Japanese developer Treasure is known as a modern master of old-school arcade gameplay, with most of their games falling into either the scrolling shooter (Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga) or beat 'em-up (Gunstar Heroes, Silhouette Mirage) genres. Occasionally they’ve attempted to combine the two genres; Astro Boy: Omega Factor for the Game Boy Advance, for instance, alternated between hand-to-hand combat and flight-based shooting levels. One of the developers' most critically acclaimed titles, Dreamcast’s Bangai-O, integrated the two gameplay styles more completely, and also shared many elements of puzzle games. It sounds like a strange combination, but the game amassed a cult following, and is considered by some to be one of the best games of all time. Evidently Treasure thought it was time to give the formula another try, as they’ve brought us Bangai-O Spirits for the Nintendo DS.

Straddling the divide between sequel and remake, Spirits would perhaps best be described as a remix. They’ve taken what worked about the original, re-worked some elements, and added tons of new stages and modes. Like in the Dreamcast release, Spirits puts the player in control of a giant robot, armed to the teeth. The two weapons available in the original (bouncing and homing shots) are both available here, along with a slew of new ones: napalm shots that explode when they come in contact with anything, break shots that go through enemy fire, even melee weapons like a sword or giant baseball bat (really!) are available. You’ve also got the uber-powerful EX attacks, which fill the screen with firepower and become even stronger when you’re in a desperate situation (the damage your EX attack deals increases based on how many enemy shots are about to hit you). You’ve got a dash move that can launch enemies across the screen, and if all this firepower seems excessive, then you’ve obviously not played the game yet — as loaded for bear as Bangai-O is, the enemies will overwhelm you in a heartbeat if you let them.

 
See that little guy next to the “100”, sending out missile-based death in every direction? That’s you.

The game starts off with an extensive tutorial, which also serves as the game’s only narrative. Two young pilots, Masato and Ruri, are being taught the ins and outs of piloting the legendary robot, Bangai-O. Each tutorial level is introduced with a short dialogue sequence between the two pilots and the Professor, as he explains to them what element of Bangai-O they’re going to learn about next. These short cinematics are hilarious, with characters breaking the fourth wall (they make repeated reference to the fact that they are characters in a video game) and generally mocking/parodying all kinds of anime conventions. It’s a shame these story sequences don’t extend beyond the tutorial levels (though just these will take you a while to get through), but the light-hearted vibe evident here continues throughout the game. The tutorial does a good job of showing you the strengths and weaknesses of the various weapons and abilities at your disposal, and hints at the complex strategies and tactics you’ll have to master to make it through the challenges that follow.

And when I say challenges, I mean challenges. Right from the first stage, Bangai-O Spirits is mercilessly difficult — I’m talking about “you’ll be lucky to survive five seconds” kind of tough. Enemies surround you at all times and attack you unrelentingly, and only through masterful tactics and flawless reflexes will you make it through alive. This is a game that has no tolerance for gamers unwilling to master its intricacies. Treasure has taken steps to keep the game from being impossible to play, though. For one, every stage — more than 150 in all — is selectable immediately, with no unlocking necessary. That means that no matter how frustrated you may get at a stage, there’s always a ton of different challenges waiting for you to try. There’s also a wide variety of activities that you’ll be attempting throughout the game — no two levels are alike. Some are straight action, flying around dodging shots and blasting enemies, while others are constructed like a puzzle, dropping you into a situation that has one specific, clever solution. You’ll race against time, navigate mazes that kill you if you touch the sides, collect fruit to power your super weapons, trade sword strokes with robot ninjas, and launch soccer balls at giant baseball players. It’s impossible to become bored with the game even when it destroys you over and over, as you’ll always want to keep going, if only to see what crazy thing the game’s going to throw at you next.

 
This game contains some of the wackiest scenarios you could imagine.

Of course, if you do get tired of the levels you’ve got to choose from, you could always just make your own. Spirits includes a full-fledged level creator, allowing you to build stages from the ground up. Using a simple drag-and-drop interface, you draw the walls, then add objects and enemies to interact with. Like an existing level, but wish you could change one little element about it? Go nuts — all existing stages can be edited just like your own creations. Once you’ve made your masterpiece, share it with your buddies via the infinitely clever Sound Load system — the game converts your level to a sound file, which can then be either a) played into the microphone on a friend’s DS to give them that level directly, or b) recorded, uploaded, and traded online. There are already several active sites dedicated to hosting user created levels (and replay videos, which can be shared the same way), and there’s nothing like a thriving community creating new content to extend a game’s replay value.

 
The simple editor allows even beginners to create complex stages from scratch.

Visually, the game pushes the DS in a way that few games have. Sure, individual sprites may be relatively simple (though still detailed, and they animate beautifully), but there’s so many onscreen at any given time that it’s stimulation-overload from the first second on. It’s difficult at first to make sense of everything going on, but before long you’ll begin to see the order behind all the graphical chaos. It’s definitely an impressive looking game, even if you can’t always tell just exactly what is going on. The audio’s not quite as mind-blowing as the visuals — not to say it’s bad, just kind of underwhelming. While the tunes’ tempo matches the game’s frenetic pace, it’s nothing you’re going to be humming the next day.

This is what your screen will look like during the game’s relatively calm moments. Believe me, it gets much crazier than this.

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.

Gameplay: 9.2
This is hardcore shooter action at its finest. Bangai-O controls like a dream, which is good, since you’re going to need every advantage the game can give you. There’s an extraordinary amount of depth here, especially considering the genre. While the game will assuredly kick your tail over and over again, you’ll love every second of it.

Graphics: 8.7
No other game out there looks quite like Bangai-O Spirits. It’s got a fine anime art style, but the true focus of the visuals is the ridiculous number of enemies, projectiles, and general craziness onscreen at any given moment. Just watching this game played is a “whoa” experience.

Sound: 7.0
The music doesn’t give you the same visceral kick in the teeth that the graphics or the gameplay does, but the game’s got a competent electronic soundtrack. Sound effects are crisp, and there’s nothing quite like the sound of a giant baseball bat knocking a robotic ninja out of the park.

Difficulty: Hard
This is a game that demands devotion and tons of practice from its players. Don’t expect to exceed right out of the gate, but if you put enough effort into it, you can master the game — and it’ll be all the more rewarding when you do.

Concept: 8.5
“Robot flies around, doing crazy things and firing thousands of missiles” isn’t the sort of game concept you hear often enough. It’s old-school in that none of it necessarily makes a whole lot of sense, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.

Overall: 9.0
Bangai-O Spirits is one of the toughest, craziest, most variety-packed titles you’ll ever play. The immense difficulty is going to make some people wary, but you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try. The game might chew you up and spit you out, but you’ll love every second of it.