Big Bang MiniArkedo Studios/SouthPeak Interactive
Review by Anthony
Big Bang Mini seemingly came out of nowhere, but after seeing stellar reviews, its $20 base price tag and its shiny packaging, I decided it was worth a purchase. I’ve got to hand it to the developers; this game reminds me of rare games like World of Goo in that it’s a very stylish game that plays well and you can tell a lot of love was put into its development. What came out was a charming, fun game that oozes personality.
The game is a shooter akin to Galaga or Space Invaders but with a 100% touch screen interface. You have your “ship” that until the bonus levels, serves as a target that you have to protect from enemy fire, the occasional stage hazard, and your own shrapnel. Progress is made by flicking “fireworks” to attack enemies, which drop “stars” that progress the stage when you collect them with your ship. Along the way, defensive and offensive power-ups are given depending on the world you’re in, adding more depth to the shoot-and-dodge mechanic. When you complete the level, you’re offered a bonus level where you drag your ship to complete a constellation – a feat that becomes more difficult depending on the world you’re in.
What’s good:
- Each of the 9 worlds (with 9 levels and a boss each) is unique, offering different backgrounds, animations, enemies, power-ups and bonus levels. With very little repetition, each area will bring new challenges, maybe minor, maybe major, that keep the game from feeling stale at any point. Though the core gameplay never strays, they put a lot of work into the different worlds to keep the whole experience feeling fresh throughout.
- The graphical design and sound similarly changes throughout and is used to excellent effect. One stage you’ll be battling cartoonish snowy characters, the next look like you’re back in an Atari game, another has a tribal African look to it... it’s all pulled off with an uncommonly creative flair. The music can get very catchy too, and again, they did a great job of fitting it in with the rest of the game.
- The main game will take you a bit of time, but undoubtedly could be over in a couple dedicated sittings. So thankfully, many unlockables were added, from simple, silly things like a mode just for watching fireworks, to more difficult challenge and mission modes. It’s nice to see developers put some effort into making a game last longer without simply having you replay the game.
- The gameplay is solid throughout. Sending out waves of fireworks, using power-ups, dodging stage hazards and enemy attacks... it’s all pretty entertaining. Early stages start with just a Space Invaders type of gameplay, but later on you’ll be dodging so much stuff you’ll wonder if you’re playing Ikaruga on a touch screen, plus dealing with stage hazards that will keep you on your toes. As with the other positive aspects, it takes a good core system and manages to keep it fresh.
What’s neutral:
- The bonus stages start very easy, but later on can be as hard if not harder than the regular stage it took to get you there. Unfortunately, if you fail the bonus stage, the only way you can have another shot at it is to replay the regular stage from the beginning. Levels aren’t terribly long so this isn’t a huge gripe, but it feels kind of frustrating to have to redo what might be a tough level just to have a shot at a tough bonus level.
- The controls for power-ups weren’t always perfect. For instance, one world asks you to move the ship in a zigzag motion to activate a shield, and my success rate at getting that to happen was maybe 25% at best. I really couldn’t tell with the fireball power-up too, if they just fire off in a random direction or if there’s any way to control them.
- Undoubtedly, the unlockables in the game are not as compelling as the main game. The challenge mode is a cute 8-bit throwback, but will only kill some time if you’re the type who still plays games in the “get a higher score!” mind frame. Similarly, the mission mode provides some interesting challenges for main game and challenge mode levels, but undoubtedly, many of the missions are just not particularly fun. And if you have no interest in these modes, the overall playtime will drop significantly.
What’s bad:
- Some of the mission mode levels are extremely difficult. They’re only unlocked upon completion of the previous one, so many people will miss out on challenges they might’ve enjoyed because they’re unable to complete a current one. It would’ve been nice to have been able to try them all instead. I managed to get to the second to last one, but it asks you to beat the final boss in 45 seconds... which frankly takes a nearly inhuman amount of rapid fire, accurate flicking to a changing and moving target that, while feasible in a button-controlled game, I think was cruel and a bit unreasonable for a touch-screen game. You could destroy your wrist trying, but I eventually had to bail on this after numerous tries.
It’s nice to see a company put out a quirky game and it actually be an achievement, especially considering the DS library is loaded with tons of quirky games of mediocre quality. Big Bang Mini again reminds me of World of Goo, in that they took a basic, entertaining concept, and built gradually evolving gameplay around it for a somewhat short game. And in doing so, they fleshed it out with a lot of life in the animation, backgrounds, enemy models, and everything in between. I couldn’t help but smile when I was flicking fireworks at a comic book superhero-like boss dropping action text bubbles down at me as attacks.
That said, it’s not like every second of the game is a blast to play, or that people will be talking about it years down the road. It’s a cute, minor game in history that’s worth the reasonable asking price, but probably isn’t going to turn the heads of many gamers out there.
The game is a shooter akin to Galaga or Space Invaders but with a 100% touch screen interface. You have your “ship” that until the bonus levels, serves as a target that you have to protect from enemy fire, the occasional stage hazard, and your own shrapnel. Progress is made by flicking “fireworks” to attack enemies, which drop “stars” that progress the stage when you collect them with your ship. Along the way, defensive and offensive power-ups are given depending on the world you’re in, adding more depth to the shoot-and-dodge mechanic. When you complete the level, you’re offered a bonus level where you drag your ship to complete a constellation – a feat that becomes more difficult depending on the world you’re in.
What’s good:
- Each of the 9 worlds (with 9 levels and a boss each) is unique, offering different backgrounds, animations, enemies, power-ups and bonus levels. With very little repetition, each area will bring new challenges, maybe minor, maybe major, that keep the game from feeling stale at any point. Though the core gameplay never strays, they put a lot of work into the different worlds to keep the whole experience feeling fresh throughout.
- The graphical design and sound similarly changes throughout and is used to excellent effect. One stage you’ll be battling cartoonish snowy characters, the next look like you’re back in an Atari game, another has a tribal African look to it... it’s all pulled off with an uncommonly creative flair. The music can get very catchy too, and again, they did a great job of fitting it in with the rest of the game.
- The main game will take you a bit of time, but undoubtedly could be over in a couple dedicated sittings. So thankfully, many unlockables were added, from simple, silly things like a mode just for watching fireworks, to more difficult challenge and mission modes. It’s nice to see developers put some effort into making a game last longer without simply having you replay the game.
- The gameplay is solid throughout. Sending out waves of fireworks, using power-ups, dodging stage hazards and enemy attacks... it’s all pretty entertaining. Early stages start with just a Space Invaders type of gameplay, but later on you’ll be dodging so much stuff you’ll wonder if you’re playing Ikaruga on a touch screen, plus dealing with stage hazards that will keep you on your toes. As with the other positive aspects, it takes a good core system and manages to keep it fresh.
What’s neutral:
- The bonus stages start very easy, but later on can be as hard if not harder than the regular stage it took to get you there. Unfortunately, if you fail the bonus stage, the only way you can have another shot at it is to replay the regular stage from the beginning. Levels aren’t terribly long so this isn’t a huge gripe, but it feels kind of frustrating to have to redo what might be a tough level just to have a shot at a tough bonus level.
- The controls for power-ups weren’t always perfect. For instance, one world asks you to move the ship in a zigzag motion to activate a shield, and my success rate at getting that to happen was maybe 25% at best. I really couldn’t tell with the fireball power-up too, if they just fire off in a random direction or if there’s any way to control them.
- Undoubtedly, the unlockables in the game are not as compelling as the main game. The challenge mode is a cute 8-bit throwback, but will only kill some time if you’re the type who still plays games in the “get a higher score!” mind frame. Similarly, the mission mode provides some interesting challenges for main game and challenge mode levels, but undoubtedly, many of the missions are just not particularly fun. And if you have no interest in these modes, the overall playtime will drop significantly.
What’s bad:
- Some of the mission mode levels are extremely difficult. They’re only unlocked upon completion of the previous one, so many people will miss out on challenges they might’ve enjoyed because they’re unable to complete a current one. It would’ve been nice to have been able to try them all instead. I managed to get to the second to last one, but it asks you to beat the final boss in 45 seconds... which frankly takes a nearly inhuman amount of rapid fire, accurate flicking to a changing and moving target that, while feasible in a button-controlled game, I think was cruel and a bit unreasonable for a touch-screen game. You could destroy your wrist trying, but I eventually had to bail on this after numerous tries.
It’s nice to see a company put out a quirky game and it actually be an achievement, especially considering the DS library is loaded with tons of quirky games of mediocre quality. Big Bang Mini again reminds me of World of Goo, in that they took a basic, entertaining concept, and built gradually evolving gameplay around it for a somewhat short game. And in doing so, they fleshed it out with a lot of life in the animation, backgrounds, enemy models, and everything in between. I couldn’t help but smile when I was flicking fireworks at a comic book superhero-like boss dropping action text bubbles down at me as attacks.
That said, it’s not like every second of the game is a blast to play, or that people will be talking about it years down the road. It’s a cute, minor game in history that’s worth the reasonable asking price, but probably isn’t going to turn the heads of many gamers out there.
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