Shmups are games where you move around the screen and shoot at stuff. Shmups/STGs are often seen as an overly-simple, "disposable" genre among many in the gaming world. A relic of a bygone era where games were confined to "simple" genres, where games were fated to be nothing but "quarter munchers", unlike the "enlightened" AAA Everything-Game Life Simulators of today.

Radiant Silvergun heroically rejects this notion, introducing gameplay mechanics that are inherently and obviously deep, engaging and complex even to complete newcomers to the genre, while still capturing the raw appeal of intense shmup gameplay for those experienced in the genre. Not just that, Radiant Silvergun is a game that asks a lot of the player, perhaps even more than its successor Ikaruga. There are 7 weapons in your arsenal, more than any other shmup I know of. And all of them have their situational advantages and disadvantages that you must become familiar with in order to progress. In order to stand a reasonable chance against this game's many, many bosses, you must level up your A, B and C weapon categories, and to level up your weapons you must chain and go for full boss destructions, and collect secret Merry dogs, because simply put, your score is your experience points.

No particular part of this game is really all that hard in isolation, at least on normal difficulty, but it's the process of putting it all together, chaining through each section just like how Treasure wanted you to, not just destroying but dominating the bosses, utilising and leveling your weapons in perfect harmony, and accounting for every single hazard and niche interaction that might get you killed. If you show that you have what this game asks of you, it's an extremely rewarding and satisfying experience, a feeling that is boosted further by Radiant Silvergun's excellent presentation, the bloodrush "Treasure pacing" I love which just constantly throws new boss fights and setpieces at you every minute, and riveting story with existential themes.

I also wanna shout out Radiant Silvergun's story mode as well. It's such a clever use of the game's weapon levelling mechanic and is an excellent compromise between a "pure" 1cc and carelessly credit feeding through a shmup, which many other shmups suffer from in terms of their popular reception of being "quarter munchers". You must 1cc story mode in order to clear, but you can save your weapon progress and earn extra starting lives between runs, basically gradually rigging the game further and further in your favour that just about any player can win with enough dedication. But here's the kicker - even with those extra level ups and lives, you still have to learn the game, and take the stages and bosses seriously. This is one of the main things that makes non-shmup players more aligned to this game, and RS' story mode is absolutely something every other shmup developer should be looking towards for inspiration.

Radiant Silvergun is a real videogame, shooting at the soul of man with guns of silver.

Kojima has done it again.

He seems to be a master of turning obtuse concepts into grounded emotional journeys, where every thread of nonsensical plotting is woven into this massive, cathartic climax that leaves you stripped of any doubts or confusion and wholly fills you with wonder and astonishment. Every plot twist is built upon another plot twist, which is then capped off by an even bigger plot twist after the credits roll. Everything culminates in what can only be described as an ingenious narrative masterpiece.

The game is surprisingly less dense than the previous installments (which isn't really saying much), with its emotional underpinnings given far more weight than expected. It is written with the intent of completely engrossing the player in its world and philosophies. Snake/Jack/John (he gets a new name in the end just because) navigates his way through a Soviet jungle setting in this weird web of government secrets, conspiracies, every type of military intelligence, superhuman psychos, an illuminati-like faction of world leaders, all set during the cold war in 1964, and it is the most glorious thing you can ask for. I keep saying this every time I play an MGS title, but what the actual fuck Kojima? How high was this dude when he made this?

The gameplay itself is by far the most polished and streamlined aspect of this game. Every time I felt like the bosses got too difficult, I had the option of trying 20 different methods of approaching them, each more unhinged than the other. Every piece of equipment and each weapon can be utilised to craft a completely unique experience, to the point where I feel if I showed my gameplay to any hardcore fans, I'd get shunned because of how insanely odd I was with my tactics and logic (and I enjoyed every second of it, mind you).

The game oozes creativity with its utilisation of space and combat/enemy variety, sure, but it's the near limitless combinations and techniques provided to the player that make for a truly remarkable achievement and experience. The game is ground-breaking in general. The addition of crouching makes life so much easier. Hunting for food, a new camera angle, camouflage outfits, tighter focus on direction rather than exposition, and redefining the stealth genre while birthing an entirely new foundation for the survival genre. The story itself is worthy of an essay. It deftly explores a multitude of topics surrounding war and love. The unquestioned patriotism of a soldier, the love of a mother and son tangled up against the odds of fate, the facade of eternal enemies, and the fact that everything is bound to change. 

The concept of "scene" is introduced, which is different from "gene" and "meme" introduced in 1 and 2, respectively. It deals with the idea of cultural relativism in response to ideology and personal doctrines, which it states is heavily influenced by the time and location we live in. "Eternal" is a concept not applicable to ideology, enemies, or allies. They are transitive and change in response to the "times" we live in. This is heavily illustrated in the character of "The Boss," a mentor and maternal figure to Snake, who becomes a victim of circumstance. This theme echoes through all the major characters. "Big Boss," for example, was considered a major antagonist in the previous games, but here he is a patriotic, heroic man. Eva is forced into playing a defect agent and participating in a deadly game of espionage where she falls in love, which ultimately causes heartbreak. Patriotism is also shown to be a relative idea, where one person can be publicly acknowledged, yet the true patriot can have their entire legacy tainted forever. Loyalty is also relative to the "times" where Snake was forced into choosing his own nation over his mentor, until he later decided to abandon it. It wasn't he who chose his loyalty, but the "times."

What a thrill

Everything I've mentioned is just the cherry on top compared to the opening theme. The lyrics are poignant, to say the least. This being my favourite,

I give my life
Not for honor, but for you

The theme has many loaded words. The gravity of them will not be apparent until you finish the game, which is full of these tiny allusions. Of course, lyrics aside, the music itself doesn't hold back.

Oh my god, how can you listen to it without being completely swayed and struck by it? That shit had me FLOORED. Cynthia Harrell's captivating vocals and the weight of the lyrics are some of the best of the best. Listening to it alone was so ethereal, even more so paired with scenes like the infamous ladder scene that sets the tone for the rest of the game and the final fight with The Boss that moves you to shed manly tears. The boot-up credit sequence itself was unskippable. I'll never stop playing it in my head and go

I'M STIIIIIIIIILL IN A DREEEEEEEEAAM SNAKE EATERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Truly one of the greatest games ever made. What the hell Kojima