The DS, in many respects, is its own worst enemy. The console’s so popular, most gamers feel obliged to own one (much like the Game Boy used to be), but are gratified by their forced purchase since there’s so many great games for it. The unique nature of the DS means we have very high expectations, however – not only in quality, but in gameplay mechanics.

We demand both screens get full use, and the touch-screen is fully exploited. And quite rightly. Then along comes a game like Bangai-O Spirits that casually dismisses all our DS expectations, yet also, somehow, rocks your gaming world. In truth, Bangai-O Spirits does make use of every hardware feature, just not as you might expect. But no matter – let’s begin with what’s best about this long awaited sequel; the obscure, confusing and mega-awesome gameplay (I’m going to be using the word ‘awesome’ a lot in this review – I can feel it).

Originally an overlooked N64 and Dreamcast game, Bangai-O has its cult following but nothing that’s established the peculiar playing style as a recognised format, so most people are going to be heading into this game without knowing what to expect. But that’s not a problem – it takes a few goes, but you soon come to realise this is a boots-first, balls-out, guns-blazing puzzler, and the only objective is to figure out how to destroy everything before you’re dead.

This fundamental simplicity is backed-up by some awesome (super-mega-awesome) level designs that crash through genre boundaries with unerring style. One moment you’ll be piloting your miniature mecha around an open playfield, shooting down similar enemies in good shmup style, and the next you’re trapped in a Bubble Bobble-esque platform nightmare trying to fathom how to fire off a bouncing bomb at enemies behind an impenetrable wall. This constant cross and change of tempo is what keeps Bangai-O’s gameplay blisteringly white hot, yet miraculously (and awesomely) without ever feeling like a mish-mash of mini-games.

A variety of weapons are at your disposal, from a lightsaber-style sword to bludgeons, homing missiles and bouncing bombs. You can even shoulder barge obstacles and walls, if you’ve an abundance of energy. But one thing is constant – the… erm… how can I describe them… ah yes! The awesome graphics light up the DS as never before – creating a virtual supernova of miniaturised mayhem as the bullets, missiles and characters literally throng about the small screen. This heavy lilt toward the wonderful, nay awesome, world of Japanese doujin-soft and the bullet hell titles that epitomise that cult gaming genre is key to Bangai-O’s brilliant rebirth, and guarantees its place in DS history.

Also, you collect fruit to power up your weapons. I don’t know why, but it adds a distinct sensation that Japanese gaiming maestros, Treasure, certainly don’t take themselves too seriously – especially when it comes to massively entertaining obscurities like Bangai-O Spirits. Following this theme of highly enjoyable destruction, the weapons systems actively encourage the player to jump headlong into the line of fire – increasing in destructive might depending how many enemy bullets and missiles are currently populating the screen. And you can rest assured that, 90% of the time, that’ll be a hell of a lot. Considering that every single object on that tiny screen is a viable target, the sheer amount of dogfighting and melee combat dwarfs even the most violent console game or FPS, and the thrill at batting away missiles with a mecha-baseball bat is completely unrivalled.

At the moment, we’re only looking at the Japanese version, so exploring the depths of options is still a little hit and miss. While the expected wireless download multiplayer is in full swing – and amplifies the astounding chaos superbly – there are other options that, at this time, are a little harder to fathom. First and foremost is a music upload and download feature that ties Bangai-O Spirits to a desktop PC. Music from the game can, apparently, be sent via the headphone socket (by way of a simple music track player on the DS) to your PC. What’s even more interesting is that music can be sent the other way.

By holding a headphone up to the DS’s microphone, Bangai-O can accept your own music tracks. Quite what all this means in terms of gameplay and adaptability is anyone’s guess, but it does suggest a deeper purpose to the simplistic, awesome gameplay. Check back when/if the Westernised version appears and we should be in a far better position to fully report on the extensive adaptability of Bangai-O Spirits. Coupled with an equally indecipherable level editor, there promises to be a hell of a lot of possibility for anyone who finds themselves addicted to Bangai-O – and that’ll be most every DS owner.

Explaining the awe-inspiring gameplay really doesn’t do Bangai-O justice, and robs it of the awesome (OK, that’s the last one now – Ed.), invigorating confusion that wells within any sane-minded gamer as they delve into this quirky, manga based realm. Check out the video on the GDN game page to get a better idea of quite what you’ll be up against in your powerful mini-mecha, then position yourself on the edge of your seat and wait apprehensively for the Western version.

Awesome (Oi! – Ed.)