, plus the only shadow-drop I ended up downloading.
One of the more pleasing announcements today! A friend was awestruck by this game back in the Saturn days, but I’ve never tried it.
I’ll try to make a dent in my backlog as I wait for Radiant to come out physically.
@Axelay71 It was originally designed in 3:2 format - I had the pleasure of trying it out on a Titan board in an arcade in Tokyo before the Saturn version came out...suffice to say this release makes me happy, hopefully it will have a similar mode to Saturn mode built in. I would also like it to replicate the original pixellated look of the original. I shall find out soon enough!
@WiltonRoots yes I have the Saturn version, fantastic game. Glad it's on switch, just thought some sort of tate mode would be great. I have the flip grip controller dock, some of the other shooters are great with it. RSG would be for sure. Thanks for the heads up.
This was honestly one of the coolest parts of the Direct.
@Axelay71 TAAATE MOOODE
@JimNorman Just pointing out that Radiant Silvergun has inexplicably vanished from the US eshop entirely. It is still up on the UK store, though. Can't find any information on why that might be.
Physical copy PLEASE!!! OH PLEASE!!
@Magician fingers crossed we get a physical release
A game I want to love far mire than I do.
@Kilroy Probably server issue. It'll probably go live again once the traffic died down, I expect maybe in the late evening.
Treasure is my all-time favourite. I have spent a woefully small amount of time with their Saturn offerings though. I cannot wait to play this.
Treasure!!
I find this to be better than Ikaruga personally
Atm this doesn’t seem to be on the eshop not even on live wires page. Idk what the h&ll happened but this better not be permanent.
@Funneefox
Looked for it earlier as well and nothing. Was going to at least wait list it. :/
Poof! Gone off the US shop. Spent like 20 minutes searching coz I couldn't remember the name. So excited to play this - so frustrating! What happened?
@Serpenterror Live Wire's official Twitter acknowledged the outage and said they're working on it. Doesn't sound like a traffic issue. https://twitter.com/LiveWire_pr/status/1569857915766579200
Also tagging @JimNorman (read my reply just above) so you can follow and update the article if you want.
@Kilroy Okay at first I thought that was it but yeah hopefully they get it back online soon. I was going to try TATE mode on that but I guess it'll have to wait for later.
@Dr_Corndog definitely my friend, I'm a diehard retro gamer like your self I expect:) thank God for these classics. Still cant believe no Metroid reveal again though:(
No way! Will download ASAP
According to the 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All Time poll on the Shmups Forum, Radiant Silvergun was voted the 12th best shmup of all-time.
It has been voted into the top 25 in 18 of the last 19 years.
Anyone know if this a port of the arcade version, or the Saturn version? In the latter you kept your weapon upgrades in between runs.
Wish we could get a Bangai-O collection on Switch too.
I find this game rigid, too reliant on memorisation, and beyond frustrating to play. And yet this will be the third time I've bought it. I'm an idiot.
Tate mode or nah.
@RandomNerds
It was designed for a full screen?
@ecco6t9 It will definitely happen. far too many companies doing these releases now and they all know this is absolute GOLD.
@RandomNerds It's a 4:3 aspect game, it never ran in tate mode.
@SpringDivorce Fullscreen 4;3, it never ran in tate
@RandomNerds @Axelay71 It’s a standard ST-V (Titan) board 320x240p resolution on 4:3 aspect ratio, so it was never in TATE-friendly format.
Honestly, I can’t even think of any other TATE a:r ST-V game besides Shienryu.
@WiltonRoots Actually 3:2 would be a 1.5:1 ar.
It’s 4:3, or 1.33:1 aspect ratio
@DashKappei thanks for the info, would of been great to have that option though.
@DashKappei Honestly, I thought this was natively developed for Switch hence my snarky "tate" comment. I can see how it would be difficult (if not impossible) to add Tate mode to a game that didn't have it previously.
That said, this is a great list: https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-tate-mode-nintendo-switch-games
CC @Axelay71, @SpringDivorce, @YANDMAN, @WiltonRoots
@DashKappei my bad! I meant 4:3, still jetlagged…😀
@RandomNerds I have the Saturn version which is obviously 4.3. But was thinking how great this game would look in tate mode. To be honest I have the flip grip dock so just enjoying playing shooters that have tate, that I couldn't play like it before.
@ian_beale It looks like a port of the 360 HD remaster, but apparently built from the ground up instead because I read it has bugs that aren't present in any other version.
@Axelay71 I love vertical shmups played in proper TATE on flip grip (and also on my dedicated TATE-screen cabinet) but for this game the game field is full screen 4:3 and was developed with such screen estate in mind, so it wouldn’t make sense in TATE. It’d be a completely different game.
@DashKappei yes get what your saying, its great to play in tate mode. I also have an Atgames legends ultimate cab with coinopsX. I certainly have some gems on this beauty.
@RandomNerds It isn't difficult, it's impossible.
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