3RRDC Bangaio

The name "Treasure" is one that is very familiar to the few hard core
gamers left in this Madden-filled hell-hole of an industry. Treasure is
one of the few companies who continues to pump out games that
appeal to the hardcore gamer. And when these bad boys get released
here in the States, then there is much rejoicing. Thankfully Crave and
Conspiracy Entertainment saw a need to release this gem for us. The
tale of Bangai-o is a long one that dates back to the N64. But the grand
finale is what I consider to be Treasure's best game ever.

Bangai-o started out as an N64 import-only title. Later it was released
on the import DC, and then in a surprising move, it was translated for
American audiences. The story and translation is so over the top and
funny that it earns points on charm alone. Siblings Riki and Mami
Makishi pilot the super robot built by their father, the Bangai-o as they
fight the evil SF Kosmos gang. It sounds (and looks) like an anime. This
also lends to the charm and feel of the game. So, how does it play?
Tons of zany characters (all of whom have a short little bio in the
instruction manual.) Expect everything from weird space aliens to evil
twins! Oh my!

Many people consider Bangai-o to be just a standard 2D shooter. While
it is a 2D game, and you do shoot things, it plays unlike any other.
Instead you can move anywhere, not just always going up or right.
That is, the screen does not just scroll horizontally or vertically.
Instead you can fly around in a number of different places. The levels
can get extremely expansive. It's also much longer then your standard
giga wing or gun bird, clocking in at 44 levels. While many levels can be
beat in a minute or so, later levels get extremely tough. So expect to
play this one a little longer then others. The controls can be fiddled
around with, but I set mine up with a samba de amigo setting. You see,
you can shoot all around you. Behind you, above you, below you, etc.
So using the four face buttons and pressing two at a time makes the
robot shoot in diagonals. Hard at first to get used to, but after it while
it feels very natural.

There are two playable characters whom you can switch to and from
on the fly. The boy has homing lasers that attracts to nearby enemies.
The girl has reflecting lasers that can bounce off walls. Both are good
in certain spots. Then there is the bomb. Possibly the most flashy and
intense attack ever in a video game when done at maximum intensity,
the bomb attack is stunning. The bomb shoots out a lot of missiles. The
cool thing is that the more enemy fire that is close to you, the more
missiles you give off. So, get on the edge of death and right before you
get shot, press the bomb button, and watch as hundreds of missiles fly
off and tear apart your enemies. If I remember right, the max amount
of missiles that can be fired off is 400. Things get even more hectic
when fighting bosses when they can do the same thing. Sometimes
this clutters the screen, but I think the more the merrier.

Some other things that set this apart include that you have a health
bar which can be refilled when you find power ups in the level. Most 2D
shooters are a one-hit-kills type, so this is another difference. Also, like
most 2D shooters the bomb must be refilled. But you don't find power
ups for that one, it just refills itself. Also, because there are so many
levels, it has a level select where you can go back and play your
favorite levels and try to get high scores.

The graphics originated on the N64, so they won't be up to the best 2D
or 3D standards. However, everything looks just lovely (because of my
personal 2D bias). Things are colorful, missiles are everywhere,
explosions are huge, the art work is nice, and overall this game has
style. But one complaint is that the robot is just too small to see. In
order for the big levels, all of the characters are really small pixels.
This may be difficult to see at first, but after a while, you will know the
score. I like the graphics. I believe that the only edit made on the
American version is censoring a pic that had one of the pilots quasi-
naked. But they're kids so I can see why the change was made.

The sound is cool too. Nice upbeat music for your explosive pleasure.
While lately, I would rather pop in some hard techno or something just
to get more in the mood, the lighthearted music is good none the less.
Sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, this is a very nice score.
Characters have no voices. Wait, bosses say stuff when they die I
think. Cool voices would have helped, but who could deliver all of the
dialogue with such ease? Most of it is very much just jargon and
garbage that reminds you of bad translations, but things seem right
here.

With 44 levels, you'll be playing this one for a while. Also the last level
and its boss are kinda hard, so that might take a good deal of time in
itself. You can also view the maps for each level to see where
everything is. Nothing really else to note except that you'll play this
one again for high scores and explosions (which I might add do get
slowdown sometimes). It's the sheer fun and madness that will bring
you back to this game. And once you do beat all the level, you'll beg for
44 more, because the game is just that fun and challenging. The latter
levels can get really rough, but very rewarding when you beat them.

Overall, this has been my favorite Treasure game. It's just fun like all
the other Treasure games, and like other Treasure games, it feels good
when they cross the pond. The sad thing is that you know that hardly
anyone is going to buy games like this. Heck, I think this one had a
very small number of copies even made. I wouldn't call it a rare game
though, just uncommon. And weird. But the DC has been no stranger to
weird games, which is another reason why I love the system so much.
When developers dare to be different, they usually are slaughtered
sales wise. But, at the end of the day, there are good games out there.
And Bangai-o is one of them.

Review By: Orochi Sonic