Nano Assault has a bigger legacy than what you might think. The developers of the game, Shin’en, have had a history of making visually stunning arcade style shooters on portable systems. It started on the GBA with Iridion 3-D and its sequel. Then on the DS, we had Nanostray. Nano Assault is actually a sequel/spinoff of Nanostray. Except instead of exploring the vastness of outer space, you’ll pilot tiny nano ships as you venture into inner space, blasting microbes and bacteria as you try to stop a deadly virus from spreading across the universe!

Nano Assault has a few types of gameplay modes in the main Story section. Mostly you’ll shoot enemies on the surface of cells as you collect DNA strands. You can move and shoot in all directions, so it’s a little like Robotron or Smash TV. Maneuvering around the cells is a bit like running around the planetoids in Super Mario Galaxy. Every so often you’ll have to fight a cool boss in a creative arena. And in some other places, you’ll fly forward in a corridor as you shoot enemies and avoid obstacles, much like Star Fox. Use the face buttons to fire your main weapon and press the shoulder buttons for your secondary attack. Collect shining objects to power up and boost your score.

There are other game modes as well. In Arcade Mode, play an unlocked stage separately and try to get a high score, then post your best on the online leaderboards. After you beat Story Mode, you’ll unlock Boss Rush Mode, too. Earn Nano Coins while playing to buy goodies at the Nano Shop like enemy info in the Nanopedia and music to play in the Jukebox.

The graphics in Nano Assault are some of the best I’ve seen on the 3DS. But the game has one problem, it’s SUPER HARD! One hit and you die, and you only get three lives! It would’ve been nice if there was an easy mode where you have more lives or something. It’s even hard to earn Nano Coins, but luckily you can transfer 3DS Play Coins into Nano Coins if you like. If you like arcade shooters and are up to the challenge, then you might want to give Nano Assault a try anyway.

Kid Factor:

Nano Assault is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Fantasy Violence. You do shoot down all manner of microscopic critters, but it’s really not that gory or violent at all. The game is simple enough to pick up and play with no instructions, but younger gamers might get frustrated with the high difficulty.

Tags: Game Reviews