Why it issues: After months of uncertainty and anticipation, certainly one of the most critically acclaimed 2D shooters ever has made its PC debut. The Steam port of Radiant Silvergun combines new customization choices with modes and options from each earlier model, making this the definitive version of the 1998 classic.
Radiant Silvergun is now accessible on Steam for $19.99. Based on final 12 months’s well-received Nintendo Switch port, the new model provides extra management and visible choices to an intensive checklist of options.
Initially launched in 1998 in Japan for arcades and the Sega Saturn, Radiant Silvergun stood aside from different 2D shooters for a number of causes. It changed conventional power-ups with a color-based scoring and development system harking back to RPGs. The console model added a dense storyline with reduce scenes and voice performing, that are uncommon for the style.
Critics praised the recreation’s elaborate graphics and distinctive soundtrack from Final Fantasy composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, lending it an epic presentation uncommon for a 2D shooter. Radiant Silvergun is taken into account a religious predecessor to certainly one of developer Treasure’s different 2D shooter triumphs, Ikaruga (which arrived on Steam in 2014).
For years, acquiring Radiant Silvergun was difficult. The Saturn model grew to become an costly collector’s merchandise that by no means noticed launch exterior Japan. A 2011 Xbox 360 port addressed this concern, bringing the recreation to world audiences whereas introducing enhanced graphics, on-line leaderboards, an Ikaruga-based scoring mode, and quite a few customization choices. Players might additionally select between the arcade and Saturn variations.
Last 12 months’s Switch launch and the new PC version from Live Wire retain the Xbox 360 model’s enhancements. The Steam model provides all of the management choices PC customers historically anticipate, together with compatibility with Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo gamepads. While console-to-PC ports typically neglect keyboard controls, Radiant Silvergun provides a keyboard configuration for single-player and native co-op, permitting two gamers to share one keyboard. Players can even select between a contemporary interface or a facet ratio nearer to the classic variations.
Treasure can be identified for arcade-style titles like Gunstar Heroes, Bangai-O, Guardian Heroes, and extra. While Gunstar Heroes got here to Steam in 2011, hopefully, Radiant Silvergun can be profitable sufficient to encourage PC ports of the firm’s different classics.