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.
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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.
