Pikii will release a limited print physical edition of Treasure-developed shoot ’em up Ikaruga for PlayStation 4 and Switch on September 24 in Japan for 4,500 yen, the publisher announced. Pre-orders are available now at the Pikii Online Shop (PlayStation 4, Switch).
The Japanese physical edition includes a copy of the game, reversible cover art, manual, special packaging, and an Ikaruga model ship by Metal Earth.
Meanwhile, western publisher Nicalis shared the Switch cartridge and PlayStation 4 Blu-ray disc artwork for the previously announced North American physical edition, which is due out sometime in 2020.
Ikaruga first launched for arcades in December 2001, followed by Dreamcast in September 2002, GameCube in January 2003, Xbox 360 in April 2008, PC in February 2014, Switch in May 2018, and PlayStation 4 in June 2018.
Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:
About
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!
Features
- The player ship, all enemies and bullets are black or white. Player’s polarity can be switched at will.
- Your ship can absorb enemy bullets of the same polarity. Filled energy goes to fire powerful homing lasers! (Release Power.)
- Defeat three enemies in a row of the same polarity and get the chain bonus! Building up high scores feels like a puzzle game?
- Spectacular 3D graphics. Fast and smooth game play.
- Two-player game (Local) and Double Play modes: You can play a two-player game with one controller.
- Five levels. Tactical level design and boss battles.
- Three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard. Change your tactics depending on the difficulty.
- Two game modes: Arcade, Prototype (not hidden).
- Replay data save is available. You can also download them from the Leaderboards.
- Vertical screen mode support. You can also play the game like a side-scrolling shooter by rotating only the game screen.
Watch a trailer for the Japanese physical edition below.