Gaming Target - Game Boy: Iridion 3D

Written by Derek Noad on July 10, 2001

Review: If amazing visuals and excellent audio impress us this much, maybe a sequel with a upgraded gameplay would make a remarkable title one day.

Every game has its ups and downs. Some ups are high enough that they can cancel the downs unless they are really low. Iridion 3D has a lot going for it but the quality is not evenly distributed. It's up to you to decide what warrants a purchase.

Iridion 3D definitely put the advance in Game Boy Advance. The graphics are fantastic. The locations are true to the title, they're 3D. In your quest to save the world you traverse through many dazzling environments that are the best I have seen on the GBA. Another positive is the framerate continues to be smooth even when you are bombarded with enemies and obstacles. The screenshots don't do the game justice, you have to see for yourself. More and more games are taking advantage of GBA's sound capabilities and making the GB noises ancient history. Iridion boasts some quality techno-esque tracks for the heated aerial combat. In addition there's a bunch of laser blasts and explosions. Iridion has some unexpectedly quality audio worthy of headphone usage.

Here's where Iridion starts going downhill. The gameplay isn't all that fun. The levels can quickly get boring since all you can do is steer and shoot. No barrel rolls, no bombs, just dodge, shoot and repeat. Some levels do get your heart pumpin' like the Dogfight over the Pacific ocean when not only do you need to contend with enemy fighters but explosions of water in every direction. The boss fights are pretty good but once you learn their pattern it's rather easy. In short, mostly boring levels with some good boss battles.

Features are severely lacking. I thought it would be sweet to see a co-op mode like a next generation Space Invaders. That's an unlikely reality, which would take too much time and would not work too well. But the one player game is all there is to Iridion 3D. There is no training or bonuses to be unlocked. The Password feature is not very convenient since you will defeat the portability of GBA by carrying around a pencil and paper to keep track of all the passwords. At least there is a way to keep your place to come back again.

Some shooter enthusiasts will take Iridion for another run on the harder difficulty setting. Could anyone actually beat it in the first place? You have five lives for seven levels. That means you will have to perfect the first few levels in order to be victorious. If you continue with a password your lives are not restored. This provides a definite challenge and means you won't win your first sitting but this is 2001, no one likes to lose that much.