Line #0 VideoGame/BangaiO


1	[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Bangai-O_Spirits.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:290:Bangai-O GO!]]
3
4	An action/{{Shoot Em Up}}/{{Bullet Hell}} (sometimes) game series made by Creator/{{Treasure}}, consisting of 3 games: ''Bangai-O'' on the [[Platform/Nintendo64 N64]] ([[NoExportForYou only in Japan]]) and the Platform/SegaDreamcast, ''Bangai-O: Spirits'' on the [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]], and ''Bangai-O: Missile Fury'' on Platform/XboxLiveArcade. The N64 version had a limited run of about 10,000 copies, which makes it incredibly rare. The Dreamcast version was later released worldwide and is much more common.
5
6	''Bangai-O'' is split into levels, and the goal of most of them is to run, shoot, fly, slash, dodge, shoot, and shoot (did we say shoot?) anything in your path until you destroy the targets of the level. ''Bangai-O'' is rather customizable, with ''Spirits'' allowing you to choose 2 of 8 or so missile types at a time and mixing or splitting them as needed. In addition to regular missiles, Bangai-O can perform an EX attack, which is a more powerful version of the regular missiles(EX attacks do not have to be the same missile types as your standard missiles).
7
8	''Bangai-O'' follows the [[ExcusePlot story]] of Riki and his sister Mami as they pilot [[GiantMecha Bangai-O]] against [[BigBad Gai]] and his Cosmo Gang, punishing them for the nefarious crime of...[[FelonyMisdemeanor fruit contraband]]. What little story there is is told between missions or with dialogue during missions.
9
10	''Bangai-O Spirits'' features the titular mecha from the first game, but the pilots have changed, to Masato and Ruri, who are visually expies of Riki and Mami. ''Spirits'' decides to ignore the concept of a plot at all, and the only dialogue is during the tutorial, after which you'll never see the pilots' faces again...unless you manage to beat a certain set of stages. At which point they come out to announce they only appear because the fanboys would throw a fit. ''Spirits'' features local multiplayer and a nice level editor, as well as a rather odd way of sharing custom levels... They're encoded in short [[http://l.j-factor.com/bangai-o/soundload.wav sound files]] which are played into the DS's microphone.
11
12	An Platform/Xbox360 version by the name of ''Bangai-O: Missile Fury'' was released via the Xbox Live Arcade on May 4. It, so far, does not have the slowdown that the Dreamcast experienced despite having around 5000 moving things on-screen. It also has a level editor (like ''Spirits'') and multiplayer (the latter being the reason why it wasn't released at the previously announced date of November 2010 - After [[Webcomic/PennyArcade PAX 2010]], they took one of the comments of a player wondering about the possibility of multiplayer and added it in.)
13
14	----
15	!!''Bangai-O'' provides examples of the following tropes:
16
17	* AIBreaker: As hard as it gets at times, ''Missile Fury'' actually added a decent combo to safely take down most of the enemies, provided you can use both dash gauge abilities. Dash in, freeze-to-cancel, shoot, freeze-to cancel, shoot while retreating, dodge for 3 seconds. Not even Longai-O is safe from this. It does, however, require practice to pull off effectively (particularly against the stage 47 boss, [[spoiler:Crazy King]]).
18	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Missile Fury's'' Fury mode, stages are unlocked one at a time. Failing a stage 3 times will unlock the next one automatically.
19	* ArtShift: Done with the non-gameplay character art for each installment, oddly enough. ''Spirits'' replaced designer HAN's iconic style with a modern anime aesthetic, while ''Missile Fury'' went in favor of a detailed and sketchy look.
20	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Taken to its (il)logical extremes. There's a character that speaks in nothing but ''pictures''.
21	* BatterUp: ''Spirits'' introduces a bat, which you can use to knock back missiles and send robots flying.
22	* BeamSpam:
23	** In ''Bangai-O'', Mami's mech does this. They rebound off the walls and then target enemies after bouncing.
24	** Unfortunately, some of the {{Mirror Boss}}es can do it as well.
25	* BigCreepyCrawlies: One of the enemy types introduced by ''Spirits'' is a giant ant, just because.
26	* BlindIdiotTranslation: The Dreamcast and N64 versions. Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, though, the broken {{Engrish}} is a major part of its charm.
27	* BlockPuzzle: ''Spirits'' has the "False Treasure" stage, found in the Puzzle Stages set. You need to fit a bunch of Boxes into Box Frames. If you push one into a corner, trap yourself, or otherwise render a Box unable to be moved into a remaining Box Frame, [[UnwinnableByDesign it's restart time]]. Later in that set you encounter a different kind of Block Puzzle, where you must bounce your shots in a maze to get it to a target. You use the boxes to alter the shots' trajectory.
28	* BodyDouble: Subverted and played for laughs in the original game, with one boss character. A few levels after [[BigBad Gai]] is defeated, Riki and Mami encounter a doppelganger of him that was raised to fill in as the Cosmo Gang's substitute leader, to the point that no one remembers who he is anymore. Said "doppelganger" happens to be a furry, green creature that sports [[PaperThinDisguise a hairstyle vaguely resembling Gai's, glowing eyes, and a cigar]]. [[HilarityEnsues Naturally, Riki isn't fooled]].
29	* BossInMookClothing: Longai-O in ''Bangai-O Spirits''. It's effectively impossible to defeat one without the use of EX attacks (it'll [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard endlessly]] counter with EX Missile to avoid damage). It's telling that the only reliable method to beat Longai-O in ''Spirits'' is to sacrifice your EX Weapon linking and slot in Reflect to instant-kill him when he does a 4X counter.
30	* BossOnlyLevel: The first game has the duel with [[GoldfishPoopGang Sabu]] in level 26. There are no enemies at all, with the only obstacles being falling block generators.
31	* BottomlessMagazines: Every single incarnation ''Bangai-O'' never runs out of missiles to fire, even while using [[SmartBomb EX Attacks]].
32	* {{Bowdlerization}}: The illustration that's seen after you choose to continue in the Japanese version has Riki frolic around naked, as he follows some white hooded figure (whose costume sports a resemblance to a [[UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan certain real-life group]]). Understandably, when the Dreamcast version was exported, this was altered to have Riki wear underwear and the mysterious figure is changed into a [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext pink dinosaur piloted by Conspiracy Entertainment's mascot]].
33	* BreakingTheFourthWall:
34	** The ending to ''Spirits'', which the pilots say only exists because fanboys would throw a fit otherwise. They then discourage you to just hock the game off at a used game store by encouraging you to make and download custom stages.
35	** Also, this is frequently displayed in the original, with Riki, Mami and [[ExpositionFairy Mrs. M]]. Even a few bosses show some degree of it (with one [[MirrorBoss Mirror Boss]] having the intent of [[HostileShowTakeover killing and replacing Riki as the star]]).
36	* BrutalBonusLevel: In ''Missile Fury'', bonus stages are unlocked after clearing the Fury Mode. These are much harder than the main levels.
37	* {{Cap}}:
38	** EX Attacks in the N64 and Dreamcast versions were capped to 400 projectiles. ''Missile Fury'' raises this to 1000.
39	** In ''Spirits'', this was changed to where linkable EX Attacks (Homing, Bounce, Break, etc.) would fire a maximum of 100 projectiles, but you could increase the size and damage up to 4X. The counter for reflect is capped to 999, but you can actually reflect MORE than that in very certain conditions.
40	* CaptainErsatz: The stage clear screen shows a kaiju battle that almost looks like Ultraman punching out Godzilla.
41	* CatchPhrase:
42	** Most characters say "Bangai-O, GO!" when they're ready to embark on a mission.
43	** GoldfishPoopGang boss Sabu has the [[{{Engrish}} engrish-y]] "Feel my Yasaan V3!". Just so we are clear on that, he is referring to his [[HumongousMecha mecha]].
44	%%* ChargedAttack: EX attacks.
45	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: There are several of these, although Koa-Zo/Core Boy stands out; conversations with him consist entirely of his monologuing, and he once infamously claims that he is a [[AsianFoxSpirit fox]].
46	* TheComputerShallTauntYou: The game over music in ''Spirits'' is accompanied with an EvilLaugh, and you will hear it very, very often.
47	* ConvenientlyEmptyBuilding: Seemingly averted in the original game. Every time a building is destroyed (for the purpose of raising the high score), screams can be heard. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Not that anyone cares]].
48	* CoresAndTurretsBoss: Parodied with a series of Core bosses helmed by an entire family of people with huge green orbs for heads. They're fairly easy to fight, given that the cores themselves have no defenses, and it's entirely possible to destroy all the turrets guarding it before the fight actually begins.
49	* CriticalAnnoyance: There's a low-pitched alarm sounding off when your health is in the red, which goes faster if it's lower. Between the game's [[NintendoHard difficulty level]] and [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist lax standards for continuing]], you can be expected to hear it a ''lot''.
50	* CurbStompBattle: One of the coolest parts of the original game is that most of the boss battles can be turned into this (for the best results, go ahead and fight [[GoldfishPoopGang Sabu]]). On the flipside, the harder bosses can do the same for players that aren't used to fighting them.
51	* CuttingTheKnot: Some levels have their boss be located nearby. You can end them early if you're successfully able to defeat the boss.
52	* DeathCryEcho: The {{kid hero}}es and the vast majority of the boss characters do this when they are defeated. Those that don't play a sound effect or a brief musical tune instead.
53	* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: Although you inevitably must restart a stage when you lose, there are unlimited chances to do so (despite the presence of a continue screen with a timer).
54	* DecoyLeader: Parodied in the original game with Nise ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Fake]]) Gai, a doppelganger that the Cosmo Gang occasionally uses to substitute [[BigBad Gai]] in battle. Given that he wears a [[PaperThinDisguise flimsy disguise]] and [[CardCarryingVillain overacts]] his assigned role, it's no wonder that [[KidHero Riki]] sees right through him. The latter then decides to briefly mess with the former a little, [[ObfuscatingStupidity assuming]] that he [[BlatantLies is the ''real'' Gai after all]].
55	* DestructiveSaviour: Riki has no problem wrecking anything in his path with the eponymous HumongousMecha. His more docile sister Mami isn't any better, given that she's his co-pilot. However, the cities ''are'' part of the various stations owned by the [[TheSyndicate Cosmo Gang]] and contribute to scoring points and fruit, so it's all good.
56	* {{Engrish}}: A metric ton of it in the Dreamcast version, at least. [[IntentionalEngrishForFunny May have been intentional]], it greatly enhances the widget factor, which is a ''good'' thing here.
57	* EstablishingSeriesMoment: ''Spirits'' indirectly warns you that the game is going to be NintendoHard by ''outright telling you how to activate the cheat menu'' at the end of the tutorial.
58	* EvilTwin: Complete with their own EX attacks, resulting in a dual of MacrossMissileMassacre. The last boss in Bangai-O even uses the Invincibility item.
59	* ExcusePlot: ''Bangai-O Spirits'' [[AvertedTrope doesn't even offer a plot to players]], leading them to wonder why they're blowing up random robots and collecting fruit. The Platform/{{Nintendo 64}} and Platform/SegaDreamcast releases weren't much better off, playing it straight.
60	* FelonyMisdemeanor: The ExcusePlot of the original game revolves around the protagonists punishing a gang that smuggles '''fruit'''. ''Bangai-O Spirits'' doesn't even bother with such a premise.
61	* FinalBossPreview: ''Bangai-O'' subverts this (somewhat) by having you fight ''and'' beat him in level 19! The best part? The actual final boss fight is even tougher.
62	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Most of the bosses in ''Bangai-O'' have nothing to do with the Cosmo Gang. Luckily, almost all of them [[AllThereInTheManual are covered in the manual]].
63	* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Masoto has one underneath his bangs in ''Spirits''. For no apparent reason.
64	* GoldfishPoopGang: Sabu in ''Bangai-O''. While he gets slightly harder to defeat in each encounter, he's not that difficult compared to several bosses.
65	* HitboxDissonance: The {{Bat\|terUp}} weapon in ''Spirits'' has a hitbox that is longer than the visual reach of the bat by a few pixels.
66	* HopelessBossFight: Inverted, one series of bosses don't attack and sit there helplessly. It's basically impossible to lose these fights.
67	* HomeRunHitter: The alternate close combat weapon in ''Spirits'' (aside from the LaserBlade) is a mecha-sized baseball bat that sends enemies (and any baseballs, basketballs, and soccer balls that happen to be lying around) flying.
68	* HotBlooded:
69	** Riki Makishi. Then again, he is native of a planet [[PlanetOfHats populated by hot-blooded men]].
70	** Everyone in ''Bangai-O Spirits'', the lighthearted, plot-free DS spinoff, in different ways. Ruri is more enthusiastic, especially when the time comes to shout [[TransformationNameAnnouncement "Bangai-O GO!"]], while Masato thinks the whole thing is stupid. On the other hand, he's very confident, reckless, always ready to get to the mission already.
71	* HumanAliens: In the first entry, at least.
72	* HumongousMecha: Bangai-O, of course. Then again, depending on how you scale enemies and buildings in the level editor, it might not be so humongous. If a title card is to be trusted, it runs off vegetable oil. [[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum No, really]].
73	* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall: One of the selectable weapons shoots bouncy balls of energy that are a bit weaker than other projectiles, but can still destroy several enemies and obstacles and do so from good angles thanks to their ability to bounce between walls.
74	* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: Subverted and parodied with Sabu, who appears several times as a boss. Riki and Mami initially assume that he is multiple people (somewhat helped in that bosses' mechs [[MadeOfExplodium get blown to smithereens]]). Soon enough, they end up seeing him as the same guy...but he doesn't recognize them, at first (much to Riki's annoyance).
75	* KillEnemiesToOpen: ''Spirits'' uses special blocks that have an arrow icon pointing at a specific direction of the level. These blocks will only break when ''all'' enemies and targets located within the range and width of that direction are eliminated. For example, a block whose arrow points to the left will be protected by the life force of the enemies located at the left, upper left and upper down areas of the level. A block whose arrow points to the bottom right will break when the player destroys the enemies found at the bottom, right and bottom-right areas. This can be used cleverly in custom levels to make some ingenious mazes.
76	* KingMook: ''Spirits'' explicitly uses double, quadruple, and even half-sized versions of every single enemy in the game, including those that were already bosses. One stage in the game even has you run through a half-sized, normal-sized, and finally a double-sized version of the Cannonboss.
77	* LagCancel: ''Spirits'' has EX canceling, performed by hitting a regular attack button while charging an EX attack. Different from most examples here in that it ''prevents'' an attack instead of interrupting it, but it's useful if you start up an EX attack but change your mind before you fire it.
78	* LaughingMad: ''Spirits'' ends every victory (or Game Over) with a maniacal laughter, almost as if to celebrate the game's madness whether you win or lose.
79	* LevelEditor: ''Spirits'' includes an extremely flexible editor that can be accessed while a level is playing. This is available even in every official level, complete with debug functions like invincibility and frame-advance, [[NoFairCheating but using them disables record saving]]. ''Missile Fury'' also has one, but it lacks the debug features of ''Spirits''.
80	* LimitBreak: MAX ATTACK in ''Missile Fury'' gives you 4X-sized bullets for all your attacks and ignores the dash gauge for the duration of it. The catch? First, you have to have 5 EX attacks saved up to use it. Second, when the EX gauge bottoms out (or when you use an EX Counter attack), Both the EX gauge and the Dash gauge get reset to 0 and you become stunned for a period of time. Lastly, some stages disable it, either explicitly or by capping the EX gauge to 4.
81	* MacrossMissileMassacre:
82	** With EX attacks, it's possible to use so many missiles at one time that the DS will actually freeze for a few seconds before resuming (albeit with plenty of lag until some missiles disappear off-screen). [[RuleOfCool That's not so much a freeze as an intentional pause that gets longer in relation to the size and number of missiles that you launch.]]
83	** In the [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] and [[Platform/{{Nintendo 64}} N64]] versions, you can release up to 400 individual missiles. In the Dreamcast version, each missile had its own vapor trail and would occasionally slow down due to lag when tons of crap are blowing up. It's an awesome side effect when it happens.
84	** This is increased to 1000 without the hardware lag in ''Missile Fury'' for ALL EX attacks. This is more than any EX Attack in any of the other versions - even the game-breaking Reflect Attack in ''Spirits'' only gets up to 999 under very specific conditions.
85	* MarathonLevel: More than possible to make in ''Spirits'', and ''Missile Fury'' increased the maximum size of levels. 1 screen tall by 64 screens wide (or an 8x8 square) is the limit in the latter.
86	* MercyInvincibility: Your HumongousMecha can easily be stun-locked to oblivion by the enemy's MacrossMissileMassacre, unless you counter with your own. Good luck when you don't have the super meter to launch your own missiles, though.
87	* MirrorBoss:
88	** Some bosses are essentially Bangai-O clones (missiles) with all the abilities. Hell, the final boss in the first game goes ''invulnerable'' using the same power as the heroes do.
89	** ''Spirits'' gives the dark Bangai-O clone a name: Longai-O. ''Missile Fury'' adds a second clone: [[spoiler:Crazy King]]
90	%%* MoreDakka
91	* NonLethalKO: The first game plays this for laughs, since recurring bosses tend to survive their mechs exploding (to Riki and Mami's confusion). Bangai-O's pilots aren't as lucky.
92	* NoPlotNoProblem: There is literally no story in ''Spirits'' once the tutorial ends. It's just a bunch of unconnected levels with high scores and best times waiting to be taken. ''Missile Fury'' doesn't even have that.
93	* OnlySixFaces: Parodied to hell with one boss who is fought several times. The heroes recognize him. He doesn't.
94	* PlanetOfHats: In the original game, the heroes hail from Dan Star, a planet populated ''with [[HotBlooded hot-blooded]] men''. Since the game focuses entirely on shoot-em up action ([[ExcusePlot and little elaboration on the setting]]), one can only imagine what it must be like there.
95	* PowerUpFood: The EX Gauge is powered up by collecting fruit, which drops from defeated enemies.
96	* SarcasmFailure: Taken to its LogicalExtreme, whenever Riki and Mami encounter Koa-Zo/Core Boy. His long-winding monologues are so inane that Riki and Mami don't even give him the dignity of a response, and are visibly irritated, unlike most cases where they always have something to say about the weirdest of characters.
97	* ShouldntWeBeInSchoolRightNow: Riki's prolonged absence from school (to defeat the Cosmo Gang with his sister Mami's help) eventually results in his health teacher tracking him down. [[SeriousBusiness With one of the Cosmo Gang's robots]]. Not that the former cares, since he's technically training to become a policeman...
98	* ShoutOut: A few. The title itself is one to ''Anime/{{Dangaioh}}''.
99	* StormingTheCastle: While the first game is entirely spent around wrecking the Cosmo Gang's space stations and whatnot, the storming of their HQ (at the last level, naturally) fits this the most.
100	* StuffBlowingUp: So much that in ''Spirits'', there is an actual "BOMB" counter in the top right corner of the bottom screen which counts the number of explosions that are occurring in the entire stage at any given time. The tutorial even notes that not all of the explosions will be rendered if too many happen at once due to the technical limitations of the DS (and there's the lag), so sometimes you'll have to go by that number if you want the bonuses associated with proximity to bombs.
101	* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: The tutorial of ''Spirits'' concludes with an explanation of how to turn on the cheat menu. This isn't a blessing; it's a warning that the rest of the game is going to be NintendoHard.
102	* TheSyndicate: The original game involves dismantling the SF Cosmo Gang, an intergalactic criminal syndicate that took over the entire galaxy with its army of HumongousMecha and hold on the fruit contraband market.
103	* TakeThatAudience: The ending of ''Spirits''[='=]s "Treasure's Best" stages levels a few insults to players who complain about games with [[AWinnerIsYou minimal endings]] as well as players [[invoked]][[ItsShortSoItSucks who complain about short games]], while encouraging the player to try out the LevelEditor and to try out other players' stages.
104	* TennisBoss: In most cases, Longai-O. It typically goes like this: Approach Longai-O with full EX gauge (3), fire shots, Longai-O counters with EX Missiles, you counter with 2X attack, Longai-O counters with [[{{Cap}} 100 4X EX missiles]], you counter with Reflect, Longai-O dies instantly.
105	* ThisIsADrill: The "Break" missiles, able to destroy two enemy shots to one Break, are little drill shots.
106	* TimedMission: Present in ''Missile Fury'' -- one of the early ones is a 30-second rush to destroy all enemies.
107	* UnknownRival: Most of the bosses in the first game are treated as nuisances at best, and only a handful are respectfully seen by the heroes as powerful opponents (with one having [[NoodleIncident previously antagonized Riki before]]).
108	* WakeUpCallBoss: The early levels in the original game have fairly simple bosses that shouldn't give you too much trouble (especially since [[GoldfishPoopGang Sabu]] is fought in the first four). Then, you get to [[TheDragon 8]][[TheUnintelligible 6]], level 8's boss. She uses reflective lasers like Mami's, forcing you to use EX attacks and keep your distance more effectively in battle.
109	* WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld: Humorously averted with Riki and Mami, who spend the entire original game travelling through the galaxy to defeat the Cosmo Gang. This results in Riki's health teacher tracking him down with a stolen mech.
110	* AWinnerIsYou: Discussed in the ending of ''Spirits'', where the characters state that the ending only exists to avoid pissing off players who would otherwise complain about a bare-bones ending.

Context VideoGame / BangaiO