Bangai-O Spirits

Rating Everyone Genre arcade shooter Publisher D3Publishing

Have you ever had one of those moments when you get a game, turn it on, and ask yourself “What the hell?” I really can’t explain the experience that greeted me when I turned on Bangai-O Spirits any better than that. In Bangai-O Spirits the player is introduced, if you bother to go through the tutorial, to the two young pilots of the Bangai-O Mecha: Masato and Ruri. The Tutorial provides players with 17 levels to get used to the game mechanics as Ruri and Masato are instructed in Bangai-O’s systems by The Professor. And that’s it. The remainder of the game falls under the title of “Free Play Mode” and contains no additional story elements what so ever. Then again, we never needed a story to enjoy Tetris, just a few lazy hours and a good soundtrack.

But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t just some Tetris rip off with missiles. If you want proof of that just try to play the first level of the Treasure’s Best collection. If the hundreds of missiles streaking at you don’t make your eyes bug out, the constant deaths will surely cause you to go bald by force. Having never experienced a title quite like this before, I take it as a personal achievement (and thank you to all those survival horror games) that I lasted nearly a minute before becoming overwhelmed and subsequently annihilated.

Due to the nature of the game, the stylus is only used as a quick way to input your personal data. The control pad allows players to move the Bangai-O in any direction. The Y and B buttons are your basic attack buttons. The L and R button are your EX Attacks, which require you to hold the buttons down to charge your attacks before firing. The A button is your boost button and will remain active as long as you keep the button held down.   You are provided seven basic attacks to choose from, and each has very specific uses in the game. Homing Missiles will seek out designated targets. Bounce Missiles will bounce off surfaces until they hit something they can destroy or bounce for too long. Break Missiles can go through up to two enemy attacks. Napalm Missiles will explode on contact, and usually creates a burst of damage.  On the melee side of things you have a Sword which can cut through enemy attacks. The Bat has the ability to knock enemies and their attacks away from you, buying you precious seconds. The final attack isn’t actually an attack, but is instead a Shield that can protect you from attacks in whatever direction you point it.
 
In addition to your basic attacks the Bangai-O has access to 3 different EX Attacks. Direct Attack allows you to either send out an omni-directional blast of missiles or redirect the flurry in a specific direction. Freeze allows you to stop time, giving the player a chance to get out of danger and reclaim the advantage. Finally we have the Reflect option, which causes all enemies, missiles, and moveable objects in range to fly away from you at high speeds.  And yes, Reflect is my favorite!  Players also have the option of mixing two normal attacks or two EX Attacks for even more powerful options. For instance, mixing the Bounce Attack with the Break Attack allows you to bounce missiles around corners that can strike through enemy fire. And believe me, guerilla tactics are the best strategy when attempting most of the levels provided.
   
Speaking of levels, Bangai-O provides players with three different level categories to compete in. The Treasure’s Best, as the name suggests, is a collection of 27 levels chosen by the developers themselves as some of the most challenging in the game. The Puzzle Stages are a collection of 18 levels that require players to complete an objective beyond simple survival. The Other Stages comprise the remaining 122 levels available in the game. That’s 184 levels of missile firing, teeth grinding goodness

If that’s not enough, players are given the option to create custom stages for their personal enjoyment or to torture their friends with. One of the unique aspects of the custom creation ability is in the transfer method. All stages created by the player are saved not as game files, but as sound clips. In order to transfer the stage to a friend, your DS will play the sound file through its speaker and your friends DS will hear it in its microphone, completing the transfer. For those long distant friendships the sound clip can be recorded onto a computer and sent through e-mail to other Bangai-O players.  Who needs Bluetooth anyway?

While Bangai-O Spirits might not be overflowing with life absorbing stories or breathtaking musical scores, it does succeed in providing you with glorious missile madness, as advertised. And, if the unending barrage causes the game to lag from time to time, well what do you expect? It’s a lot of freaking missiles!