Screenshots :.
Big Bang Mini
DS
Matt
20-08-2009
"FUN!"
"EXCITING!"
"ADDICTIVE!"
"*INSERT SUPERLATIVE*"
There's an old saying that one man's dirt is another's treasure, and so it has turned out to be with Big Bang Mini. When it first popped into the office a while back it was Jay who was assigned the reviewing duties, but a mixture of other 'more interesting' titles and lack of time due to site overhauling meant that he ended up passing it over after a couple of levels. By chance I happened across it the other day and, without much else to do on a Monday evening, slotted it into my DS expecting to have a bit of fun. It's now Thursday, and Big Bang Mini is possibly my favourite game of 2009.
Trying to explain how the game works is a little like trying to explain how to do a moderately complex waltz, but we'll give it a go. The thing divides itself between the top and bottom screen, with the former being filled with the enemies you are 'shooting' at and the bottom containing your ship, the projectiles that have been fired at you and – on occasion – some marauding nasties that are trying to take you out commando style. Every time you explode an enemy they drop stars that fill a little metre on the left of the screen, and once full you have completed the level.
Sounds like simple enough shooter fodder, but it really isn't. See, the first thing you need to bend your noodle around is that you can't move and shoot at the same time. Now, on normal formats this would be a bloody annoying thing to have to deal with in all likelihood, but developers Arkedo have used the touch screen perfectly and in the end you find yourself quite naturally guiding your little ship around with the stylus and then leaving it standing whilst you slash directed strokes upward toward whatever is shooting back at you.
This alone makes things interesting enough, but in addition you have to take into account that your bullets are actually fireworks, and thus shots that don't clatter into enemies will explode and send a shower of blobs down toward you that need to be dodged. This is a superb risk/reward mechanic in itself, as you can play the game by firing bullets like mad to give you a better chance of hitting something if you feel comfortable with your dodging ability, or you can take more considered shots if you are more of a sniper type of player. Either way gives you significant benefits and drawbacks, so finding your own style is key.
That, my friends, is the basic part of the game. If it had stuck to simply this set of rules over its nine ten-level arcade sections then it would have been entertaining enough, but throughout it consistently throws new little curveballs at you to keep you on your toes. One section, for example, encourages you to swirl the stylus around in a circle to create a little whirlpool into which pesky bullets can be absorbed, whilst another has walls that close in from the sides and are only temporarily delayed by exploding an enemy. Each new power-up uncovered adds something genuinely fresh and exciting to explore and put to use, extending the amount of fun you get enormously.
It's not just that either. Each different set of levels brings not only a different technique or power to experiment with, but a completely unique visual style too. Flashing neons and cheeky nods to old school space invaders mix with weird overgrowing plants and creepy ghouls, all in a lovely vibrant colour-filled way. It's enough for your eyes to bleed happy blood. You read that right, HAPPY BLOOD. The music is curiously entrancing too, which is a nice bonus.
Just when you think you've had your fill of the arcade mode you then unlock Challenge and Mission, the former of which offers you the chance to go for high scores against online leaderboards and the latter of which sets you time and score challenges set in some of the game's arcade levels. It's akin to getting to the end of a really great book and finding that there's a couple of additional extra chapters that add greatly to the main story. Hurrah and ruddy huzzah. There's also single cart multiplayer packed in, allowing you to fight against an opponent in a surprisingly tactical two-player joust. Oh, and should you complete each of the bonus stages after the arcade levels (all of which task you to hit targets in sequence, but in a number of different manners) you get a random little mode called Relaxation, which allows you to just enjoy the visuals that you probably might have missed due to the hectic nature of the game.
It's lovely to play, it really is. It's also bloody addictive, fantastic to look at and listen to and packed with variety. If you come across this in the bargain bin at your local GAME, smile quietly to yourself and snaffle it before someone else does. If you happen across it at full price, know that your money is being well invested and bag it. If you can't find it anywhere and your only resort is an overpriced eBay auction, stand firm and take the plunge. Not only is Big Bang Mini a DS essential, it's one of this year's finest games and something that needs to be championed at every opportunity. Consider me one of its loudest campaigners; give it a go and you'll be shouting from the rooftops too.
Trying to explain how the game works is a little like trying to explain how to do a moderately complex waltz, but we'll give it a go. The thing divides itself between the top and bottom screen, with the former being filled with the enemies you are 'shooting' at and the bottom containing your ship, the projectiles that have been fired at you and – on occasion – some marauding nasties that are trying to take you out commando style. Every time you explode an enemy they drop stars that fill a little metre on the left of the screen, and once full you have completed the level.
Sounds like simple enough shooter fodder, but it really isn't. See, the first thing you need to bend your noodle around is that you can't move and shoot at the same time. Now, on normal formats this would be a bloody annoying thing to have to deal with in all likelihood, but developers Arkedo have used the touch screen perfectly and in the end you find yourself quite naturally guiding your little ship around with the stylus and then leaving it standing whilst you slash directed strokes upward toward whatever is shooting back at you.
This alone makes things interesting enough, but in addition you have to take into account that your bullets are actually fireworks, and thus shots that don't clatter into enemies will explode and send a shower of blobs down toward you that need to be dodged. This is a superb risk/reward mechanic in itself, as you can play the game by firing bullets like mad to give you a better chance of hitting something if you feel comfortable with your dodging ability, or you can take more considered shots if you are more of a sniper type of player. Either way gives you significant benefits and drawbacks, so finding your own style is key.
That, my friends, is the basic part of the game. If it had stuck to simply this set of rules over its nine ten-level arcade sections then it would have been entertaining enough, but throughout it consistently throws new little curveballs at you to keep you on your toes. One section, for example, encourages you to swirl the stylus around in a circle to create a little whirlpool into which pesky bullets can be absorbed, whilst another has walls that close in from the sides and are only temporarily delayed by exploding an enemy. Each new power-up uncovered adds something genuinely fresh and exciting to explore and put to use, extending the amount of fun you get enormously.
It's not just that either. Each different set of levels brings not only a different technique or power to experiment with, but a completely unique visual style too. Flashing neons and cheeky nods to old school space invaders mix with weird overgrowing plants and creepy ghouls, all in a lovely vibrant colour-filled way. It's enough for your eyes to bleed happy blood. You read that right, HAPPY BLOOD. The music is curiously entrancing too, which is a nice bonus.
Just when you think you've had your fill of the arcade mode you then unlock Challenge and Mission, the former of which offers you the chance to go for high scores against online leaderboards and the latter of which sets you time and score challenges set in some of the game's arcade levels. It's akin to getting to the end of a really great book and finding that there's a couple of additional extra chapters that add greatly to the main story. Hurrah and ruddy huzzah. There's also single cart multiplayer packed in, allowing you to fight against an opponent in a surprisingly tactical two-player joust. Oh, and should you complete each of the bonus stages after the arcade levels (all of which task you to hit targets in sequence, but in a number of different manners) you get a random little mode called Relaxation, which allows you to just enjoy the visuals that you probably might have missed due to the hectic nature of the game.
It's lovely to play, it really is. It's also bloody addictive, fantastic to look at and listen to and packed with variety. If you come across this in the bargain bin at your local GAME, smile quietly to yourself and snaffle it before someone else does. If you happen across it at full price, know that your money is being well invested and bag it. If you can't find it anywhere and your only resort is an overpriced eBay auction, stand firm and take the plunge. Not only is Big Bang Mini a DS essential, it's one of this year's finest games and something that needs to be championed at every opportunity. Consider me one of its loudest campaigners; give it a go and you'll be shouting from the rooftops too.
9/10
