Anyone who has owned a Nintendo console in the last few years should be familiar with the developer Shin'en as they have been making scrolling shooters - amongst other things - since Iridion 3D on the GameBoy Advance, they also went on to make the brilliant but underrated Nanostray on the DS which in turn then spawned Nano Assault on the 3DS which sadly didn't get a release in Europe. Fortunately thanks to the eShop we now have Nano Assault EX which is an expanded version of the original game, featuring a whole host of new modes, an improved control scheme plus a load of new additions that take advantage of the 3DS in almost every way; this is not only an example of how you improve upon a decent title to make it excellent but it's also a success story in how the eShop has given greater appeal to a title that originally had a rather limited market, shoot 'em up fans take notice as this might just pique your interest.

Structurally the concept remains the same as you control a ship known as the 'Nanite' which is so small that it can only be seen at a molecular level, it's your mission to rid our world from the 'Nano Virus' which you can achieve by obtaining the three pure DNA cells on each stage in addition to facing off against many micro-monstrosities until the area or 'cell structure' is purified once more. The stages are of mixed perspective including many of the wonderful - blatantly Super Mario Galaxy inspired - planetoid-like areas that featured heavily in Nano Assault Neo on Wii U, some beautiful on-rails 'Star-Fox' style sections that really shows off the 3D nicely plus some genuinely engaging boss battles which are spread regularly throughout the main mode which keeps you interested by constantly keeping all of these dynamic experiences on rotation; so what you get is an exciting shooter with just a smattering of exploration.

Controls are rather simple as you control your ship with the circle pad while directional fire is handled by the four face-buttons, this may suit the majority of players but personally I found that - especially for extended periods of play - the Circle Pad Pro offers by far the best control scheme as the game then becomes a twin-stick shooter with depth, so wherever you stand on the add-on if you intend to play this game properly I would advise using the CPP as quite simply I wouldn't play the game if it wasn't for this brilliant control scheme. While you have basic fire constantly at your disposal you also have a secondary weapon which has a gauge which is interchangeable at the start of each stage depending on how many you have unlocked throughout the story mode, these secondary weapons include homing lasers, bombs and a very handy protective shield; each one of these uses up a certain amount of the power gauge which can be refilled upon picking up orange capsules, other pick-ups include blue crystals which seem to allow you to obtain extra lives which is always useful.

Upon clearing stages in Story Mode you'll then be able to play them in Arcade Mode so that you can try for new high scores, even better though is the Boss Rush Mode which only unlocks after completing Story Mode in its entirety, this is well worth playing too as there are three separate challenges each containing a handful of bosses which are fun to go up against in quick succession, plus as a bonus once you beat them you get 'Nano Coins' which you can redeem in the Nano Shop against Nanopedia entries or tracks to play in the Jukebox; the ability to exchange Play Coins for Nano Coins is also a very nice touch. Probably the best addition by far is the Survivor Mode which puts you into a random stage with only one life, then you see how long you can last, if you complete the stage you then go onto another one so you just keep going until that one life is lost, collecting Orange Crystals from enemies as they will boost your score at the end; you then get your score which is then uploaded to the online leaderboards, it's something so simple yet incredibly addictive if you're a fan of shmup games.

In terms of difficulty I'd have to say that if you're a fan of the genre then the Story Mode certainly won't take you any more than a few sittings at most to complete, but then it could be argued that it's not supposed to take you too long anyway, really the long-term appeal comes solely from being able to constantly better yourself, always going for a quick blast in arcade mode for that elusive 'one more go' at a certain stage in order to attain a better high score. Even though the lure of trying to get ever higher up on the worldwide leaderboards is undeniable, you're probably more likely to find the appeal of having 'mini-battles' with friends even more exciting as what could be better than a little bit of 'friendly competition' against someone you know? Whichever way you choose to play I'm sure you'll find it reassuring to know that both options are well catered for.

From a visual standpoint Nano Assault really excels in this department providing the player with not just one of the most immersive 'shooter' experiences ever but it's actually one of the most impressive looking games on the console, the attention to detail is simply astounding with the 3D being used to full effect, the only way I can really describe it is imagine that same high-end level of production that went into the environments in the original Metroid Prime, recall what that did for exploration games at the time... well that same amount of polish is here in this very game and has the same effect on the twin-stick shooter genre; it's one of those games you just need to play in order to appreciate but it's nothing short of stunning.

On the subject of audio again this is another area where the game really manages to impress, Shin'en already has something of a reputation for creating simply stellar soundtracks so fans should be happy to hear that this is no exception, the typically high level of detail has been maintained, perhaps even improved upon since their earlier titles... in fact it's quite reasonable to say that this is one developer that never ceases to amaze in the aural department as you will not find a single moment here that isn't accompanied by the right level of tension coupled with wonder that you'd expect from this game. Immersion is definitely a key word here as the sound that surrounds you always succeeds in drawing you closer to the action, which the sound effects are particularly substantial adding further punch to an already stellar sound package; there's a very good example of pseudo-surround sound if you're listening through the 3DS speakers but if you really want to be blown away then I'd advise playing with a decent pair of headphones, as the results will surely surprise you.

This should be an 'easy sell' to anyone who enjoys their portable shooters, this is a full retail title which was previously unavailable but is now obtainable in all regions, it's had a substantial amount of new content added to make it
worth your while plus a control scheme which makes it a must purchase experience for anyone with a Circle Pad Pro who's looking for the perfect excuse to get that extra bit of use out of a very underrated peripheral. If you're still not convinced then perhaps the rather cheap price-point of £12.49 will be enough to sway you, because even if you feel you need to buy a CPP to get the most out of it, this is still much less than most retail titles and for the amount of enjoyment that you'll get out of it, I feel that it's entirely justified.