Iridion 3D
Encyclopedia
Iridion 3D is a quasi-3D
rail shooter video game developed by Shin'en
. A launch title
for the Game Boy Advance
portable game console, it was released in North America on May 29, 2001 and in Europe on September 21 the same year. Influenced by the Commodore 64
game Uridium
, the game features a single starship
fighting the alien Iridion, who have attacked Earth. Iridion spans seven levels from Earth to the aliens' home planet, each with a fixed linear path that ends with a boss
.
Iridion began development as a shooter for the Game Boy Color
; when Shin'en decided to drop development and shift their focus to the Game Boy Advance, Iridion was the first game by the developer to appear on the system. Though billed as a 3D game, Shin'en used realtime encoding and resizing to manipulate the size of 2D sprites instead of creating a true 3D environment. More room on the game cartridge was available for graphics due to the game's use of the GAX Sound Engine, which allowed real-time decoding of song data in a small file size.
On release Iridion garnered generally poor reviews. The graphics and sound were generally praised; even a year after its release, critics at TechTV
considered it the best-looking game on the platform. In contrast, critics derided the game's repetitive and frustrating gameplay. Despite lukewarm reception to the title upon release, Iridion 3D influenced future Shin'en shooters such as Iridion II
and Nanostray
.
The game is a simple forward-scrolling rail shooter, similar to the Star Fox series. Only the Game Boy Advance's directional pad, A, and Start buttons are used during gameplay. The ship remains locked at a set speed and cannot brake or speed up.
The player encounters more than fifteen types of enemy, not including level bosses. Some are easy to destroy; others, including the fire creatures found on the Iridion home world, are indestructible and must be avoided. Other enemies prevent the player from dodging enemy fire by laying mines to block paths. Passive objects, such as garbage or asteroid
s, can damage or destroy the player's craft. Enemies vary in armor and weaponry—some cannot return fire but travel in waves to ram the player.
Each level has the player follow a linear path through waves of enemies and culminates with a boss
. In boss stages the player's craft does not move forward, but hovers in front of the boss. Each boss has a single vulnerability which flashes when hit. These areas are often heavily shielded and must be hit repeatedly to remove armor. Other bosses' vulnerabilities are hidden and appear for only short periods. Most bosses have weapons that fire upon the player or reflect the player's shots. At the end of each level, players receive bonuses for defeated enemies, lives remaining, and the energy level of the player's craft. An extra life
is granted if the score reaches certain thresholds.
Iridion 3D features five types of weapons, with three levels of power each. Players boost weapon power by collecting powerups
of the color that matches the current weapon. Collecting a different color gives the player the first level of that weapon type. If the player's ship is destroyed the power level of the weapon is reduced by one. Each weapon has advantages and disadvantages. The player starts with the red weapon, which is relatively weak but fires rapidly in a large spread. Green weapons are inaccurate but fill the screen with shots. Purple weapons spin in a counterclockwise motion slowly and are fairly strong. Yellow torpedo
-like weapons are very powerful but powerups are rare and the weapon fires slowly. Blue weapons, a more powerful version of Yellow weapons, are found only on the last level. Flashing powerups restore the craft's shields.
and destroys much of the Iridion invasion fleet on Earth before heading into the stratosphere
to destroy the orbital blockade around Earth and subsequently annihilating the Iridion boss at the Moon.
With the invasion fleet in ruins, the player heads into the far reaches of space. After destroying an Iridion mining colony within an asteroid belt
, the player proceeds into the Iridion home system. Eventually the player fights the Iridion on their home world, destroying the Iridion "mainframe" and ending the alien threat forever.
; on January 10, 2001, Shin'en announced they would stop making games for the Color, instead working on games exclusively for the Game Boy Advance. Iridion' s executive producer was Dan Kitchen, a former programmer for Atari
. Iridion 3D was Shin'en's first product to utilize the GAX Sound Engine, which allowed real-time
decoding of song data in an extremely small file size; this allowed more space on the cartridge to be used for graphics.
Although advertised as a 3D
game, Iridion 3D uses solely 2D graphics
for texture scrolling and sprites
which depict explosions and enemies. The developers create the illusion of 3D by looping background textures—a graphically intensive technique for the Game Boy Advance. Graphical objects shrink or enlarge to depict position relative to the player. Level environments feature changes such as progression from day to night. Kitchen, Majesco's vice president
of handhelds, wrote that "by pushing the graphics hardware of the Game Boy Advance to its technical limits, Iridion 3D provides a truly realistic 3D gaming experience." He hoped that "players will be amazed that such smooth environments and intense gameplay can now be achieved on a portable system."
By March 2001, the GBA version of Iridion was shown in workable form. IGN
saw early screens and declared that Iridion was "aiming to set the standard [of what GBA shooters should be]... Set the standard with a hail of bullets." They felt Shin'en was pushing the Game Boy Advance to its limits, producing the most stunning game seen at the time for the handheld system. GameSpot
's Ben Stahl previewed Iridion 3D on March 21, 2001, shortly before the release of the game in the United States. He noted the excellent graphics and high frame rate
, ending with "At this point, Iridion 3D looks like it could be a great game for fans of the genre."
and Game Rankings
, respectively.
The graphics were almost universally praised. Andrew Bub of GameSpy
asserted that Nintendo should have used Iridion to advertise the Game Boy Advance, as it took full advantage of the system's power. A year after its release, TechTV
's Miguel Concepcion argued it was still the best-looking game for the system. Miguel Lopez of GameSpot
lauded the graphics, writing that "while it's ultimately all smoke and mirrors, Iridions world is richly detailed, has remarkable depth, and is unbelievably fluid. It's often hard to tell if the game's backgrounds are composed of streaming full motion video
or just some really fancy math-powered 2D bitmaps."
In contrast to praise for Iridions graphics, its actual gameplay was generally panned. IGN
's Craig Harris wrote that "Shin'en's shooter for the Game Boy Advance will impress with all its effects, but that's about it." He noted that the player is limited to shooting and dodging, making gameplay repetitive. Harris and Concepcion complained that on a small screen distances are hard to judge; the player's ship is hit by bullets that appear to be in the distance. Bub and Game Informer
s Jay Fitzloff criticized the craft placement, as the player's view was often obscured by their own ship. Lopez also gave Iridion low marks, warning that "after the initial 'wow' wears off, you'll be stuck with an empty experience." Edge
observed that Iridion is "a sweet number that will entertain, if only for a week or so". Allgame
's Skyler Miller said Iridion 3D was nothing more than a technology demo
and awarded it two out of five stars. A more positive review came from GamePro
, whose reviewer summed up his experience by writing that "if you're looking for some classic shooter action on your new GBA, Iridion 3D will fit the bill nicely without blowing you away."
Positive comments were usually directed at sound; WiredLounge.com said that "The soundtrack is an instant classic, maybe even one of the best shooter scores ever." Concepcion noted that the game's mood-fitting "high energy techno" was an oddity coming from a German game company. Despite poor reviews, Shin'en's Manfred Linzner felt that Iridion 3D was the best game for the Game Boy Advance without licensed characters.
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
rail shooter video game developed by Shin'en
Shin'en
Shin'en is a developer of video games, based in Germany. The company has been an official Nintendo third-party developer since 1999, and currently develops for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii. Shin'en has also developed for the Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color and handhelds.The company is...
. A launch title
Launch title
A launch game, or launch title, is a video game released to consumers synchronously with the release of its respective video game console, meaning they are the only available games at the time of the console's launch. Several of these games are also packaged with the console...
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
portable game console, it was released in North America on May 29, 2001 and in Europe on September 21 the same year. Influenced by the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
game Uridium
Uridium
Uridium is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up for the Commodore 64 . It consists of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium...
, the game features a single starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
fighting the alien Iridion, who have attacked Earth. Iridion spans seven levels from Earth to the aliens' home planet, each with a fixed linear path that ends with a boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
.
Iridion began development as a shooter for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
; when Shin'en decided to drop development and shift their focus to the Game Boy Advance, Iridion was the first game by the developer to appear on the system. Though billed as a 3D game, Shin'en used realtime encoding and resizing to manipulate the size of 2D sprites instead of creating a true 3D environment. More room on the game cartridge was available for graphics due to the game's use of the GAX Sound Engine, which allowed real-time decoding of song data in a small file size.
On release Iridion garnered generally poor reviews. The graphics and sound were generally praised; even a year after its release, critics at TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
considered it the best-looking game on the platform. In contrast, critics derided the game's repetitive and frustrating gameplay. Despite lukewarm reception to the title upon release, Iridion 3D influenced future Shin'en shooters such as Iridion II
Iridion II
Iridion II is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Shin'en and published by Majesco Games and Sierra Entertainment in North America and PAL regions respectively for the Game Boy Advance handheld video game console...
and Nanostray
Nanostray
Nanostray is a vertical scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo DS. Similar to many games in the genre, the user takes control of a futuristic spacecraft against a seemingly endless horde of enemies...
.
Gameplay
The player encounters more than fifteen types of enemy, not including level bosses. Some are easy to destroy; others, including the fire creatures found on the Iridion home world, are indestructible and must be avoided. Other enemies prevent the player from dodging enemy fire by laying mines to block paths. Passive objects, such as garbage or asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s, can damage or destroy the player's craft. Enemies vary in armor and weaponry—some cannot return fire but travel in waves to ram the player.
Each level has the player follow a linear path through waves of enemies and culminates with a boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
. In boss stages the player's craft does not move forward, but hovers in front of the boss. Each boss has a single vulnerability which flashes when hit. These areas are often heavily shielded and must be hit repeatedly to remove armor. Other bosses' vulnerabilities are hidden and appear for only short periods. Most bosses have weapons that fire upon the player or reflect the player's shots. At the end of each level, players receive bonuses for defeated enemies, lives remaining, and the energy level of the player's craft. An extra life
1-up
1-up , pronounced "one up", is a term in console video gaming that commonly refers to an item that gives the player an extra life, to complete the game. In certain games, it is possible to receive multiple extra lives at once...
is granted if the score reaches certain thresholds.
Iridion 3D features five types of weapons, with three levels of power each. Players boost weapon power by collecting powerups
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
of the color that matches the current weapon. Collecting a different color gives the player the first level of that weapon type. If the player's ship is destroyed the power level of the weapon is reduced by one. Each weapon has advantages and disadvantages. The player starts with the red weapon, which is relatively weak but fires rapidly in a large spread. Green weapons are inaccurate but fill the screen with shots. Purple weapons spin in a counterclockwise motion slowly and are fairly strong. Yellow torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
-like weapons are very powerful but powerups are rare and the weapon fires slowly. Blue weapons, a more powerful version of Yellow weapons, are found only on the last level. Flashing powerups restore the craft's shields.
Plot
In the opening cinematic of Iridion 3D Earth is attacked without warning by the Iridion, who take over much of the surface and lay mines in orbit and bombs in the Pacific Ocean. The player is the pilot of an experimental SHN fighter, the last hope for defending Earth from the Iridion. The player pilots his ship alone against hordes of Iridion fighters and natural obstacles. The early stages begin on Earth, with the player fighting through an Iridion garbage tunnel. The player proceeds to the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and destroys much of the Iridion invasion fleet on Earth before heading into the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
to destroy the orbital blockade around Earth and subsequently annihilating the Iridion boss at the Moon.
With the invasion fleet in ruins, the player heads into the far reaches of space. After destroying an Iridion mining colony within an asteroid belt
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
, the player proceeds into the Iridion home system. Eventually the player fights the Iridion on their home world, destroying the Iridion "mainframe" and ending the alien threat forever.
Development
Iridion started development as a shooter for the Game Boy ColorGame Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
; on January 10, 2001, Shin'en announced they would stop making games for the Color, instead working on games exclusively for the Game Boy Advance. Iridion
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. Iridion 3D was Shin'en's first product to utilize the GAX Sound Engine, which allowed real-time
Real-time computing
In computer science, real-time computing , or reactive computing, is the study of hardware and software systems that are subject to a "real-time constraint"— e.g. operational deadlines from event to system response. Real-time programs must guarantee response within strict time constraints...
decoding of song data in an extremely small file size; this allowed more space on the cartridge to be used for graphics.
Although advertised as a 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
game, Iridion 3D uses solely 2D graphics
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
for texture scrolling and sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
which depict explosions and enemies. The developers create the illusion of 3D by looping background textures—a graphically intensive technique for the Game Boy Advance. Graphical objects shrink or enlarge to depict position relative to the player. Level environments feature changes such as progression from day to night. Kitchen, Majesco's vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of handhelds, wrote that "by pushing the graphics hardware of the Game Boy Advance to its technical limits, Iridion 3D provides a truly realistic 3D gaming experience." He hoped that "players will be amazed that such smooth environments and intense gameplay can now be achieved on a portable system."
By March 2001, the GBA version of Iridion was shown in workable form. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
saw early screens and declared that Iridion was "aiming to set the standard [of what GBA shooters should be]... Set the standard with a hail of bullets." They felt Shin'en was pushing the Game Boy Advance to its limits, producing the most stunning game seen at the time for the handheld system. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Ben Stahl previewed Iridion 3D on March 21, 2001, shortly before the release of the game in the United States. He noted the excellent graphics and high frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
, ending with "At this point, Iridion 3D looks like it could be a great game for fans of the genre."
Reception
Despite praise for its graphics and sound, Iridion 3D was received poorly by critics; the game received 53% and 57% ratings on review aggregate web sites MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, respectively.
The graphics were almost universally praised. Andrew Bub of GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
asserted that Nintendo should have used Iridion to advertise the Game Boy Advance, as it took full advantage of the system's power. A year after its release, TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
's Miguel Concepcion argued it was still the best-looking game for the system. Miguel Lopez of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
lauded the graphics, writing that "while it's ultimately all smoke and mirrors, Iridions world is richly detailed, has remarkable depth, and is unbelievably fluid. It's often hard to tell if the game's backgrounds are composed of streaming full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
or just some really fancy math-powered 2D bitmaps."
In contrast to praise for Iridions graphics, its actual gameplay was generally panned. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Craig Harris wrote that "Shin'en's shooter for the Game Boy Advance will impress with all its effects, but that's about it." He noted that the player is limited to shooting and dodging, making gameplay repetitive. Harris and Concepcion complained that on a small screen distances are hard to judge; the player's ship is hit by bullets that appear to be in the distance. Bub and Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
s Jay Fitzloff criticized the craft placement, as the player's view was often obscured by their own ship. Lopez also gave Iridion low marks, warning that "after the initial 'wow' wears off, you'll be stuck with an empty experience." Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
observed that Iridion is "a sweet number that will entertain, if only for a week or so". Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
's Skyler Miller said Iridion 3D was nothing more than a technology demo
Technology demo
A tech demo is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product, put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea, performance, method or the features of the product...
and awarded it two out of five stars. A more positive review came from GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
, whose reviewer summed up his experience by writing that "if you're looking for some classic shooter action on your new GBA, Iridion 3D will fit the bill nicely without blowing you away."
Positive comments were usually directed at sound; WiredLounge.com said that "The soundtrack is an instant classic, maybe even one of the best shooter scores ever." Concepcion noted that the game's mood-fitting "high energy techno" was an oddity coming from a German game company. Despite poor reviews, Shin'en's Manfred Linzner felt that Iridion 3D was the best game for the Game Boy Advance without licensed characters.