Even when you see yourself dying countless times on-screen, Ikaruga's fun does a great job helping you continue playing.
Immediately upon the start of the game, there are a few words that appear on-screen. These small words and sentences may be Ikaruga's only evidence of any story, but they have a great poetic feel to them. They also appear around the beginning of a stage. Personally, I think that this alone says a lot about the game's presentation. Ikaruga may not have much of a story behind it, though the little you know about the situation at hand is well-written. The only problem with this is that the text is pretty small and it disappears too quickly. They definitely give the game an epic feeling to it, but it's a shame that something as cool and beautifully worded writing in the game can't be easily seen.
The actual gameplay plays like your average top-down shooter. Enemies will start coming at you from the top of the screen (or simply any side of the screen, for that matter). There's a little more to that than just blasting away at enemies. You can also change your "polarity" at any time. There is a light and dark polarity. Enemies will shoot light or dark shots at you. If your polarity is light, you can absorb light shots and dark shots will kill you. If your polarity is dark, the opposite happens as dark shots are absorbed and light shots mean instant death. Once you absorb enough, you can "unleash" energy and send out a bunch of homing missiles. Your current polarity also affects while kind of shots you shoot. Enemies will take extra damage from the opposite polarity so it gives you a little room for some strategy.
This mechanic sounds simple enough, but you'll soon realize that Ikaruga will soon deliver a punishing set of segments that will truly test your skills. The whole polarity change feature isn't just for luxury. There are parts where you will have to change polarity in order to survive. Sometimes you'll have to change your polarity rapidly because of the many different kinds of bullets being shot at you in all directions. Also, having a bunch of guys just shoot at you sounds like a rather simple concept, right? Not in Ikaruga. The many attack patterns and situations will have you studying stages to the very last detail.
Boss battles are far from forgiving as well, assuming that you're able to survive long enough to make it there. Each of the five bosses require different strategies and all of them are pretty challenging (except from the first). You'll constantly be moving, shooting, and dying. This is one of those games where you'll die a lot of times guaranteed, but you'll want to keep coming back for more.
Ikaruga's presentation and overall experience is held up stronger by its amazing music. The game may not have very many tracks, but the music you get is simply perfect for a game like Ikaruga. It's a nearly cinematic experience that is superbly enhanced by the audio and this is personally of the high points of the game.
In addition, Ikaruga comes with 2 player support and online leaderboards. After all, who wouldn't want to show off their ridiculous high scores on one of the hardest and most challenging games yet? And for those who need help, you can download replays that other players have made. Of course, you could do this as well. It's pretty helpful for getting through the game, but otherwise it's a great luxury.
There are only a few shortcomings with Ikaruga that aren't enough to make the $10 unworthy of spending. Even with only 5 levels, the great, addictive gameplay is enough to justify the price. The superb presentation, leaderboards, music, and overall feel of the game makes this one of the best that XBLA has to offer. Fans will be pleased and those looking for a challenge will surely find what they're looking for.