Radiant Silvergun Review: A Game Out Of Time

Back in the 90s, there was a subset of games that were more of a legend than anything else, at least if you lived in the United States. These were titles that never made their way out of Japan but were frequently talked about by video game magazines. While these games existed on almost every system, the Sega Saturn had more than its fair share of them due to it managing to fail in the US while succeeding in Japan. Games like Policenauts, Princess Crown, and the last two parts of Shining Force III. Of all these games, though, perhaps none was more famous than Radiant Silvergun.

That shouldn’t be a major surprise. Treasure was well-known as a studio that made killer action games even then, and while Radiant Silvergun wasn’t their only great game of the era left in Japan, several of their best titles had reached the US. When they made a SHMUP that became widely known as one of the best the genre had ever seen, word reached US players even if we’d have to wait until 2011 for an official release of our own. Thankfully, today, you can play Radiant Silvergun on all kinds of platforms, including now on PC.

Still One Step Ahead

Radiant Silvergun still stands apart from its genre even after all these years, thanks to a variety of interesting takes on things. Right from the start, you have seven different weapons. Three primary attacks can be combined into three additional attacks. You also have a sword, for that matter, because why wouldn’t you stick a sword on a spaceship? You’ll need these various attacks to survive because Radiant Silvergun throws far more variety at players than the genre is known for. Level variety is most pronounced with the game frequently throwing you into wide-open areas and then shuttling you into tight corridors where you’ll have to rely heavily on your sword. Boss battles are highly memorable and incredibly explosive as well, changing things up frequently in a way that should keep even veterans of the genre on their toes.

If there’s anything negative about Radiant Silvergun, it’s just that. This isn’t a super approachable game. On top of all that variety and all those weapon options, you also have a complex scoring system that is based on killing groups of similar-colored enemies in a row to build a chain. By doing so, you power up your weapons and grow even more powerful. It’s very cool in practice, but it also isn’t something new players will feel comfortable with right away. While some of the best arcade shooters prior to Radiant Silvergun are the sort of games that felt easy to pick up and difficult to master, this game feels very much like a part of the move into being difficult to even pick up. This move has created a bit of a chicken and egg situation where the genre continues to get less approachable, which means it grows less popular. Because it grows less popular, the only games made in it tend to be made for the genre’s most hardcore fans, making them yet again more unapproachable. To blame this on any one game, though, would be unfair, and if we’re trying to figure out what started the trend, I think we can confidently say the genre’s popularity started to slip first as gaming grew more focused on consoles. If only we could be as confident on the chicken and egg question.

An Adequate Port

This PC port of Radiant Silvergun is mostly fine, if unexceptional. It plays smoothly, which is the most important thing when we’re talking about a genre where even the littlest hint of slowdown can spell certain doom. I’ve seen reports of certain graphics cards struggling with certain parts of it, and the opening cinematic will crash the game on a Steam Deck, but I’ve had no problems on my PC, and even on the deck, it runs well if you make sure that cinematic doesn’t play.

The enhancements of the 360 release of the game are here. That means you can use an alternate scoring system based on Radiant Silvergun’s follow-up, Ikaruga. You have a story mode that has fewer continues but lets you carry your progress over from one run to another. There’s also a training mode, which is helpful for practicing challenging sections. It would have been nice, though, to see a rerelease of such an incredible game given a bit more respect. There’s nothing new here to surprise long-time fans of the game. It’s simply available on another platform.

Conclusion

Maybe that’s enough, though. Making one of the greatest SHMUPs ever released available to more players isn’t exactly nothing, and Radiant Silvergun still deserves that distinction even after all these years. Those just getting into the genre may want to cut their teeth on a few more forgiving titles before diving into this one, but SHMUP veterans should be ready for one of the most exciting games in the genre.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available on: PC (Reviewed), Switch, Xbox 360; Publisher: Live Wire; Developer: Treasure, Live Wire; Players: 2; Released: November 2nd, 2023; ESRB: T for Teen; MSRP: $19.99

Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Radiant Silvergun provided by the publisher.