Iridion 3D

Iridion 3D
Developer(s)	Shin’en
Publisher(s)	Majesco
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Release	NA May 29, 2001 EU Sept 21, 2001
Genre(s)	Shooter
Mode(s)	Single player

Iridion 3D is a 3D shooter game for Game Boy Advance, and was one of the handheld's launch titles. The player occupies a single starship which wages war against the alien "Iridion " over seven levels from Earth to the alien's home planet. Iridion was also the first of developer Shin’en's Game Boy Advance titles. While praised for its intensive graphics and rich sound, the game was panned by critics and gamers alike.

Gameplay

File:Gba iridionsea.png

In-game screenshot of Iridion 3D.

The game is a simple forward-scrolling rail shooter, in style similar to Star Fox titles. Only the Game Boy's directional pad, A and Start buttons are used during gameplay. The ship remains locked at a set speed and cannot brake or speed up. Level progression is linear, with a boss at the end of each level. Once the boss is defeated the player receives points and bonuses for the number of lives remaining, the energy level of the player's craft, and the amount of enemies defeated previously. The craft then proceeds to the next stage.

Weapons

Iridion 3D allows the player to boost their weapon power by collecting weapon powerups. There are five weapon types, each with 3 levels of power. The player starts with level one Red and by collecting more of the same color, the weapon increases to a maximum level of 3, inreasing its effectiveness. If the player's ship is destroyed, the power level of the weapon is reduced by one, but you cannot be forced back to a previous weapon. If the player collects a new type/color weapon, the weapons of the ship revert back to level one of the new weapon.

Each weapon has its own advantages and disadvantages. The basic red is relatively weak, but fires rapidly and in a large spread. Green weapons are inaccurate, but fill the screen with shots. Purple weapons spin in a counterclockwise motion slowly, but are fairly strong. Yellow torpedo-like weapons are very powerful, but powerups are rare and the weapon fires slowly. Blue weapons are only found on the last level, similar to Yellow but more powerful. There are also flashing powerups which restore the shields of your craft.

Enemies

Bosses, like the Refusor pictured, usually have a single vulnerability which is occasionally shown. (In this case, the green core.)

The player encounters more than fifteen enemies over the course of the game, not counting the level bosses. The player will also face passive obstacles which can damage or destroy his craft, such as garbage and asteroids. Enemies vary in armor and weaponry, with some not able to return fire, but traveling in waves to ram the player. After facing waves of enemies, the player is taken to the boss stage. In boss stages, the player's craft does not progress through the stage, instead hovering continually in front of the boss. Each boss has a single vulnerability, which flashes when hit. However, these areas are often heavily shielded, and must be repeatedly fired upon to remove armor. Other bosses' vulnerabilities are hidden for most of the time, only appearing for short periods. To add to the difficulty, most bosses have weapons which will fire upon the player, or reflect the player's shots back at them. Players receive bonuses for the number of enemies they defeat at the end of each level, increasing their score and bestowing another life at scores of 10000, 20000, 40000, and up.

Plot

File:Gba iridionchute.png

The player escapes earth through an Iridion garbage tunnel.

The player assumes the role of a pilot in charge of an experimental SN-H fighter, the last home for defending Earth from the alien Iridion. The player pilots his ship alone against hordes of Iridion fighters and natural obstacles, breaking the Iridion grip on the Moon before heading into the far reaches of space. Eventually the player fights the Iridion on their home planet, destroying the Iridion "mainframe" and ending the alien threat forever.

Graphics

Iridion 3d uses solely 2-D graphics, for the texture scrolling of the level and for the sprites which depict explosions and enemies. The graphics shrink and enlarge depending on position relative to the player, and level environments feature interesting changes (for example, day turns to night as the player progresses). The developers made the levels look 3D by looping the background textures, making it a fairly graphically intensive game for the Gameboy Advance.

Majesco's vice president of handhelds, Dan Kitchen, wrote that "by pushing the graphics hardware of the Game Boy Advance to its technical limits, Iridion 3-D provides a truly realistic 3-D gaming experience." He hoped that "players will be amazed that such smooth environments and intense gameplay can now be achieved on a portable system."

Reception

GameSpot's Ben Stahl previewed Iridion on March 21, 2001, shortly before the release of the game in the United States. He noted the excellent graphics and high frame rate, ending with "At this point, Iridion 3-D looks like it could be a great game for fans of the genre."

Despite the generally good graphics and sound, Iridion 3D was panned by critics. IGN wrote that "Shin'en's shooter for the Game Boy Advance will impress with all its effects, but that's about it." The review noted that since all you can do is shoot and dodge, gameplay was repetitive. IGN also complained that distances were hard to judge, making it extremely difficult to avoid bullets which would appear to miss but actually hit the player's ship; subsequently they gave the game a 56/100. Gamespot gave Iridion a 5.6/10, warning potential buyers that "after the initial "wow" wears off, you'll be stuck with an empty experience." Gamespy similarly rated it with a miserable 45/100, especially criticizing the developers for not making enemy weapons fire more apparent: "Enemy fire is shown either as tiny specks that rapidly kill you, or look like your own shots. Only rarely can you see them coming. Not good." The game has an overall 57% ratio from 22 reviews on gamerankings.com.

External links

• Official Site
• Iridion 3D at MobyGames