Ikaruga Is NOT a PUZZLE Game! A Shoot em' Up Discussion on Marketing vs Mechanics

Ikaruga Is NOT a PUZZLE Game! A Shoot em' Up Discussion on Marketing vs Mechanics. Over the years the talking point that the Treasure Shoot Em' Up classic, Ikaruga, is more puzzle game then shmup has gotten out of hand. In pretty much every review of the game I could find post 2003, all of them described the game as having core game play based around puzzle elements (with some suspiciously similar language I might add). Even in the game's marketing on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PS4, the marketing mentions puzzle-elements, but with a question mark, which is funny. In this shmup topic video, I discuss why constantly characterizing Ikaruga as a puzzle game is much more of a marketing tactic then a true reflection on the nature of the game, as Ikaruga does not contain any specific puzzle elements that other shmups of the genre do not have. For Treasure fans especially, many of these same elements can be found in other Treasure shmups like Radiant Silvergun and Gradius V. I also find it ironic that many of the same voices that describe Ikaruga as a puzzle game also say that it is the greatest shmup of all time. So the greatest shmup of all time is ... a puzzle game?
Also Shout out to MAZ for donating footage for me to use for B-roll, here is his replay and channel!
   • Ikaruga AC Normal - 23.570.810 pts - ...  

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