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Radirgy

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Radirgy
Dreamcast cover art
Developer(s)MileStone
Publisher(s)Able Corporation
MileStone
Director(s)Manabu Matsumoto
Programmer(s)Manabu Matsumoto
Jirō Hamaya
Artist(s)Miki Narashima
Writer(s)Daisuke Nagata
Composer(s)Daisuke Nagata
Kō Hayashi
Platform(s)Arcade, Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 2
Release
13 October 2005
  • Arcade
    Dreamcast
    PlayStation 2 & GameCube
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player
Arcade systemSega NAOMI

Radirgy[a] is a shoot 'em up video game developed by MileStone and released for the Sega NAOMI arcade platform in 2005. The story follows schoolgirl Shizuru Kamigusa in an age filled with radio waves which she is allergic to. She must save her father, who is developing a remedy for her sickness, from terrorists who have taken control of his company. The game features bullet hell gameplay elements and a distinct cel shaded graphical style.

Radirgy was ported in 2006 to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and GameCube exclusively in Japan—of which the latter two featured exclusive gameplay modes. O~3 Entertainment planned to localize the GameCube version in North America under the title Radio Allergy, but the release was canceled. The game was later localized for the Wii in a compilation of MileStone shooters, Ultimate Shooting Collection. Critics found the game challenging and unique, but overall an average experimental shooter. Radirgy has been followed by two titles, Radirgy Noa and Radirgy De Gojar.

Gameplay

Radirgy is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up with bullet hell elements, and features a bright cel shaded graphical style.[1][2] The game features an arcade mode with five stages, a score attack mode, scalable difficulty, and bonus modes depending on the platform.[b][2] The story follows a blue-haired schoolgirl named Shizuru Kamigusa, who is allergic to radio waves. Her father works for a company developing a remedy for the condition, but a terrorist group led by Ruki Michima takes over their building. Shizuru mans a flying mecha called a “terminal suit" to save her father and the medicine from the terrorists. Dialog appears on the playfield throughout the game and can be dismissed by pressing a button, although this feature can be disabled.[2]

Gameplay in the first stage

The game features bullet hell gameplay elements, providing the player with a small hit box and swarms of particles to evade. Most of the bullets come in patternless waves with the exception for the mini-bosses and stage bosses which feature more regular patterns.[2] The player may choose from three different ships each with a different spead setting, and may also choose from three different weapons: spread gun, homing laser, and bubble cannon.[3] Each of these weapons features different ranges and speeds, so the player must utilize different strategies with them. They can also be powered up throughout the game.[2] Once the game is started, the player is equipped with their main weapon, sword, and shield.[3] The short-range sword can be used to destroy the same bullets and enemies the guns can destroy, but can also deflect items. This deflection mechanic allows the player to "juggle" items and power-ups until they are desired.[2] When not firing, the terminal suit will automatically deploy a shield which can be used to deflect certain enemy bullets.[2] A combo bar, which determines the score multiplier, can be increased by either using the shield to harvest energy from bullets or enemies or using the ABSNET shield, a weapon similar to Giga Wing or Mars Matrix which eliminates all minor enemies and projectiles on the screen. In order to use the ABSNET shield, the player gather blue items which drop from destroyed enemies to fill the ABSNET gauge.[1][2][3] The combo bar slowly dissipates over time.[1]

Release

After first releasing on the arcade Sega NAOMI platform, Radirgy was ported to the Dreamcast, and later the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The latter two were known as Radirgy PreciouS and Radirgy GeneriC respectively, the names being a reference to the platforms themselves. The PS2 version featured a more difficult mode called "Okawari Mode" and the GameCube release had a special score attack mode titled "Manpuku Mode". These releases were all exclusive to Japan.[1]

In January 2007, O~3 Entertainment announced that it would be localizing Radirgy in February for North America exclusively for the GameCube under the new title of Radio Allergy.[4] The company had previously localized MileStone's other shooter, Chaos Field.[1] The game was set for a retail price of $20.[5] However, the release date was pushed back several times, and was eventually cancelled by June 2007 due to a lack of interest from retailers in stocking GameCube titles. MileStone began looking into options to include the game in a compilation for the Wii.[6] Radio Allergy was finally localized for the Wii in the Ultimate Shooting Collection compilation along with Chaos Field and Karous.[1] A sequel, Radirgy Noa, was released in 2009. Another title, Radirgy De Gojar,[c] was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2014 in Japan.[7]

Reception

IGN found the Dreamcast version of Radirgy to be challenging, but overall an average shooter.[3] In a hands-on preview, IGN enjoyed the GameCube version. They found the game to not carry the depth of Ikaruga, another GameCube shooter, but still believed the game was "solid" especially for the retail price of $20.[10] Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 wrote that the visuals and scoring system keep Radirgy fresh, but the appeal wears off and the game turns out as another "experimental shooter." He criticized the soundtrack and the lack of a two-player option.[1] Aaron Kaluszka of Nintendo World Report reviewed the GameCube release and found the game to be average overall, but still a welcome addition to the system's library. Praise was given for the cel shaded design, sound, controls, and replay value. However, criticism was directed towards the level design, cases of slowdown, the graphical style for impeding gameplay, and game design choices which do little to define the game apart from other shooters. In terms of style, they placed the game "somewhere between cute-em-ups of the 16-bit era and more traditional shooters."[2]

Notes

  1. ^ The game is known as Radirgy in Japan, which is short for Radio Allergy. However, the Japanese characters spell Rajirugi (ラジルギ), and the game is sometimes referred to as Radilgy.[1]
  2. ^ The PS2 version features "Okawari Mode", an increased difficulty mode.[1] The GameCube version features "Manpuku Mode" which starts the player with full weapon power and allows the score multiplier to reach 256x rather than the normal limit of 16x.[2]
  3. ^ Radirgy De Gojar (ラジルギでごじゃる)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kalata, Kurt. "Hardcore Gaming 101: Post-Mortem Dreamcast Shooters". www.hardcoregaming101.net. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Radilgy GeneriC Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Radirgy - IGN". IGN.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Cure Your Radio Allergy". IGN.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Radio Allergy Hands-On". IGN.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Radio Allergy Shot Down on 'Cube". IGN.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  7. ^ "ラジルギでごじゃる! | ニンテンドー3DS | 任天堂". 任天堂ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Radirgy Generic". GameRankings. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Radio Allergy". Nintendo Power. 215. May 2007.
  10. ^ "Radio Allergy Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
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