Love, Death and a Thousand Sprites: Bangai-O Spirits Reviewed

                             The original Nintendo 64 title screen. Only 10,000 of these cartridges were made.

Love at first sight occurred in 1999, in a quaint little
import game shop outside of Los Angeles. Half obscured by a Sonic the Hedgehog
standee, on a thirteen inch TV screen, was a symphony of bullets, explosions,
fireworks, and…fruit. I immediately asked the clerk the name of this
captivating little Nintendo 64 title. “Bakuretsu Muteki Bangioh”, he responded,
or Bangai-O for short. That’s how we met.

Bangai-O was a small robot, about ten pixels high, armed to
the teeth with three different weapons. Homing missiles could obliterate any
nearby enemy or structure, while bouncing lasers ricocheted carnage at right
angles. Lastly, there was the Mega Attack, a weapon whose output was
proportional to the amount of incoming flak. Triggered at the right time, the
barrage could clear the screen of enemies, in a beautiful display of
fireworks, smoke clouds, and debris. The game and its Dreamcast remake,
featured 44 levels of gorgeous destruction, and kept me entertained for hours.

       Bangai-O for the Dreamcast. Anime girls using a mech to blow up everything in sight = Japanese perfection!

When I first got wind of an impending DS remake, I
immediately pre-ordered a copy. Tracking the package online, my handheld was
charged and ready for Treasure’s reimagining of this beloved title. Upon
booting the cartridge, I encountered a Japanese menu, and tried to navigate
through the cart. Within moments, I noticed something was not right- I felt as
if Treasure had abandoned its shoot-and-scoot gameplay for something slightly
more cerebral. Disappointment quickly set it.

Today, I received a copy of the U.S. release of Bangai-O
Spirts, and although seemingly nothing has changed from the Japanese version,
being able to understand the menu options has increased my affection for this
title exponentially.

When the title is powered on, players are given the option
of a seventeen-level tutorial, the main game, and a level editor. With
significant changes to the principal gameplay- I recommend the tutorial, even
to Bangai-O veterans. The primary gameplay mode is entitled ‘Free Play’ and
consists of three parts- Treasure’s Best- 27 professional created levels, 18
puzzles stages, and 122 levels, simply called, ‘Other Stages’.  Finally, the level editor allows users to
build their own stages, or modify existing ones. It is simple and intuitive to use, but complex enough to create some devious levels.

                      Don’t try to make sense of this screenshot from the Japanese version; just play the game.

The foundational gameplay mirrors that of earlier Bangai-O,
games; players use the d-pad to control the main character, and use the ‘Y’ and
‘B’ to fire different types of user-selectable fire. Players launch the Mega
Attack by pressing one of the shoulder buttons.  

Graphically, the game can be a bit of a mixed bag. Small touches
from the small trail that follows the player, to the ever-present blossoming
explosions that litter the screen, delight the eye. However, some missile
sprites are very pixilated, and occasionally give the game a freeware aesthetic.
While the game uses a myriad of sprites to compose it’s ballet of destruction;
at times the sheer amount on-screen mayhem can be overwhelming- slowing, or even
stopping play for a quick second.

With a shortage of engaging shooters on the DS, Bangai-O
Spirits stands apart, and is easily the best example of the genre, on the handheld. While
a bit bloated with trial-and error gameplay, the title is still a must-buy for
fans of the original game, or fans of intense, hyperactive action.

Final Grade: A-

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