When developer Treasure revealed that it was working on a "highly requested" title, our ears perked up. Responsible for some of our favourite games ever, the possibilities had us excited. However, it seems the announcement has slipped out a little early, as Gematsu has spotted "unused images" on publisher Happinet's Tokyo Game Show 2022.
Treasure's game in question is Radiant Silvergun, a 1998 arcade and Sega Saturn game that eventually got a worldwide release on Xbox 360 back in 2011. Many imported the game back when it was first released and claimed that this shmup kickstarted the genre's revival in the late '90s. So, we're talking about what might be one of the best shmups of all time? Count us in.
This will be the first game Treasure has developed since 2014. Whether it's a remake or a reboot remains to be seen. The incredibly-difficult Ikaruga is considered a spiritual sequel, so we're expecting big things.
- Further reading - Feature: Treasure Games That Need Switch Ports Or Sequels
No platforms have been announced yet, but it looks like the game will be appearing at Happinet's booth during TGS or during one of the company's livestreams, which are scheduled for 17th September at 5pm JST and 18th September at 6pm JST. Fingers crossed for a Switch announcement!
Check out the full line-up of Happinet titles on its website. In the meantime, are you excited about the return of Radiant Silvergun? Blast away in the comments!
[source gematsu.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 54
If they do it; I'll buy it.
HELL YEAH BABY
It may not be a new title but at least it's something other than another Ikaruga port. Hope it does well so that Treasure can come back in full force
Absolutely called it. It’s the easiest game for them to port cause of the 360 version so why not! Will be picking up day one.
One of the very best Japan-only shmups for the Saturn (a console that, if Sega had only supported half as well in the West as they did Japan, might be remembered VERY differently today). Some amazing parallax visuals and insane gameplay. Instant buy!
Here’s hoping Guardian Heroes will be next. Maybe even a Sin and Punishment 3 one day.
I was hoping to see a new game. If it's just a port of the 360 version, that'd be very underwhelming.
Yes let it be true, I need my Radiant Silvergun on the go like my Ikaruga.
...gooood lord. How good is the Switch for shmups. Absolute heavenly announcement!
One of the most difficult 100% achievements (xbox 360) i did!
I put 300 hours to achieve 100%.
Ikaruga is "easy to normal difficult" near this game.
Radiant Silvergun is the best shmup ever.
This game is a blast!
I´ll buy again!
You spelt Wario World wrong. Just kidding though would love a Wario platforming collection all the same...minus the Disguise one. X
Great, but would've preferred a sequel to the amazing Treasure-developed Gradius V.
@Slowdive Ikaruga already had a physical release on Switch :/
I mean, besides nostalgia, does this game still hold up for anyone? What does this game do better than Ikaruga?
Already have it on my Xbox Series X, so hopefully they do something more with this version to justify me buying another version. Otherwise I'll just stick to the version I already have.
@Slowdive phew
I've never played or even looked into this game, but remember it being a highly coveted shooter back in the Saturn days. The name recognition alone will get me to give it a serious look if we see it on the Switch!
Ikaruga is one of my absolute favorite games, probably top 20. I am really looking forward to this one, especially now that I've grown incredibly fond of Treasure's broader back catalogue, from Alien Soldier to Sin & Punishment and Gunstar Heroes. What a developer.
In a moment of temporary insanity, I somehow confused Radiant Dawn with Golden Sun, and Treasure with Camelot...
@syrupdash
Was thinking the same thing, since GH, like Radiant Silvergun already has a HD version.
Really exciting news!
@BloodNinja Definitely still holds up, and pretty different from Ikaruga. There's a few ties here and there but gameplay wise there's actually not much in common, it's why Ikaruga always has that "spiritual" successor qualifier whenever it's mentioned with Radiant Silvergun.
@Slowdive I wouldn't say without a gimmick as much as just...completely different gimmicks. Not necessarily a bad thing since it's executed well in both games, just different.
@Serpenterror Almost wanted to ask since when there is a mobile version, but I actually own the Switch version. Switch almost never leaves the house...
Dang and here i was holding out hope for Silhouette mirage and Mischief makers ;w;
Ikaruga is an awesome game. I haven't played through Silvergun, and I never beat Ikaruga, but the game design was amazing.
With all these 90s FMV games recently getting re-pressed onto Sega CD discs and whatnot, another run of Saturn discs for this one would blow the sales numbers of Night Trap completely out of the water.
I already have it on my series X. I was expecting Mischief Makers
@BloodNinja Ikaruga is really overrated. Radiant silvergun is far better. You have lots of weapons combining every button and every combination possible is a different type of shoot
In fact, there is no other shooter like Radiant Silvergun.
I did a chat session with Nicalis on their website and asked about a reprint of Ikaruga. They honestly answered that they are going to try a reprint, (probably not the deluxe edition), but no date set and no announcement yet either. So if anyone is considering paying the cash for a copy from the original run then you might hold off for a while.
Own this on Sega Saturn (never had an Xbox) and will not hesitate to buy it again, wherever it ends up. Probably the best shmup I've ever played.
I'll be ****ed on, I was right, it was Radiant Silvergun! Spiritual prequel to Ikaruga, finally I'll get my shot. Great news.
Off topic: Hey Treasure, can I get some Mischief Makers on NSO please?
I remember reading I really liked Treasure one day. Think it was while playing Mischief Makers it hit me I had an accidental collection of their output kicking around. Fortunately, I gave it away before my ex threw it away.
@BloodNinja "I mean, besides nostalgia, does this game still hold up for anyone?"
In the most recent 19th Annual Top 25 Shmups of All-Time list, on the shmups forum, Radiant Silvergun was voted the #12 best shmup of all-time. Ikaruga was #7.
@GrailUK Just need Konami to release some PC Engine catalog now
I'm excited as this definitely is my favorite shmup of all time.
This is music to my ears. Much preferred this to Ikaruga. It feels a lot meatier than Ikaruga if that makes sense?
"The incredibly-difficult Ikaruga"
i hear this all the time, and i think its kind of hollow. ikaruga is brilliant, it's tough, it's challenging, but its far from the most difficult shmup. the brilliant dark/light switching system makes it so much more forgiving than a normal bullet hell, once you get a hang of it.
i dont know why, but the difficulty of ikaruga has become meme-ified and exaggerated over time. maybe its because so many gamers uninitiated to shmups have tried it, due to hype?
idk. anyway.
@BloodNinja
why does it need to be better than ikaruga to deserve to exist? im glad to have both! 👍
and yes, its a great game beyond nostalgia. come on, its a treasure game!😊
as someone else said, hopefully gradius V (or dare I dream? Gradius VI developed by treasure?) is next!
@-wc- I agree, and I'm not even an expert in shmups.
I remember someone saying Ikaruga is like a puzzle in shmup form. I thought that actually made a lot of sense.
@farrgazer exactly! its a puzzle!
afterall, as long as you always switch to the right color at the right time, youre invincible! 😋
@-wc- @farrgazer Difficult how exactly, is the real question. Sure, you're invincible for one of the two colors at any given moment, doesn't mean both colors aren't being shot at you for nearly every second. The game becomes harder when you actually try to chain kills together because you're focusing on what to kill and when, instead of just blasting everything out of the sky. That makes for more bullets of the opposite polarity, creating more chaos and elements you need to pay attention to in order to both survive and be efficient in scoring.
I just went over this with someone on Steam, me saying Ikaruga is harder than Mushihimesama 1.5. Dude thought I was crazy, so I looked up some forums and a(n apparently) respectable Japanese shmup difficulty rating chart. We were both right. Ikaruga on Normal and Hard was rated harder than Mushi on Normal and Maniac, Mushi on the hardest setting is higher than everything and rated one of the hardest all time (Ikaruga on Easy is super easy).
Point is: if you just look at polarities and don't care about scoring, yes, Ikaruga is not that hard. Otherwise, it is and this is not only me, but shmup forums talking as well.
@BloodNinja
Radiant Silvergun is incredible.
From beggining of the game you have 6 types of weapons.
One of them is melee...360º sword (tactical and also works like a shield). If your ship goes down, the sword goes up....samey from left to right...up to down....and when you kill a lot of enemies..you can use the sword special movement. This weapon is the more complex of the game.
One of them is electric...and this type can find secrets on background (the secret dogs...). This weapon is weak....but very strong against some enemies and bosses....This weapon can destroy all bosses parts....and if you kill the boss only after the total parts destruction, your ship evolves so much.
And you have more 5 weapons....one for each controller button.
You can evolve each weapon up to level 33.There are 2 game modes. In classic mode there are two ways to play..... the smartest one is kill enemies by their colors. So you create chain combos that help evolve your arsenal throughout the match. There will be routes to choose from, each route with its benefits and losses. The bosses of this game are epic, with amazing songs. Every boss ends up looking like the "last boss" in this game, because of the epic battle.
Playing the other game mode you can evolve your weapons in multiple gameplays...(cumulative). It´s an "easier" mode. In this mode you have a little anime story and you can choose the rotes easily. You have secret dogs in this mode. The location of the secret dogs in classic mode are different.
In Ikaruga the enemies have 2 colors. In Radiant Silvergun 3 colors: red, blue, yellow...and you can hit them in order to make 3...3-3...3-3-3......6....6-3....6-3-3...6-6-3.... ... ...etc....chain combos for killing same colors enemies (like Puyo Puyo)
This "puzzle side" is very important to complete this game! And more complex than Ikaruga "puzzle side".
@MontyCircus Thanks for sharing a vote, but I'm wondering how many people are choosing this game out of nostalgia, rather than actually what is in front of them. I don't think it's aged well.
@Oppyz666 I mean, weapons are good, but the OST is garbage, and the game itself is an eye-sore.
@Slowdive Hilariously, while tons of people jumped to defend the game, nobody stated what the game did better. Interesting
@Rykdrew I appreciate the actual response! Every time I try this game because people gush so hard over it, it never gels with me. Maybe if they update it I may find it more to my liking. You never know!
@BloodNinja
I'm still confused why you think it's a contest between the two games, i guess.
@Kilroy
you are making me want to buy this game again!
I played it to death on gamecube, all the different ways. yes, I got good at playing freestyle with no regard for points, then moved onto trying to chain combos, "bullet eater mode" where you dont shoot at all (which is actually easier sometimes on the harder difficulty settings where they shoot back when they die,) and trying to beat levels without switching colors at all.
Still, I don't consider this game the hardest shmup ive played, but im also a play to win, not play for points type person. So I take your point 😊
God, I love this game! Cant wait to play RS again too!
PS - i was kidding about the invincibilty thing, obv thats not the case when you are carefully threading your way through a solid tapestry of dark and light bullets haha.
@BloodNinja A good shmup never ages (3rd gen onward, so games like OG Space Invaders not included). I just played some RS last night on my Saturn and I didn't even bat an eye at the graphics. You know what games also have early polygonal graphics? Indies. You know what sells well based on the fact these games keep getting made? Indies.
Name a good OST if you think it's garbage (I totally disagree with you, btw). Also, did you ever like games from this era? Graphics are clearly from a different era (which I find charming now anyway), but gameplay? Good shmup gameplay transcends generations. Summer Carnival '92 RECCA is highly regarded, this is an NES game.
@Kilroy I'm not even talking about graphics, but I'm glad you don't mind the low-poly count.
@-wc- They're made by the same company, and Ikaruga improves upon everything I disliked about Radiant Silvergun. What's confusing about that?
(Sorry Oppyz666, didn't mean to tag you)
@BloodNinja "BloodNinjaYesterday, 10:02pm
@ Oppyz666 I mean, weapons are good, but the OST is garbage, and the game itself is an eye-sore."
game itself is an eye-sore
Could you explain then what this means if you're not referring to graphics? Also, you didn't answer the question about naming a good OST since you think RS's is garbage.
@Kilroy Color saturation hurts my eyes. It looks muddy, in terms of over-all fidelity; not good for a game where you need to be able to see what you are doing. The general presentation is ugly. Good OSTs? I’m assuming you mean shmup OSTs, yeah?
Ikaruga
Raiden 3&4
Axelay
Gradius 3
Gleylancer
R-Type 3
Batsugun
Literally any Touhou shmup from 1-10
Mushihimesama 1+2
Espgaluda 1+2
Dodonpachi series
DeathSmiles
To name a few off the top of my head. There are others that I would rate higher than Radiant Silvergun, but I think I’ve named enough.
@BloodNinja
yes, it has been clear from your first comment that you prefer ikaruga to radiant silvergun. you seem to be implying that others should justify to you their anticipation of a new radiant silvergun release, and obviously that's very silly! have a good one. 👍
@-wc- I'm sharing my own personal preference, which has nothing to do with that of others. You don't have to take it there in your mind. Maybe go outside a little more, see some sun!
@BloodNinja
you are attempting to gaslight me and i dont appreciate it! you were not simply stating a personal preference and you know it. It's an anonymous online comments section so its harmless, but im clearly seeing a pattern here.
"Hilariously, while tons of people jumped to defend the game, nobody stated what the game did better. Interesting "
"I'm sharing my own personal preference, which has nothing to do with that of others. You don't have to take it there in your mind."
as far as your comments about me personally, im sure that's not necessary. have a good one! 👍
@-wc- You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.
@BloodNinja
i know what it means.
and, i love that movie. 👍
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