Ikaruga on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Shoot! Dodge! and... Get Hit!? "Ikaruga" is a vertical shoot 'em up that features an unique polarity-switching gameplay. Switch the ship's polarity and "get hit and absorb" enemy bullets! Achieve High Score with the chain bonus!

Ikaruga is a shoot 'em up, bullet hell and arcade game developed by and published by Treasure.
Released on February 18th 2014 is available only on Windows in 2 languages: English and Japanese.

It has received 2,223 reviews of which 2,104 were positive and 119 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😍

The game is currently priced at 8.99€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified Ikaruga into these genres:

Shoot 'Em Up Bullet Hell Arcade Classic Action Great Soundtrack Shooter Sci-fi Difficult Indie Local Co-Op Addictive 2D Singleplayer Retro Space Co-op Controller Local Multiplayer Puzzle

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Ikaruga through various videos and screenshots.

Ikaruga screenshot
Ikaruga screenshot
Ikaruga screenshot
Ikaruga screenshot
Ikaruga screenshot
Ikaruga screenshot

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • OS *: Windows 8 / 7 / Vista / XP
  • Processor: Intel Core2 Duo / Athron64 X2
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: DirectX 9.0c support (256 MB VRAM)
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 512 MB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c support

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

April 2025
This game has two fatal weaknesses: demanding difficulty that only get better the more you learn (in a good sense that it depends on your personal skills), and a very rich lore not being told anywhere in the game but the internet. Other than that, this game is simply perfect in almost all senses. Highly-addicted yet elegant gameplay that makes you feel like having a ballet? Check. Well-crafted & innovative mechanics that engaged the players to interact as much as possible in order to open up many other unique possibilities? Check. Catchy music that does not only goes well with the theme of the game but also synchronize for nearly the entire duration of the game (seriously calling Ikaruga a pseudo-rhythm shmup hybrid isn't really a stretch)? Check. Being able to compel the trembling, but unbroken line of souls, starving for freedom of the story through the game's aesthetic, music, and poetic messages? Check. Speaking of the story, it's a pity to see how much efforts one must go through for researching the lore of game in order to fully experience the radiance of Ikaruga's storytelling. It can be described as a story of loss and defiance, a story of a world drowned beneath the empire's banners, where nations fell under subjugation and the sky itself darkened under conquest. From that very desperate world, one soul rose - a lone rebel whose comrades had fallen, whose battles had ended in defeated, yet he still chose to fight back. He's entrusted by the people as the final ray of light against an entire empire, and despite being against impossible odds, being a man with no future, he still stood up and gave in one more time. Not for victory. Not for glory. But for a freedom he could barely name - a final act of defiance written against a world already surrendered. Though Ikaruga remains as a very demanding game that asks more from the player than most are willing to give. It's not an experience that can be fully appreciated by merely touching the surface, thus a lot of people give up before the turning point. But for those who sit down, reflect on their mistakes, and patiently chase after even the smallest improvements—spending just a few minutes each day investing in growth—the game offers one of the most satisfying experiences gaming has ever created.
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March 2025
Along side Radiant Silvergun, Dodonpanchi, Crimzon Clover, Mushihimesama, and Zero Ranger. Ikaruga is easily one of the best Shmups ever made. An essential buy for any fan of the genre.
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March 2025
While I feel this game is massively overrated by the shmup community (seriously, say anything bad about this game on elitist shmup forums and you get bounced), I still feel it's a solid, intelligent shmup and doubles as a puzzle game due to it's easy to understand scoring mechanics (as opposed to the mish mash you get in most bullet hell shooters).
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Nov. 2024
"I will not die until I achieve something. Even though the ideal is high, I never give in. Therefore, I never die with regrets."
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Oct. 2024
"Don't worry, we will understand each other someday." I felt like this was the game talking to me, after dying for what felt like hundreds of times on my first playthrough. I took this comment to heart. I thought, maybe, if I kept playing, the game and I would end up understanding each other. Because we didn't really click at first, I misunderstood how the Energy gauge worked, I didn't even realize I could release it for an attack, I didn't interact with the chain system, I didn't bother reading about the story, didn't know the extent of the polarity mechanic; we were still strangers to each other, but I was intrigued. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I became obsessed after that first playthrough and started learning everything I could about this game. I read the story, learned about the characters, I learned about the different buddhist themes and references this game has, read up about Treasure, the connection to Radiant Silvergun, watched superplays, looked at the beautiful art (really, look at it, it's some of the best video game art out there imo). I just became enamored with how much soul this game radiated. Going from clueless to understanding the game inside and out was a transcendent experience. I have a hard time thinking about gaming experiences that were as satisfying as realizing that I could, after a few attempts of failing miserably, /survive/ and get a bunch of chains in Chapter 4, when I thought beforehand that this was utterly impossible for me. I understood what the game wanted to tell me, I understood what it asked of me, and knowing that, I was able to give it what it wanted. I finally felt in sync with Ikaruga, as if the game and I were working together, rather than against each other. I had never even enjoyed a shmup before playing this game, but it's quickly become one of my favorite games of all time. It's an infinitely replayable masterpiece, and I can't see myself getting tired of it anytime soon. It will always have a place in my heart.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ikaruga is currently priced at 8.99€ on Steam.

Ikaruga is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 8.99€ on Steam.

Ikaruga received 2,104 positive votes out of a total of 2,223 achieving an impressive rating of 9.03.
😍

Ikaruga was published by Treasure.

Ikaruga is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Ikaruga is not playable on MacOS.

Ikaruga is not playable on Linux.

Ikaruga offers both single-player and multi-player modes.

Ikaruga offers both Co-op and PvP modes.

Ikaruga does not currently offer any DLC.

Ikaruga does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Ikaruga supports Remote Play on TV and Remote Play Together. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.

Ikaruga is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Ikaruga.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 08 June 2025 19:16
SteamSpy data 10 June 2025 03:26
Steam price 15 June 2025 12:43
Steam reviews 12 June 2025 23:53

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Ikaruga, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Ikaruga
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Ikaruga concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Ikaruga compatibility
Ikaruga
8.99€
9.0
2,104
119
Game modes
Features
Online players
3
Publisher
Treasure
Release 18 Feb 2014
Platforms
Remote Play
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