Nintendo DS

Bangai-O Spirits

A game based on a mech whose strength is derived from collecting deep-space fruit might sound ridiculous but Spirits packs a hell of a wallop with tons of 2-D carnage and million-missile battles that should please action fans. Too bad it suffers from a couple of major hiccups.

This infinite variety brings us on to the problem with just listing and describing Bangai-O Spirits: as with so many things, the journey is so much greater than the destination. So much of the pleasure of playing Bangai-O lies in discovering that enormous variety, and getting to grips with the twisted logic that underpins it all. As you work your way through the 160 levels, that perplexing logic gradually reveals itself until you succumb. It's when you start to pick up on the jokes, or the tributes, or the experiments, that you'll begin to realise why Bangai-O is so utterly amazing. That's when you'll start to forgive its imperfections and its flaws - because when Bangai-O fails, it fails gloriously, or bafflingly, or interestingly. That's when you realise that although Bangai-O is just a shooting game, it's far from just a shooting game. Playing Bangai-O Spirits is a pleasure. If I could, I'd play it for every waking moment.

The only question left is whether or not you have any friends worthy of standing at your side on the battlefield. Bangai-O Spirits is one of, if not the most, fully-featured and expansive shmups ever created, but it’s absolutely unmerciful in its brutality. You can feel your determination dissipating, punctured a hundred times per second in a relentless cacophony of explosions. The weak will fade away to their brain games and pet sims, but the true heroes will stand firm against the maelstrom, ready and willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of pride, glory, and tasty pieces of fruit.

Bangai-O Spirits is a great puzzle game, an extreme action game, a worthy notch on Treasure's belt and a discount priced experience with infinite replay. My only reservation against recommending it to everyone is that it is very, very difficult to learn and become successful. If you are frustrated easily or just want a less strenuous shooting game, you have plenty of other options. But if you feel the need to be challenged, enjoy the white-knuckle fury of just barely missing (or hitting) that last target and can deal with and overcome some very frustrating moments, then Bangai-O Spirits is the game for you. A word of warning – it might be a good idea to buy the new NERF armor for your DS when you pick up this game, just in case the urge to sling your system across the room becomes to great to ignore.

It by no-means makes the already-excellent previous version obsolete, but this sequel has truly found its home on the DS. Bangai-O Spirits is simply here to remind us of the spirit of Bangai-O, leaving in its wake a dozen shooters that have graced consoles and handhelds since Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O’s inception. It’s a gamers’ game to be truly savoured - here to show anyone who forgot or missed it the first time, just how ridiculously good it is at what it does.

This title is not for the easily frustrated; it challenges you in both combat ability and puzzle solving. With tons of cleverly designed levels, it won’t take long for you to get stuck. But if you think you can do better, the extensive level editor ought to provide plenty in terms of replay value. Even if the trading system falls short of their potential, you’ll have the chance to show off your best creations if you give it a chance. Regardless of the problems, Treasure has delivered yet again. Bangai-O is finally back.

There’s a very small audience of DS owners that are looking for a game like this, and for most players, the appeal to the game will be completely lost. Those of us who get it, though, will find Bangai-O Spirits to be one of the most engrossing, engaging, spare-time-consuming titles available for the system. It’s unapologetically tough, it’s as deep and complex as 2D shooters can get, and it’s visually overwhelming — but above all of that, it’s really fun.

Combined with the unorthodox structure and uncompromising difficulty of the game, this emphasis on user-generated content may limit its appeal to a relatively small audience. But for those who are intrigued by what Bangai-O Spirits has to offer, there is a deep and rich well of truly unique gaming enjoyment to be tapped here. It may not exude high production values, and it lacks the satisfaction associated with the kind of skilfully crafted linear experiences that Treasure is most famous for; but if gameplay is king, then Bangai-O Spirits is a monarchist.

Bangai-O Spirits represents the most fun we've had on the DS in quite some time. The game is hugely addictive, tight and an utter joy to control; it's also simple enough to pick up yet is packed with an astonishing level of depth. In fact, during the course of this review we've barely scratched the surface of the staggering gameplay potential present within the Bangai-O Spirits universe. The appeal of this piece of software is almost unlimited as you can create your own fiendish levels and exchange them with other fans; it really is the game that keeps on giving.

In the end, this iteration of Bangai-O is a fast, intense shooter that retains the unique feel that the game has had both on the N64 and Dreamcast, with the difficulty significantly ramped up. If you can get past the challenge, the game will provide hours and hours of fun.

Ultra addictif, Bandai-O Spirits est un shoot'em up intelligent qui vous tiendra occupé un bon bout de temps. Il ne se contentera pas de mettre vos réflexes au défi, et il vous faudra aussi une bonne dose de réflexion afin de mettre au point la stratégie idéale pour chacun des 160 niveaux proposés. Si la difficulté et le gameplay old school ne vous font pas peur, jetez-vous sans attendre sur ce bijou.

This is a must buy for fans of the original Bangai-O, Treasure addicts looking for an excellent, sustained fix, and old-school shooter fans of all breeds. If you hate shooters or lack twitch reflexes, you’re better off elsewhere, but I’d recommend giving the game a whirl if you’re the least bit curious. If nothing else, you can create a few nice easy stages in the level editor.

After I spent some serious time with Bangai-O Spirits, I had to take a step back. It was difficult not to give this title a poor score, just because it was so maddeningly difficult. But when you take a minute to appreciate what the game is trying to do and who it is appealing to, then you can really applaud its efforts. It sets out to be an impossible shooter, and trust me, it does its job well. So, if you are up for a serious challenge, then you definitely want to check out Bangai-O Spirits, as it is the most challenging and rewarding experience currently available for hardcore gamers on the DS!

Rather than serving as a brand new shoot 'em up title, Bangai-O Spirits is more of an homage to the original game and to developer Treasure. It's a shooter that celebrates shooters. The approach certainly limits the game's audience, but if you're a fan of the genre it should please you to know that Treasure loves it just as much as us and made this game just for us. The fact that everything in the game is unlocked from the start is a questionable design choice that leaves it a little unfocused. And it's hard as hell. But in a time when so many games are being dumbed down to win over the grandma crowd, it's a relief to know companies like Treasure and publisher D3 still have the guts to release quirky, challenging fare like this.

"Bangai-O Spirits" não é um jogo para qualquer um, pouco amigável, apresentando um alto nível de desafio e nenhum tipo de narrativa. O foco é todo na ação desenfreada, sem concessões, que por contar com tantos elementos na tela e suas variáveis, acaba se tornando um pouco poluído e sofre de alguns momentos de lentidão. Mas aqueles que não têm medo de morrer várias vezes e curtem dificuldade irão se divertir por muito tempo, pois há uma grande quantidade de conteúdo disponível e um modo multiplayer competente; sem contar o engenhoso sistema de criação e compartilhamento de estágios, que podem torná-lo eterno entre fãs mas fervorosos.

It's been awhile since we've had a Nintendo DS game come along and totally kick our ass, but Bangai-O Spirits does it in a very good way. The game's just as frantic and furious as the Dreamcast port, but the additional levels, creation tools and sound loading make it a game no one should do without.

Bangai-O Spirits definitely appeals to two different (but not mutually exclusive) crowds. One is the masochistic player who will take on the hardest games in order to see how well they handle the challenge ahead, and trust me, there is quite a bit of challenge in this title. The other is the tweaker or aspiring game developer who is looking for any excuse to mod and make levels to share with friends or the public in general. If you fall into either of these categories, then you will definitely want to check out this game.

Although it's certainly not for everyone, Bangai-O Spirits is a well-made and extremely challenging game. It's great to see Treasure revive this title, and it works surprisingly well on the DS. If you're not up for a bit of humiliation, don't even think about trying it. If you've already conquered Contra 4, though, this might be your next mountain to climb.

If you can get past the enormous difficulty curve and the lack of a Story Mode, Bangai-O Spirits is bullet heaven. The weapon-balancing gameplay is wonderful and the abundance of existing levels and creation options are extraordinary. Fans of shooters and Treasure games will love it.

If you feel like this sort of experience would be right up your alley, then by all means, pick this one up. If you're wavering or unsure about it, you'd be best served by simply staying away. I can't remember a time when I've ever scored a game this high and yet warned the general public to stay away, but I suppose there's a first time for everything, and Bangai-O Spirits seems like the perfect game to cause just such an occasion.

Bangai-O Spirits requires considerably more thought than your typical shooter, but it is still fundamentally a shooter, and a great one at that. The play control is tight, the weapons at your disposal are powerful, and the levels are packed with explosive action. Best of all, there should be no shortage of new content in the future with the exceptional level editor. This is a spectacularly over-the-top game that any shooter fan with a penchant for serious challenge would do well to check out.

Another problem with the game is the wacky difficulty curve which careens up and down like a hamster on Red Bull. Some levels can be finished in ten seconds or less and others finish you in ten seconds or less. Oh, and let's not forget the visibility issue. During the craziest battles, the graphics are so busy, your mech can get lost in the shuffle. Not to worry though; none of these problems is serious enough to drain the fun out of the game; they just water it down a little.

Despite the high challenge level, Bangai-O is most definitely a "pick-up-and-play" experience, but it's best not to try and clear large parts of the game in one sitting -- and you won't, unless you know you're awesome. But even if you're not, you'll come back to it often.

Given enough patience, it reveals some refreshingly challenging gameplay. For me, it was a vacillating mix of frustration and brilliance.

Bangai-O Spirits feels like it’s a shooter at first glance, but there is a large puzzle element, even in the non-puzzle levels. Something like Bangai-O Spirits does have an old-school charm to it, but that might be detrimental because of the difficulty of some of the levels. The more I played it though, the more I couldn’t put it down. If you like a little bit of puzzle in your shooter and have a high patience level, then be on the lookout for Bangai-O Spirits.

It’s a shame that the game is so inaccessible because there is so much depth in the cart. The levels seem well designed – there’s no mistaking the expert placement and trajectory of the dozens of missiles that head toward you as they begin. Just think: There are over 160 stages, all waiting to blow you to kingdom come! You can even design your own instant-death factories with the game’s robust level editor. Those interested in this title will likely create levels that are nearly impossible to complete, but there is a great deal of irony in the fact that it practically dares you to design levels that might actually be fun to play. That revelation begs the question: Why bother playing if you have to design the good parts yourself?