Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury marks the series debut off the small screen. The critically acclaimed, cult favorite series has already had two previous installments on the DS--Bangai-O and Bangai-O Spirits--and Missile Fury is hoping to make a splash on XBLA this fall. D3 Publishers is bringing this arcade series with puzzle elements…
Okay, I can see by the glazed over eyes that you’re not really sure why you should care. Okay, let me try again…
TREASURE!
Okay, did THAT get your attention? Yes, Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury is the latest release from legendary game developer TREASURE to make it stateside. For those of you in the know, you understand how important a TREASURE production is. For those of you who don’t, freaking educate yourself. TREASURE games are known primarily for two things: being quirky and addictive, and involving white-knuckled, bullet-hell twitch action. Bangai-O HD follows both of these principals to a tee. This game is addicting--seriously, I reverted to my 11-year old self
while playing this game, the company PR guy talking with me only
half-listening, nodding on auto-pilot, while I restarted the level and
tried to reach the end for the twentieth time.
The set-up is easy--guide your missile toting robot through a maze space, killing everything in your path, using dashing, shields, and special attack to regularly lift your kiester out of the proverbial fire. The special attack is the real beauty here--combos and pick-ups will boost your special attacks power, releasing with unholy force as many as 1,000 missiles onto the screen to assault your enemies. That’s no typo; one-thousand missiles, fired either directionally at a target or in a circular defensive radius.
The use of special attacks and dashing/shielding work out to more puzzle elements than it may seem on the surface. Pin point timing and strategy is the difference between success and controller snapping restarts, and with over 100 levels in game, and a level editor for piecing together your own personalized bullet-hells for your friends, your masochistic game wishes will get plenty of workout.
Overall Demo Hawtness:
9/10 - Hopefully the advent of XBLA demos will help this series bloom on console where it failed on the portable.
