Preview: Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury

Missiles, missiles, missiles! I’ve never seen so many missiles on one screen! After sitting down and attempting to play through what is sure to be one of the most challenging 2D shooters, I walked away like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.

Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury is true to its name. This will be the third installment of the cult-classic Bangai-O. If you know games by Treasure, you know that they really like to challenge the seasoned gamer with some of the most difficult games. In the spirit of games like Gradius and Ikaruga, Bangai-O HD: MF is truly for the hardcore. Fortunately, there are puzzle elements to the game, so if you find the trick to a level, it becomes a little more manageable.

This downloadable title is an action shooter with puzzle elements. You can move in all directions, and you will be overwhelmed with literally thousands of little missiles as you try to find the best way to eliminate the source of those pesky bombs. You will have access to different power-ups that are essential to grab as they allow you to perform powerful Combo Attacks.

Missile Fury also will feature a level editor so you can create your own diabolical levels. The editor also allows you to edit existing levels so you can tone down the difficulty, or if you are a masochist, crank it up a bit.

The game is crazy chaos with missiles flying everywhere, and you will have your own arsenal including missiles, homing missiles, lasers, napalm, and power-ups to fight back. If you are a great aim, you will be rewarded with a more powerful attack that builds up as you keep hitting your target. If you plan your strategy right, you might be able to get past a level.

And there are more than 100 levels, 50 of which are available from the beginning of the game. That’s probably more than most people can handle. In Bangai-O Spirits, the DS game that was released prior to this title, just getting through the tutorial is really difficult.

If you are ready for a challenge, Treasure has thrown the gauntlet at your feet with Bangai-O HD Missile Fury. Look for more coverage and a review as we get closer to its release on XBox Live Arcade in November 2010. While a price isn’t officially announced, expect it to be around 800 Microsoft Points.