Nanostray Review

Although I've been very busy as of late, I've spent quite a lot of my free time playing video games, especially those handheld games I picked up from TRU. After finishing my personal favorite of that batch, Nanostray, I've decided I'd post a review in hopes of getting more people interested in this sleeper hit for the DS. So, I hope you enjoy reading and if you have a DS go out and get the game!


When the Nintendo DS first launched in 2004 there were a handful of games to choose from within the first few months. With big hit games like Advance Wars and Metroid not hitting shelves until the following year the early pickings were slim. However, there were some lesser known titles that turned out to be diamonds in what was a rough first six months. Among them was a gorgeous looking, fast-paced, futuristic shooter known as Nanostray. Developed by Shin'en, the makers of the Iridion games for the GBA, Nanostray puts you in control of a small spacecraft as you attempt to blast your way through waves of enemies and survive each level.

Nanostray is very light on any kind of story, as a matter of fact it's pretty much non-existent throughout the game, but basically your mission is to fly to each of the 8 areas and destroy everything that comes at you. Sounds simple enough right? Well as with most shooters the enemies are constantly swarming, attacking by the waves, and it becomes quite a task to clean-up all of them and survive the level, even more so if you're trying to get a good score. The top screen shows all the action and this is where your eyes will be glued. I would only take a seldom glance at the bottom screen, which shows a small map, the life and sub-weapon meters, your score, and the buttons to select your weapon. I barely had enough time to check my life meter in between all the action and eye candy on the top screen, much less my score or what was even on the map. While you may rarely look at it, the bottom screen does provide useful information, and it clears the way for a better view of the level on the top screen.

Each of the 8 levels has it's own unique design and theme. You'll visit lush green planets, journey to desert wastelands, and even battle through space stations. Everything looks simply gorgeous and is highly detailed. The graphics are still some of the best I've seen on the DS thus far. The stages all look great and as the locales change, so will the enemies. There is a great deal of variety in their design and in there strength. Some can be taken down easily with one hit, while others will take a few seconds of full blasting from your most powerful weapons. Not to mention the massive bosses at the end of each level which can easily take down your ship with only a few hits.

Luckily for you, there are four different weapons with their own sub-weapons at your disposal, as well as the life-saving smart bomb, which will completely clear the screen of enemies, but at the cost of destroying your score as well. The main weapons include the simple rapid firing vertical blue beam, a similar yellow beam, but which fires horizontally, a slow purple heat seeking weapon, and the very cool lightning weapon which latches onto an enemy until they are destroyed. While the main weapons have unlimited ammo, the much more powerful sub weapons deplete after prolonged usage. You'll be able to refill the sub-weapon gauge only by clearing an entire wave of enemies and collecting the blue coin that appears. As you can imagine the sub-weapons are basically the same as the main ones, but much stronger.

While all the weapons are useful you'll be mainly using the blue pulse beam, with the occasional usage of the yellow side-shot. This is do to the difficulty of switching weapons using the touch screen. All other controls are tied to buttons and the triggers. It's all very easy to learn and simple to use. However, you have to tap the large button corresponding to each weapon to switch and it is hardly easy to do when your using one hand to move your ship and the other to fire your weapons. I found it much easier to stick to one weapon for a whole level, but in some you'll need to switch, in which case I had to keep the stylus in my hand while I played which wasn't all that comfortable. It's one of only two big gripes that I have with the game; the other is the length.

There are only 8 levels to play through in the adventure mode, which increase in difficulty, but even with tougher enemies one could still finish the entire game in 3 or 4 hours. Good players could probably finish even quicker than that. Although I would have liked to have seen more levels in the game, it's not really over once you have beaten each area. Like in the best of the scrolling-shooting games you'll want to try and get a higher score and after you've finished a level you'll be able to do just that in the game's arcade mode. However, unlike other similar games, there is even more reason to try and get a better score, as you will receive a code that you can enter online at the official site and see where you rank on a worldwide leader board. Not only does it stack you up individually, but it categorizes players by their countries and ranks them to see which nation has the best Nanostray players. It's a very compelling way to keep people interested in playing, and the competition it fosters will bring some players back long after they would have with any other shooter.

Finishing off the single player experience is the challenge mode, where you are set with very difficult tasks, such as completing an entire level with only one ship or zero smart bombs. While the challenges are definitely hard, the reward is not so great. For each one that you complete you only get a measly artwork from one of the levels in the game. So the only real motivation is to test your own skill. It's a shame you couldn't unlock new weapons or levels. It would have made the challenge mode alot more interesting.

There is also a multiplayer mode in the game, which is surprisingly fun and well worth trying out with a friend. The game features single-card multiplayer which is gratefully appreciated. There are four modes to choose from in the multiplayer. There are two time limit modes, a two minute and one minute race to see who can get the highest score, a points race to 25,000, and a bonus race where you try and collect the most yellow coins from enemies. You can also add sudden death to the mix, where if you die before the level is over or time is up you lose instantly. The multiplayer captures the intensity and excitement of the single player and adds to it a friendly dose of competition. It's a real blast to play with a friend, but sadly there is no online battling. The addition of Wi-Fi would have been icing on this multiplayer cake.

Nanostray has an unrivaled sense of intensity, the non-stop action will keep you coming back for more, and with the dazzling effects and beautiful scenery you won't want to blink. Although it's biggest shortfall may be it's length, it makes up for it with a difficult challenge mode, an arcade mode with a worldwide leader board, and an awesome multiplayer. Don't let it's age on store shelves keep you from getting this game. Even though the DS library is now full of great hits, Nanostray can stand amongst the best out there. Quite simply if you can find it, buy it!