Over the years the DS has seen many a game of varying genres grace it ranging from platform, puzzle, RPG's and everything beyond such as brain training and the like but one area it has been lacking in for me personally is in the shoot-em-up department. While it may be true that we have had a few come and go there has been nothing truly amazing that has managed to hold my attention for very long... that is until I started to play Big Bang Mini, a schmup like no other.

Its concept is wonderfully simple to begin with, there's no needless back-story to pad things out, it's just action from the start as you control your "ship" by sliding the stylus over it to position it anywhere on the bottom screen while slicing upward to send fireworks up to the top screen where enemies are located trying to end you by raining down bullets in your direction from above.

This is not a no-brainer blaster though as if you fail to take-out your target your rocket will ricochet as it explodes sending debris down to the bottom screen where your ship is sat, at this point you need to move your ship out of the path of certain doom all the while being aware of what's going on above you; it's a game of tactics combined with trial by fire and it works superbly.

Starting out things are relatively simple as you only have a few enemies to contend with who employ unambitious attack patterns which are easy to evade; then on the tenth level you face a boss which basically tests what you have learn so far on that set of levels which fall under that particular stage. Boss battles are often more fast paced and frantic than the normal levels and will pit you against some weird and wonderful creations such as a comic book villain who hides behind frames and a somewhat psychedelic punk walrus.

Of course those are but a few examples of the madness that this game has to offer, there are many enemies ranging from comic book characters, flying pigs, pirate penguins and many more besides. There are nine worlds in the game which are based on mostly real world locations such as Africa, China, and New York but my favourite by far has to be the Egyptian themed location which I shall talk about more in due course.

As you progress things do get harder and you are awarded useful upgrades for each new world, some are permanent such as the homing missiles which are especially useful on the Kamakura levels with the walls that slowly close in on you; while other upgrades will vary, only being usable for one level set such as the shield which you activate simply by drawing a horizontal line, swirls which can attract enemy fire and even the ability to freeze time momentarily also not forgetting the ability to steal superpowers from comic-book characters! All of the aforementioned are extremely useful but you must be mindful of the charge meter if you wish to use them but with a little forward planning you will be using them regularly to thwart your enemies.

Visually this title is vibrant, fresh and exciting with each differing graphical style tying in with each level theme; from the wonderfully cell-shaded scorching and searing heat of Nairobi to the cartoon and comic book feel of the New York level complete with Bam! And Kapow! effect bubbles that appear upon impact of your shots. By far the best visuals for me are in the Egyptian world which features pixelated pyramids and a scrolling landscape that is simply stunning in the way that it's rendered entirely in pastel pixels even featuring some throwbacks to a few older games too.

Aurally astounding, this title features a lot of eclectic electronic music which is beautifully composed and suits each level well reflecting the surroundings perfectly and drawing you into the game even more; particularly of note for me again is the music used on Luxor (Egyptian theme) which is effectively a chip tune that sounds like it came out of an eighties videogame, it's wonderful and further complements what is already an enjoyable experience.

In addition to the fantastically fully featured Arcade mode there are other modes for you to dip in and out of as you please including Challenge mode which sets you against a retro backdrop and throws wave upon wave of enemies in your direction with the objective being to get as high a score as possible, Relax mode which you get to play all the firework display bits that come after the end of each level and even a single card two player versus battle mode to boot.

There is even wi-fi functionality here, albeit limited to uploading your scores in challenge mode but it still helps towards adding replay value of which there is a great deal of; indeed my only main criticism of the game is that for all of its features which really do push the system somewhat, the wi-fi functionality could have been expanded to include a two player co-op mode, even a local co-op mode would have been nice, it's not essential but it would most likely have been a lot of fun so perhaps this may happen if a sequel were ever to be made.

Make no mistake though what is already included in the game as a whole is already an achievement and Arkedo Studio along with their publisher (SouthPeak Games) should be very proud of what they have achieved here. An excellent original shoot 'em up which goes against the grain to produce something that is as engaging to play as it is exciting to see and hear, everything about it comes together wonderfully making it a true joy to play from start to finish.