Radiant Silvergun Review (Steam)

by Jim Smale · Published November 9, 2023 · Updated November 8, 2023

For this Radiant Silvergun Review, Set on the earth and in space on July 14, 2520 A.D., the film explores the mystery of mankind’s extinction. Various terrains become battlefields. Enemies attack from all directions. There are 23 bosses in total. Aim for a high score by using score bonuses and level-up weapons!

Radiant Silvergun Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
971.87MB download size.
Steam achievements.
A port of the Xbox 360 Arcade version.
Full controller support.
Graphics settings – display size, rendering ratio mode, display position, filter, translucent, wallpaper, wallpaper brightness, face window, subtitles, and fullscreen.
HUD settings – type (new/old), edge position for left/right/upper/lower, show weapon list and replay progress display.
Keyboard support.
You can rebind controls for both the keyboard and the controller buttons.
How to play menu – image and text-based.
Local multiplayer modes – Arcade, and story modes.
Single-player modes – Arcade, and story.
Arcade and story mode – normal play, score attack, training, and replay.
Single-player arcade mode settings – difficulty (very easy/easy/normal/hard/very hard), chain mode (original/Ikaruga), number of ships (1 to 10), and score extension.
Shmup gameplay.
An end-of-stage breakdown showing score, destruction bonuses, and hit rate percentage.
Story mode allows three save slots.
Big boss encounters.
Fantastic animations and animated backgrounds.
Japanese voice with English subtitles.
The story is told via text and player portraits.
Full online and offline leaderboards.
Bullet hell elements.
Full stats breakdown including total game timer.

Radiant Silvergun Review Cons:

A port of the Xbox 360 arcade version.
The movement feels slow and sluggish.
It cannot set the sensitivity for movement.
Doesn’t offer a playable tutorial.
No online multiplayer.
It shows its age in terms of layouts and progression.
The game loves a lot of small tight spaces and tunnels to fly through.
At times it can be really hard to see what it is in play or what is the background.

Related Post: Fellowship Preview (Steam Early Access)

Radiant Silvergun:

Official website.

Developer: トレジャー (treasure-inc.co.jp)

Publisher: Livewire

Store Links –

Steam

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
7/10

Accessibility - 7/10
7/10

Length - 7/10
8/10

Fun Factor - 8/10

7.6/10

Summary

Radiant Silvergun, set on Earth and in space on July 14, 2520 A.D., is a game that explores the mystery of mankind’s extinction. With various terrains as battlefields and enemies attacking from all directions, the game features 23 bosses in total. The aim is to achieve a high score by using score bonuses and level-up weapons.

The game has decent graphics and a download size of 971.87MB. It offers Steam achievements and is a port of the Xbox 360 Arcade version. It supports full controller and keyboard inputs, with the ability to rebind controls for both.

The gameplay is Shmup style with an end-of-stage breakdown showing score, destruction bonuses, and hit rate percentage. The story mode allows three save slots and the story is told via text and player portraits.

However, the game does show its age in terms of layouts and progression. The movement can feel slow and sluggish, and it doesn’t offer a playable tutorial or online multiplayer. The game also loves a lot of small tight spaces and tunnels to fly through, and at times it can be really hard to see what is in play or what is the background.

Overall, Radiant Silvergun offers an experience we have had before on the Xbox 360 but that’s not to say it is a bad thing as they have done the work for the PC version. If you have any interest in the SHMUP genre then you need to play this as it sets the bar for games we play today and is a true piece of shoot ’em up history along with Ikaruga.