Games That Time Forgot: Bangai-O Spirits

On the Bangai-O Spirits box cover stands a fearsome mecha. Segmented armor plates cover his insides. The butt of a huge rifle rests on his right arm. Rockets light up his surroundings. Watermelons, pineapples and oranges float in the sky.

Bangai-O Spirits was an odd and unfairly overlooked shoot-'em-up from Treasure, the studio responsible for such bullet-hell classics as Gunstar Heroes, Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga. Bullets in those games pelted the screen like sea spray.