The Chosen Chozo

“Noh Stage” from TMNT Tournament Fighters (SNES)

Shermie: *waves*

Ikaruga makes it to Switch on May 29 ☯ 

Nicalis continues to bring QUALITY titles to the Switch (and has more “new and exciting surprises” planned for next week, too), the latest being Treasure’s shmup Ikaruga, which enjoyed a cult following 15+ years ago with its Dreamcast and GameCube ports.

“The game’s story follows a rebel pilot named Shinra as he battles an enemy nation using a specially-designed fighter … which can switch between two energy polarities (black or white) at the touch of a button. Bullets that are the same color as Shinra’s ship can be absorbed, while the opposite color will do damage. This polarity-switching mechanic is the game’s core feature and the foundation for its stage and enemy design, as all of the enemies and bullets that players encounter will appear as either black or white. Throughout the gameplay, as the amount of absorbed bullets increases, so does the player’s homing laser attack. When maxed out, this special attack can be ten times more powerful than a standard shot and all attacks can be chained together to earn bonuses that will achieve higher scores.”

It will drop in North America on May 29 for $14.99:

Ikaruga for Switch will feature both single-player and two-player local co-op modes, as well as global online leaderboards. It will also have support for a vertical TATE mode, making @gamespite and @Fangamer’s vertical Switch stand seems super useful now, making this relevant project from Jeremy Parish, Fangamer, and Mike Choi look especially prescient!