Scrolling shooters, or shmups, have evolved very little since the dawn of video gaming. From the very beginning, these games have focused on straightforward action, requiring precise timing and hair-trigger reflexes from any player who hopes to make it to the end. Because of this, they’ve gained a reputation for being suitable for only the most hardcore gamers—which is a shame, since the action they deliver is exhilarating in a way that no other kind of game can match. With the DS, developer Arkedo Studio saw an opportunity to create a different kind of shmup, one that had all the excitement the genre’s known for but could still appeal to more casual gamers. Their creation, Big Bang Mini, is a fresh take on the shooter formula that’s simultaneously familiar and strikingly original.

Big Bang Mini’s biggest divergence from tradition is the first thing you’ll notice upon starting the game: the control scheme. From the main menu on, the stylus is used exclusively to control the game. Moving your ship is as simple as touching and dragging it, and shots are fired with a quick upward flick on the touch screen. This simple change has several important ramifications—for one thing, you can’t fire and move at the same time. In order to attack, you’ve got to leave your ship defenseless for a moment, and similarly, when you’re under attack you have to stop shooting to get your ship out of the line of fire. This back-and-forth between offense and defense gives BBM a natural rhythm that’s a nice change of pace from most shooters.

When you see waves of enemy bullets heading your way, it’s time to stop shooting and start dodging.

Another change brought about by the stylus controls is the fact that you can fire shots from anywhere on the screen. Combine this with the fact that firing at any angle is as easy as flicking the stylus in that direction, and the end result is a shooting system that’s as precise as you could hope for. While there’s a bit of a learning curve associated with this new style, before you know it you’ll be zeroing in on enemies with ease.

Don’t think that this means that the game is a cakewalk, though. You’re going to need to be very accurate with your shots, because any bullet you fire that misses an enemy explodes as a firework, raining colorful sparks down on the bottom screen. These embers are just as deadly as any enemy bullet, so indiscriminately attacking will put your ship in all kinds of danger. This is a game where you’ve got to make every shot count.

If you don’t aim each shot carefully, you’ll soon find yourself dodging massive bullet clouds that you created.

There are other innovations in BBM besides the touch controls. Instead of the standard shooter style, where you face waves of enemies before reaching a level boss, here you advance to the next level by collecting a certain amount of stars, which are dropped by defeated enemies. Each new stage you advance to grants you new abilities (like a bullet-absorbing vortex, or homing shots), but also comes with its own unique dangers (like the windy level, where gusts can blow your bullets off course). Finally, each stage ends with a “Bonus Zone” minigame, a variation on connect-the-dots that forms a little picture. These challenges aren’t necessary to finish the game (though completing them all does unlock a bonus game mode), but they’re a nice little change of pace from the frantic shooting action.

Every new stage introduces new attacks, but just like your standard shots, these can be a danger as much as a boon.

If this all sounds complicated, don’t worry. The game has a very gentle learning curve, easing you in to its unique mechanics slowly before ratcheting up the challenge. This means that the early levels will be a breeze for shooter veterans, but anyone interested in a test of their skills can access the game’s Challenge Mode, which increases the frequency, speed, and ferocity of enemies and their attacks. The truly hardcore can even connect via Wi-Fi to online leaderboards, to post high scores for international bragging rights.

Big Bang Mini matches its unique shooting mechanics with a distinctive aesthetic design. Each stage represents a fireworks show over a real-world city, and the visual design changes based on that city. In the New York area, for instance, enemies take the form of living graffiti, but in the Savannah stage you’ll face off against African tribal masks. Though wildly varied, each stage’s art design is colorful and stylized, capturing the feel of that part of the world in a bright, exciting way. The music, too, changes to fit each city’s style, but whether you’re listening to thumping techno or traditional Chinese music, the game’s audio keeps the energy level high.

Each stage’s visual design is a cartoony, stylized take on that city, like Paris seen here.

Big Bang Mini does a great job of taking a traditionally niche genre and delivering an accessible, unique, exciting game that any DS owner can enjoy, from the hardest of the hardcore to the most casual, Brain Age-loving soccer mom. With a ton of fun varied challenges, a gorgeous audio/visual package, and a budget price, it’s easy to recommend Big Bang Mini.

Gameplay: 9.0
There’s a huge variety of shooting challenges crammed into this tiny DS cart, and every stage introduces something new to keep the gameplay fresh. The stylus-driven controls are tight and precise (a requirement in a shooter like this), and the back-and-forth between attacking and dodging gives the game a unique, satisfying feel.

Graphics: 8.7
Big Bang Mini might not be a technical powerhouse, but it more than makes up for this with a stellar art style. Each stage’s unique look keeps things fresh and interesting, and the often bizarre enemy designs (like the stage 2 boss, a rainbow mohawk-sporting, leather-clad, flying-carpet riding walrus) will keep you playing, just to see what the game is going to throw at you next.

Sound: 8.4
Each stage’s music is as unique as its visuals, ranging from techno to African tribal drums to cartoon-style scoring. While some areas’ music might grow old before you advance to the next stage, each sets the vibe perfectly and keeps the energy level high.

Difficulty: Medium
The game’s a shooter, and as such there’s definitely a challenge to be had here. That said, BBM has a very gentle learning curve, and new powers and threats are introduced at a slow but steady pace, so you’re very rarely overwhelmed.

Multiplayer: 7.8
The game’s two-player mode, which sees you holding your DS sideways flinging fireworks at your opponent, is fun and exciting, just like the single player (single card download play, as always, makes it easy to set up a match with any DS owning friend). Still, compared to the other game modes, multiplayer feels a little simple, and there aren’t many different stages.

Concept: 8.8
A stylus-driven shooter is such a natural that I’m surprised that it’s taken this long in the DS’s lifespan for us to see one. The game’s quirky visual style and frenetic action could have been a terrible match, but luckily the developers knew what they were doing and made it all work beautifully.

Overall: 8.9
Big Bang Mini is a distinctive game that simply wouldn’t work on any system but the DS—but there it works brilliantly. With so much content, challenge, and visual insanity packed into a $20 title, this game deserves a spot in any DS owner’s library.