Nier: Automata direct shares his love for Ikaruga

Ikaruga might be one of the best shooters of all-time, and certainly remains one of Treasure's best titles. Ikaruga recently saw re-released on Switch, and a whole new generation is getting to experience the game. Gamers and game devs alike have been sharing praise for Ikaruga for years, and now Yoko Taro, director of Nier: Automata, has chimed in with his kind words.

“First, I’d like to talk about how the music synchronizes with what is happening on the screen. Iuchi-san, the planner and director of Ikaruga, was also in charge of making the music. Thanks to this, the stage progress matches the music as well. That is one part of what makes Ikaruga amazing. Stage 2’s music starts off with a sense of speed to go along with the opening scene, but as the screen starts scrolling slower, the song goes slower as well. How they mixed music and the sequences together was really groundbreaking, and it left such an impact on me that I stole it for the Nier series.