>>12727685
It's a shmup, you just do the stage 100 times until you remember it perfectly, it's trial and error shit

I mean it's a shmup... You could always play on super easy

As far as shmups go, it's not that really difficult.

t. shmup scrub who managed to complete it in normal using only three continues

>>12727695
>just do the stage 100 times
Great way to get sick of it and not want to play it again even if you get good.

>>12727685
>difficult
huh? it's average shmup difficulty for just as casual playthrough and from the sounds of it I doubt you were trying to go for a perfect game

>>12727736
That's the genre. If you don't like it don't play it. This game isn't even that hard by Shmup or Treasure standards. I found Gradius V more of a challenge on higher loops.

>>12727685
style over substance. its objectively not a good shmup but collectors love to talk about it and have it in their collection lol

>>12727685
It's really fucking easy, it just requires you to pay a lot more attention and be able to think ahead. You can't just get by on using your peripheral vision to avoid bullets, you have to keep in mind that all your actions have consequences that can entrap and kill you. So basically as long as you are not a complete nigger in the head, you can do fine.

As long as you keep that in mind and play carefully instead of taping down the shoot button, the game becomes pretty fucking easy, only the bosses will go hard. In fact playing the game with dot eater score is far, far, far easier than going for an S++ (it was how I unlocked the 1cc achievements on Steam, or the complete stage select options on Dreamcast where it only allowed you to select a stage you've either reached or beaten).

>>12727764
>This game isn't even that hard by Shmup or Treasure standards.
It's not hard but it's solidly upper intermediate level on normal mode for the 1cc

>>12727835
Yeah I'd probably agree with that. It's a pretty awesome game, just probably not OP's genre.

>>12727685
That said, give Bangai-O a try if you kinda liked Ikuraga but found it too hard. It's more like a puzzle shmup and not an auto scroller, it's also much easier but is a lot of fun.