Big Bang Mini (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

It seems that in order to produce a valid title these days it needs to be packed with features and so complicated that the manual takes longer to read than the game to actually play. It's almost impossible to get away with a title which boasts only a single aim and if you do happen to bring a retro title up to date it has to be as part of a collection or at least give several different versions of the same game. It was something of a surprise then when Big Ban Mini arrived in the office - a fireworks powered shooter? Can you really get away with such a simple concept? Let's take a look and see...

Gameplay

There's not much plot as far as Big Bang Mini is concerned, so after a short tutorial it's straight into the action. It takes place in one of nine locations ranging from Hong Kong through New York and Paris and eventually ending at the mysterious Abyss. Each of these sections is split up into ten stages: nine battles and one boss. The battles themselves range in difficulty mostly according to what's trying to attack you from above. A few well-aimed fireworks generally do the trick though and each enemy destroyed will drop a star. Collect enough of these and it's off to the next level. Unfortunately things aren't nearly as simple as they sound and not only will random objects fall from the sky (potentially ending your battle) but badly aimed fireworks will also explode in the sky and create debris, which can also hurt you. It must be pointed out here that the 'you' in question is a small (and forever changing) icon at the base of the screen which has to be kept safe, so in addition to firing off fireworks you'll also have to keep moving. On top of this, your progress is further hindered by the wind and we all know what happens to fireworks when it gets windy.

Completing a level allows you to enter a simple mini game where you must collect the numbered dots. Do this successfully and you'll unlock an image. This is simple enough initially but once you reach the second location the dots start to be obscured and it's up to you to make them more visible. While this gameplay is constant throughout Big Bang Mini we've only described the Single Player Mode and the package also includes a Multiplayer Head-to-Head with only a single copy of the game. There are also Challenges and Missions available and it's safe to say that once you've completed the main game there are enough extras here to keep you going for quite some time.

Controls

This is entirely a touch-screen experience and while we can't imagine just how you'd control this game in any other manner, it means that the d-pad and buttons are completely redundant.

Graphics

The brief here for the designers was simply 'make it colorful' and whilst the majority of graphics are very simple they are all perfectly suited to the job at hand. The various enemies are well designed too and the scrolling 3D backgrounds which accompany each level are much more effective than the expected static ones.

Sound

After what seems like an eternity of bland game soundtracks, Big Bang Mini makes for a refreshing change. For starters the various tunes are not only well composed, some of them are actually catchy and although they do repeat a little too often, for a change, it's not a problem.

Dual screen

Your entire interface here rests solely on the stylus and everything from selecting options to the actual gameplay is touch-screen. Fortunately before you even ignite a single firework you'll be treated to a full tutorial detailing all the basic controls. Unfortunately this does uncover one of the game's flaws and although you are encouraged to carefully line up your fireworks in order to hit your target, you will find it much easier to just fire off multiple missiles and hope for the best. You'll also notice that fireworks don't always ignite which can be incredibly frustrating.

Final comments

After only a short time playing you can't help but be sucked in by the genius and simplicity of Big Bang Mini and using fireworks to bring down sky bound enemies has never been so entertaining. There's a huge amount of gameplay here too with over ninety levels to enjoy and a single-cart multiplayer too. In fact the gameplay possibilities are endless and considering this is a budget title you'll be playing it much longer that your average full blown title. Get it now!

Pro: Simple and Incredibly Addictive
Con: Some Stylus Quirks.
Final score: 8.3

Share on Twitter or Facebook

Comments