Bangai-O (DC, 1999)
Graphics-7 Sound-7 Control-8 Challenge-7.5/8* Story-4.5
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5/8.5* Fun-7.5/6.5* Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7
*Final level/boss
+
Smart bombs of sorts (aka scatter bombs - shoots tons of shots in all directions, invincibility time when using one but it's brief+you can't move during it*) - there's a risk/reward element to these as the more enemy projectiles that are close to your avatar+the faster they're moving, the more shots are fired. This also rewards aggressive play since destroying enemies and buildings recharges bomb energy and the more explosions on screen at the same time, the more energy you regain plus there's a higher chance you'll find health
Can instantly switch between two characters (different weapons - Riki uses homing missiles and Mami uses ricocheting lasers, they're otherwise the same and they share HP)
Can replay beaten levels (they are added to a level select menu)
Can view a level in camera mode after beating it
Pretty intense action (many buildings, blocks and sometimes walls to destroy and many enemies and bullets on screen at once). Plays like a mix between Robotron 2084 and Jetpack (PC, 1993)
Partial control config (the second option is basically like twin stick controls - the face buttons control aiming and allow for diagonal aiming by pressing two buttons)
Temporary shield power up which also harms nearby enemies and destroys the grayish green blocks - fun to use in levels where you basically dig through blocks trying to find the next power up to keep it going (similar to the mole power up in Yoshi's Island but more intense)
Minor puzzle element to some levels (some blocks can only be shot through by one of your weapons and green blocks only by enemies, chain reaction blocks (Kid Chameleon, Kirby Super Star, Super Bomberman 2 and Pepenga Pengo sort of) - these are used to create "races" where you need to reach a door before it becomes blocked, blocks that fall when the breakable blocks below the are removed (opening new paths) - see Boulder Dash)
Can destroy most enemy projectiles
Comedic/bizarre tone (silly, dramatic, some meta humour)
Some visual upgrades and more visual variety in the DC version, Much less slowdown in this version (only some when you or an enemy uses a scatter bomb at full power - which is a good thing here), Overall higher quality sound on DC
Some good bosses (most later bosses, mom, toad, sheep; they rarely have more than one pattern and never more than one form but some are pretty agile and they tend to be able to move across the entire level)
+/-
Auto-saves between levels
Unlimited lives
Very easy first few levels
Level timers (rarely an issue besides in the level with several layers of turrets above you)
Small sprites/zoomed out view
Short levels overall. Since it's possible to get stuck if you fail a puzzle, it's a good thing though there are some longer levels which could've had one or two
Replay mode isn't what you might think, it means that you skip all dialogue so it's more like a speedrun mode
Unlimited lives but no mid-level checkpoints
Can't hover in place in mid-air
This version is missing the hidden shops in the N64 version (If you manage to destroy over 100 objects in a single attack there, a little portal will open up, allowing you to upgrade your weapon strength or penetration power, replenish your health, or – if your combo is big enough – obtain temporary invincibility). However your weapon starts off weaker when beginning each level on N64, and you need to charge up the scatter bomb to use it effectively by holding the button for a few seconds (you can do this to delay it on DC but it's instead meant to give better control of its timing so that you can use it as effectively as possible, like on DC the proximity effect is also a thing on N64 meaning the scatter bomb is more effective based on how many bullets are nearby+their speed)
You gain bombs by collecting fruit instead of them just being for points on N64, but you don't gain bombs from destroying enemies and buildings
On N64 you can store 10 bombs, while you can only store 5 here
Mami's lasers are shots that home in on enemies after ricocheting in the N64 version, but they're also a bit weaker
More complex point scoring mechanics on N64
More NPCs in the DC version
More voice samples on DC (when taking damage, changing firing modes or using a scatter bomb)
The bomb mechanics are kind of poorly explained in-game but not in the manual
-
Sometimes uneven difficulty (spikes: at the final boss and no checkpoint before him (there is at least a full health power up but replaying the level gets old as it's kind of easy), level 13 - timing puzzle, some of the longer later levels; dips: super easy level 5 boss which is repeated a few times (meant as a joke? but then it's repeated like 6 times over the course of the game), can place yourself super close to some earlier bosses without them firing that much for a very strong scatter bomb attack (makes the slow level 12 boss very easy for example), some later levels)
Some control/interface issues (default controls aren't twin stick controls (analog stick is used for automatically firing in the direction you're moving in instead), no aim lock/free aim toggle, can't map the double tap dash to a button and it becomes crucial vs the final boss for example, if you press X during dialogue then it's completely skipped, no invincibility time after taking a hit means you can die very quickly to a volley of projectiles)
Can shoot bosses while they're off screen and their pathfinding AI is kind of lacking (level 21 boss is easy to get stuck on a wall). Enemies and bosses can also shoot you from off screen (no radar) which can lead to some cheap deaths
*If your timing is off you'll likely die if there's a large volley of incoming shots from a boss (a built in mechanic where you take more damage while trying to use a bomb) - this feels too binary in that if there's a lot of enemy projectiles you'll either fire a scatter bomb strong enough to almost kill a boss/clear the screen in one hit or die in about a second yourself (later bosses can counter your counter with another volley/scatter bomb of their own and with the freezing and flashing it feels kinda random at times whether you'll die or not)
Several points of no return
Repeats the same boss for the first few levels (just with more HP and slightly more aggressive behavior). Tends to repeat visual themes and enemies as well
Only one alternate weapon and no weapon upgrades
No item magnet (see Sonic 3, breaks flow)
Distracting screen flash when using a scatter bomb at max power
Scatter bomb shots tend to go for the nearest enemy/object rather than what was shooting at you when you used it, even if what it goes for is behind unbreakable blocks or isn't the real threat
Some annoying sfx (continuous beep when you have no bombs AND an alarm when low on health, screaming bosses, constantly laughing final boss)
The visuals could've been a bit clearer at times considering the small sprites and a lot sprites and projectiles moving around at once
Some translation issues (awkward sentences and word choices and some exchanges are just very confusing, some misspelled words)
Some trial & error (sometimes you can run into a boss way before finishing up a level - good that killing everyone is optional though, some sudden ambushes, level 25 boss - opens with huge scatter bombs that you have to run away from, level 32 which is full of falling blocks)
Gets repetitive at times (due to relying too much on the scatter bomb mechanic, some spongy enemies - in levels where you face a smaller number of enemies at a time in a tighter space with rooms being unlocked one at a time (so it's harder to replenish bombs with each use of one) they tend to slow the pace down quite a bit)
Kinda bland sounding music overall (often sounds like cheap midi), sometimes with overly loud drums
Overly fast text in the intro
No 2-player
No difficulty options
Notes:
-Initially meant to be a remake of Hover Attack (1984)
-The N64 version was never localized
-Rare music glitches in Redream
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5/8.5* Fun-7.5/6.5* Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7
*Final level/boss
+
Smart bombs of sorts (aka scatter bombs - shoots tons of shots in all directions, invincibility time when using one but it's brief+you can't move during it*) - there's a risk/reward element to these as the more enemy projectiles that are close to your avatar+the faster they're moving, the more shots are fired. This also rewards aggressive play since destroying enemies and buildings recharges bomb energy and the more explosions on screen at the same time, the more energy you regain plus there's a higher chance you'll find health
Can instantly switch between two characters (different weapons - Riki uses homing missiles and Mami uses ricocheting lasers, they're otherwise the same and they share HP)
Can replay beaten levels (they are added to a level select menu)
Can view a level in camera mode after beating it
Pretty intense action (many buildings, blocks and sometimes walls to destroy and many enemies and bullets on screen at once). Plays like a mix between Robotron 2084 and Jetpack (PC, 1993)
Partial control config (the second option is basically like twin stick controls - the face buttons control aiming and allow for diagonal aiming by pressing two buttons)
Temporary shield power up which also harms nearby enemies and destroys the grayish green blocks - fun to use in levels where you basically dig through blocks trying to find the next power up to keep it going (similar to the mole power up in Yoshi's Island but more intense)
Minor puzzle element to some levels (some blocks can only be shot through by one of your weapons and green blocks only by enemies, chain reaction blocks (Kid Chameleon, Kirby Super Star, Super Bomberman 2 and Pepenga Pengo sort of) - these are used to create "races" where you need to reach a door before it becomes blocked, blocks that fall when the breakable blocks below the are removed (opening new paths) - see Boulder Dash)
Can destroy most enemy projectiles
Comedic/bizarre tone (silly, dramatic, some meta humour)
Some visual upgrades and more visual variety in the DC version, Much less slowdown in this version (only some when you or an enemy uses a scatter bomb at full power - which is a good thing here), Overall higher quality sound on DC
Some good bosses (most later bosses, mom, toad, sheep; they rarely have more than one pattern and never more than one form but some are pretty agile and they tend to be able to move across the entire level)
+/-
Auto-saves between levels
Unlimited lives
Very easy first few levels
Level timers (rarely an issue besides in the level with several layers of turrets above you)
Small sprites/zoomed out view
Short levels overall. Since it's possible to get stuck if you fail a puzzle, it's a good thing though there are some longer levels which could've had one or two
Replay mode isn't what you might think, it means that you skip all dialogue so it's more like a speedrun mode
Unlimited lives but no mid-level checkpoints
Can't hover in place in mid-air
This version is missing the hidden shops in the N64 version (If you manage to destroy over 100 objects in a single attack there, a little portal will open up, allowing you to upgrade your weapon strength or penetration power, replenish your health, or – if your combo is big enough – obtain temporary invincibility). However your weapon starts off weaker when beginning each level on N64, and you need to charge up the scatter bomb to use it effectively by holding the button for a few seconds (you can do this to delay it on DC but it's instead meant to give better control of its timing so that you can use it as effectively as possible, like on DC the proximity effect is also a thing on N64 meaning the scatter bomb is more effective based on how many bullets are nearby+their speed)
You gain bombs by collecting fruit instead of them just being for points on N64, but you don't gain bombs from destroying enemies and buildings
On N64 you can store 10 bombs, while you can only store 5 here
Mami's lasers are shots that home in on enemies after ricocheting in the N64 version, but they're also a bit weaker
More complex point scoring mechanics on N64
More NPCs in the DC version
More voice samples on DC (when taking damage, changing firing modes or using a scatter bomb)
The bomb mechanics are kind of poorly explained in-game but not in the manual
-
Sometimes uneven difficulty (spikes: at the final boss and no checkpoint before him (there is at least a full health power up but replaying the level gets old as it's kind of easy), level 13 - timing puzzle, some of the longer later levels; dips: super easy level 5 boss which is repeated a few times (meant as a joke? but then it's repeated like 6 times over the course of the game), can place yourself super close to some earlier bosses without them firing that much for a very strong scatter bomb attack (makes the slow level 12 boss very easy for example), some later levels)
Some control/interface issues (default controls aren't twin stick controls (analog stick is used for automatically firing in the direction you're moving in instead), no aim lock/free aim toggle, can't map the double tap dash to a button and it becomes crucial vs the final boss for example, if you press X during dialogue then it's completely skipped, no invincibility time after taking a hit means you can die very quickly to a volley of projectiles)
Can shoot bosses while they're off screen and their pathfinding AI is kind of lacking (level 21 boss is easy to get stuck on a wall). Enemies and bosses can also shoot you from off screen (no radar) which can lead to some cheap deaths
*If your timing is off you'll likely die if there's a large volley of incoming shots from a boss (a built in mechanic where you take more damage while trying to use a bomb) - this feels too binary in that if there's a lot of enemy projectiles you'll either fire a scatter bomb strong enough to almost kill a boss/clear the screen in one hit or die in about a second yourself (later bosses can counter your counter with another volley/scatter bomb of their own and with the freezing and flashing it feels kinda random at times whether you'll die or not)
Several points of no return
Repeats the same boss for the first few levels (just with more HP and slightly more aggressive behavior). Tends to repeat visual themes and enemies as well
Only one alternate weapon and no weapon upgrades
No item magnet (see Sonic 3, breaks flow)
Distracting screen flash when using a scatter bomb at max power
Scatter bomb shots tend to go for the nearest enemy/object rather than what was shooting at you when you used it, even if what it goes for is behind unbreakable blocks or isn't the real threat
Some annoying sfx (continuous beep when you have no bombs AND an alarm when low on health, screaming bosses, constantly laughing final boss)
The visuals could've been a bit clearer at times considering the small sprites and a lot sprites and projectiles moving around at once
Some translation issues (awkward sentences and word choices and some exchanges are just very confusing, some misspelled words)
Some trial & error (sometimes you can run into a boss way before finishing up a level - good that killing everyone is optional though, some sudden ambushes, level 25 boss - opens with huge scatter bombs that you have to run away from, level 32 which is full of falling blocks)
Gets repetitive at times (due to relying too much on the scatter bomb mechanic, some spongy enemies - in levels where you face a smaller number of enemies at a time in a tighter space with rooms being unlocked one at a time (so it's harder to replenish bombs with each use of one) they tend to slow the pace down quite a bit)
Kinda bland sounding music overall (often sounds like cheap midi), sometimes with overly loud drums
Overly fast text in the intro
No 2-player
No difficulty options
Notes:
-Initially meant to be a remake of Hover Attack (1984)
-The N64 version was never localized
-Rare music glitches in Redream