'Dimension Cut!' (while performing Dimension Cut) 'Shiden Mettenshou! Wide Open!' (while performing Shiden Mettenshou)

'Hien Houou Kyaku!' (while performing Hien Houou Kyaku) 'Oborozukiyo!' (while performing Oborozukiyo) 'Raizanshou!' (while performing Raizanshou) 'Rekkuujin!' (while performing Rekkuujin)

'My apologies for cutting you!' (while performing Bassairyuuzan) 'Bassairyuuzan!' (while performing Bassairyuuzan) 'Shououshin!' (while performing Shououshin) 'My block is broken.' (durring guard crush) 'Are you ready for a sparring, Yagyuu!?' (Intro vs. Now show me your true resolve.' (Intro vs. 'You've been always clumsier as always, Hibari. Are you Shuh of Nanto Hakuroken?!' (Intro vs. 'You've always been headstrong like that as always, Eliot! Can't blame you for this though.' (Intro vs. 'It's time to settle for old time's sake, Imu.' (Intro vs. You look cuter when you with or withour your mask on your face.' (Intro vs. 'I'm ready for you, bring it Asuka.' (Intro vs. 'You're not the only one who fights in iaijutsu, Vergil.' (Intro vs. Well it's time to settle the score for old time's sake.' (Intro vs. 'You've been always headstrong like that Katsu. and why MumboJumbo is not.'I'll show you a dance cloaked in shadows!' (Intro 1) The sheer lack of effort placed into this game shows why Treasure is still considered one of the best dev teams in the industry. The team responsible for Platypus fails on almost all levels: the graphics, the music, the sound, and the gameplay all fall short of what good game design teaches. However, it's up to a game developer to use the genre's simplicity to their advantage and create interesting gameplay mechanics and scenarios. Shooters aren't hard to make at all (you can make one for yourself at DigiPen). The lack of depth in the combat system is the final nail in the coffin for this horribly underwhelming game. Even worse, there's no strategy behind the power-ups: there's no way to switch weapons, no way to store a power-up. Most of the projectiles are too slow, or too underpowered to make them enjoyable. Power-up stars are picked up by destroying a specific group of enemies, and the stars enable you to fire mostly useless projectiles at enemies for a set period of time. The enemies are uninspired, but even worse: the weapons and power-up mechanics are incredibly limiting. The development team clearly failed to learn that the shooter genre is supposed to have some depth to it. Unfortunately, there isn't much to enjoy in Platypus' old-school gameplay. Through memorization of the music, players would be able to learn what enemies were coming, and prepare accordingly. Ikaruga was so beloved by critics and fans because every aspect of the game added to the gameplay: the music was orchestrated to give players auditory cues as to what will happen in the game. The music is horrifically generic-I've heard better soundtracks from porn movies. While the visual presentation suffers greatly (and even hinders gameplay), not much more can be said about the game's audio presentation either.

The claymated enemies don't fare much better, as they seem to be a few frames of animation short of looking smooth. The repetitive and unchanging backgrounds are visually qutie boring. The backgrounds also leave much to be desired. Shooter afficiandos know that shooters tend to be more about dodging than shooting, but even the casual gamer will be frustrated when invisible bullets continue to destroy their fragile one-hit KO ships. Even worse, the bullets will sometimes hide behind clouds that are placed in the foreground. Clay bullets are tiny, gray sprites that blend in with the environment. Why are lasers such a good thing? Because in games, they're bright and visible. While Platypus should be commended for not taking place in a generic sci-fi fantasy future like every other shooter created, it fails to take advantage of one of the genre conventions: lasers. One of the biggest problems with the game? The claymated bullets. While unique, the graphics leave a lot to be desired. The truth of the matter is: there isn't really anything good to praise in this game.

Ikaruga quotes