2005 · MileStone Inc. · Shooter

Radirgy

Radilgy is a vertical shooter with its own unique graphical design taking inspiration from anime and the look of cel-shaded graphics.

Released: 13 October 2005
Platforms: Arcade Dreamcast GameCube PlayStation 2
Genres: Shooter
Developers: MileStone Inc.
Publishers: Able Corporation MileStone Inc.
Modes: Local multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Science fiction

About

Radirgy is a shoot 'em up video game developed by MileStone Inc. 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 for release in Japan—of which the latter two featured additional 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 four titles, Radirgy Noa, Radirgy de Gojaru!, Radirgy Swag, and Radirgy 2.

›Story

The story follows a 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 to save her father and the medicine from the terrorists.

Keywords

anime
shoot 'em up
bullet hell
wii classic controller support
gamecube controller support on wii

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Radirgy is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up with a bright cel shaded graphical style. The game features an arcade mode with five stages, a score attack mode, scalable difficulty, and bonus modes depending on the platform. The story follows a 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 to save her father and the medicine from the terrorists. Dialog boxes from Shizuru's friend Tadayo Aita appear on the playfield to progress the story, although this feature can be disabled.

Reception

IGN found the Dreamcast version of Radirgy to be challenging, but overall an average shooter. 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. 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. 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.