Ikaruga cover

Ikaruga

Ikaruga →

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First release
Sep 05, 2002
Genres
Shooter, Arcade · Action, Science fiction
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo GameCube, Dreamcast, Android, PlayStation 4, Arcade, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360

In this vertical scrolling spaceship shooter, you control a ship that can change its polarity at will. As blue/white, the ship can easily destroy red/black enemies, and visa versa. Bullets of your polarity can be collected to fuel your missile gauge, but those opposite will kill you. Destroying an enemy ship will make them drop points for you to pick up, but they are polarized, too. Different difficulties exist to change exactly how you interact with polarized points, or how they appear. Ikaruga is a balls-hard shmup with lots of difficulty even at the easiest level, and lots of replay value for those willing to face the challenge.

Also known as 斑鳩 , game.exe

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Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Release dates
Dreamcast
Sep 05, 2002
Nintendo GameCube
Jan 16, 2003
Nintendo GameCube
Apr 15, 2003
All 12 release dates
Nintendo GameCube
May 09, 2003
Xbox 360
Apr 09, 2008
Android
Jan 18, 2013
Arcade
Aug 08, 2013
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Feb 18, 2014
Nintendo Switch
May 29, 2018
PlayStation 4
Jun 29, 2018
PlayStation 4
Sep 24, 2020
Nintendo Switch
Sep 24, 2020
Game modes
Split screen, Multiplayer, Single player
Perspective
Third person, Bird view / Isometric

At a Glance

Critic Score
90
OverviewHow it playsMediaCommunityBehind the gameRelated

Overview

Steam review summary

Steam users rate this Overwhelmingly Positive, 2,207 reviews in all languages, recorded 16 October 2026

Valve's summary of Steam user reviews. Valve counts only reviews from purchases on Steam, not key activations, and leaves out review periods it has marked as off-topic. It isn't part of the CritScore score.

Review summary: SteamSteam data provided via the Steam Web API (opens in a new tab)Not affiliated with Valve →

Multiplayer

  • Steam Remote Play TogetherSteam · 16 Oct

Feature data: SteamSteam data provided via the Steam Web API (opens in a new tab)Not affiliated with Valve →

About storefront and compatibility information

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