Nanostray (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

While developers Shin'en hardly have a huge output as far as games go they are known for their tech-tools in particular audio. On the GBA, apart from a few average platformers, they're most remembered for the Iridion series. There were two of these with the second being even more visually pleasing than the first however rather than pushing the GBA's hardware the developers instead pulled off some stunning visual tricks to produce an arcade standard title on the somewhat less powerful GBA. The interest started around Nanostray before the DS was even released in Europe with a handful of screen grabs looking more like FMV rather than actual playable footage. It's taken some time to get here, after numerous delays, so was it worth the wait?

Gameplay

It's difficult to outline the gameplay in a shooter if you haven't at least played one and while the popularity of this genre is not what it used to be, it should be remembered that before the introduction of the FPS (First Person Shooter) this was the only place for adrenalin pumping action. Nanostray pulls inspiration from almost every one of the classic shooters and anyone over the age of 20 will see nods to Raiden, Galaga and even Ikaruga, which also appeared on the GameCube. Quite simply it's a case of shooting everything that moves and collecting the tokens, which are left behind. This isn't always a simple as you'd like it to be, with some ships having a greater strength of armor and significantly better firepower whilst others have to be disposed of as a group before giving up the goods. It's here where you must decide whether to use your special weapons, such as lasers and smart bombs, or to keep then for your final battle. It's not always an easy decision for the first few attempts but you'll quickly figure it out.

Obviously with all shooters it's simply an 'A' to 'B' affair and once you've completed a level there's little incentive to go back. Shin'en are clearly aware of this and, as a result, extra modes have been added to increase the game's longevity. The first of these is the 'arcade' where you not only attempt to get your name on the high score table but also receive the much sought after Nanocode. This is a series of digits which can be entered into a special section of the Nanostray website allowing to you compete against other gamers all over the world. It's not the first time this has been done but it certainly adds endless possibilities not to mention competitors to the proceedings. Next up is the 'challenge' mode, which takes each level and adds various criteria to its completion such as a high score or only allowing you one ship. This is incredibly challenging and at the time of writing we've only managed to complete one or two. Finally there's the multiplayer and while this can be enjoyed from a single copy of the game it's just a little too shallow compared to the rest of the game with the winner being the player with the highest score.

Controls

Nothing to complain about here and the button layout is just as you'd expect it. More importantly the collision detection is spot on, but given Shin'ens experience in developing handheld shooters it's the least you'd expect.

Graphics

Everything about the visuals in Nanostray sets the bar that much higher for other developers and it's clear that this is going to be the system's benchmark shooter for some time. Even the front end and general presentation show an attention to detail rarely seen in a handheld title and this is before we get to the main game, which is quite simply stunning with no apparent slow down regardless of how much is going on in the play area. There's also some impressive level design with some 'worlds' taken straight out of a Sci-Fi blockbuster. Away from the action the cut-screens are also incredibly pleasing and although they may appear to be chunks of FMV they are in fact utilizing the same technology on display in the levels. As I said, quite simply stunning!

Sound

Shin'en are famed throughout the GameBoy world for licensing their audio technology and, sure enough the music and sound effects here are very impressive. Don't get us wrong, there's nothing here that you'll want to run out and purchase on CD but as far as arcade style audio goes, it certainly does its job.

Dual screen

Not exactly the greatest use of touch screen technology we've seen with the bottom screen mostly used to activate different weapons and display stats. Possibly its best use is the 'scan' feature, which allows you to give a quick once over to the end of level bosses to discover their weak spots. Some arcade purists will see this as cheating but if you're anything like me you'll know just how frustrating it is when you lose countless numbers of lives just because you can't figure out how to take down this well armed, seemingly indestructible ship.

Final comments

If you like shooters then Nanostray will not disappoint and while it's seen its fair share of delays the finished product delivers on almost all of its original promise. There's even extended play to be enjoyed (thanks to the challenges and multiplayer), which is rare for a shooter on any platform. Sadly is does lack features in the touch screen department and it's hardly about to win any awards for originality but if its a no-nonsense, solid shooter you are looking for (which shows just what the DS is capable of) then Nanostray is a must have!

Pro: Looks Incredible
Con: Poor Multiplayer
Final score: 8.5

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