Ikaruga Soars onto Steam February 18, Adds Double Play Mode

Ikaruga, one of the most critically lauded shoot-em-ups ever released, is finally getting a PC release via Steam. Treasure, developer of the iconic “bullet hell” shooter, announced the game will be available on February 18th in North America, and February 19th in Japan.

Ikaruga, the spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun, is known for its unique polarity-shifting mechanic and was originally released in Japanese arcades in 2001.  It was eventually released on Dreamcast in Japan, followed by a 2003 North American release on GameCube. The popularity of the game resulted in an Xbox Arcade Live port for the back in 2008.

The Steam release marks the first time the game is available on PC, and builds on the 360 port. According to the game’s Steam page, Ikagrua will support both an Xbox 360 controller and keyboard and mouse, and will allow players to rotate the screen, turning Ikaruga into a side-scrolling shooter.

The Steam version also adds Double Play mode, which apparently allows the player to control two ships with one controller, making the notoriously challenging game even more challenging.

Though no official price is listed on the game’s Steam page, Treasure recently tweeted Ikaruga is priced at $9.99.

Those aren’t familiar with Ikaruga, or veterans who want to see how the PC port is looking, can check out the trailer below, which Treasure released when the game hit Greenlight last fall.