If you know anything about frustrating and difficult games that seldom let up then it should be pretty obvious that one developer that comes to mind should be Japanese developer Treasure, and with classics like Gunstar Heroes to Ikaruga, these masters-of-disaster specialize in progressively over-the-top titles that take intensity levels from the absurd to the practically impossible. Their 1999 Nintendo64 original (and in 2000 Dreamcast) side-scroll shooter release of Bangai-O followed that winning formula of power-blasting mechs along with some more quirky attributes in hand, with puzzle elements stacked with an near-absurd amount of enemies and even more blazing gunfire on screen.  The objectives were tough and did much to anger the casual gamer, therefore it made for some entertaining moments for anyone who dared to play.  Fast-forward to 2008 with Treasure's latest entry of Bangai-O Spirits for the Nintendo DS, somewhere between being a port and sequel this game is thankfully just as good as the first with pretty of angst to go around, should you decide to undertake the task.

If you endured and appreciated the little-seen original you'll probably be happy to know that the same sheer insanity of bullet barrages and cleverly laid-out brain solving aspects are intact, if that wasn't enough there's around 150 pre-made stages to be mercilessly beaten in. The objectives are typically simple, from destroying all enemies on-screen to simply getting (or should that be surviving) from point A to B, and usually involve unforgiving results; mistakes, by way of a comically sinister laugh, are at your expense. Completing a mission might simply require use of a different combination of two regular and two EX weapons that can be chosen and customized before you start the stage, and for the most part many of the puzzles in the game are of trial and error.

If your interested but still have doubt a tutorial featuring the first 17 stages is thankfully included with humorous, yet very minimal narrative to see you through.  Afterwards you'll be let loose in a very liberal free-play mode where there's no turning back. As I said before around 150 stages are readily available to die in, and all of them are fairly difficult in one form or another.  It might lack an overall linear structure , but seeing as how one could most likely become frustrated while playing this freeform approach such as this all for the better, especially when that much-deserved self satisfaction comes if you complete an area.  Ironically its some of the technical limitations of the hardware (i.e. slowdown when things get supremely busy) that can help out in a pinch, and given the explosions of action that happens quite frequently.

Although there's a series of brutally vivid states to choose from, but features like 4-player co-op is thankfully present if the challenge is simply too great or you enjoy the company of a few friends (i.e. let them be enemy fodder!).  A nicely crafted level-editor rounds out an already stuffed package, with plenty of chances to tweak an existing level or build your own potential deathtrap full of ants and soccer balls from scratch.  Interestingly, there's an ingenious way of sharing your creations through Sound Load, which turns your work into audio files that can be transferred and shared on other DS consoles via the built-in microphones or through the internet.  Nicely done.

It may not a full blown sequel many anticipated, but Bangai-O Spirits is certainly a title that prides itself on being simple, yet ludicrously unapologetic in nature with a fitting balance puzzle and shooter mixed in one, and does a good of throwing everything at you all at once. There is a small question of how much appeal is there as the game relies on how long you'll want to play, it's undeniable that its core audience will enjoy the experience and Treasure knows it.  If you've got the time and patience to take on this challenge then by all means...pick this game up.