Ikaruga pew pew pews its way onto Switch this month

Classic arcade shoot’em up Ikaruga is headed to Switch later this month, courtesy of publisher Nicalis. The game’s set to launch on the eShop on May 29. Ikaruga originally released on Dreamcast back in 2001, and has seen a few mobile iterations in the following years.

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on

Ikaruga is probably most well known for its pole swapping gameplay. Players switch between black and white polarities to absorb enemy attacks and send them back at foes to perform special attacks. However, if you’re struck by a bullet of the opposite polarity, you’re ship will instantly be destroyed. It adds some urgent strategy to the game that keeps things fresh and frantic. In the Switch version, players can also change between horizontal and vertical screen settings.

The game features five single-player stages with an option to add a second player for local co-op from the comfort of your living room or on the go. Two additional challenge modes, Arcade and Prototype are available should you feel like mixing things up, and three difficulty settings will keep you humble.