Is Ikaruga Hard? Difficulty Rating 10.0/10

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Is Ikaruga Hard? Difficulty Rating 10.0/10 | HDII

Ikaruga

Port (2002)

DIFFICULTY

10.0/10

Hardcore!

(1 ratings)

Rate It!

Difficulty Summary

Ikaruga is considered an extremely difficult game, placing it among the most demanding experiences rated by players.

Why Players Find It Difficult

Players often rate this game as extremely difficult because of several punishing design elements:

Fast reaction speed is required, especially in later stages
Dense projectile patterns punish positioning mistakes harshly
Success depends on precision and sustained focus over long stretches
High execution ceiling in competitive or later encounters

Who Will Find It Difficult

Ikaruga is likely to be punishing for most players, including many experienced ones. It is best suited for players who actively enjoy high-difficulty games and mastery-focused challenges. Players who rated games like Touhou Chireiden: Subterranean Animism, Touhou Fuujinroku: Mountain of Faith, and Touhou Youyoumu: Perfect Cherry Blossom at a similar challenge level may find Ikaruga broadly comparable in difficulty.

User Defined Tags:

1 ratings

avg: 10.0

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Based on 1 ratings on Normal/Default difficulty, the average score is 10.0/10. Most players rated this game around 10.

Developer(s)

Treasure

Publisher(s)

Entertainment Software Publishing Inc., Treasure, Atari, Inc., Nicalis, Inc.

Genre(s)

Shooter, Arcade

Platform(s)

PC (Microsoft Windows), Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube, Arcade, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Android, Nintendo Switch

Keywords

none listed

About Ikaruga

In this vertical scrolling spaceship shooter, you control a ship that can change its polarity at will. As blue/white, the ship can easily destroy red/black enemies, and visa versa. Bullets of your polarity can be collected to fuel your missile gauge, but those opposite will kill you. Destroying an enemy ship will make them drop points for you to pick up, but they are polarized, too. Different difficulties exist to change exactly how you interact with polarized points, or how they appear. Ikaruga is a balls-hard shmup with lots of difficulty even at the easiest level, and lots of replay value for those willing to face the challenge.

Users also rated

Players who rated Ikaruga also rated the games shown below, with Touhou Chireiden: Subterranean Animism (10.0), Touhou Fuujinroku: Mountain of Faith (9.5), and Touhou Youyoumu: Perfect Cherry Blossom (9.0) being most similar in difficulty!