Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O (1999). Play online

Summary

Bangai-O for the Nintendo 64 is a frantic 2‑D side‑scrolling shooter that lets you pilot a hovering mech with eight‑direction fire. You can instantly swap between the two pilots, each giving a different ammo type—missiles that home in on enemies or projectiles that ricochet off walls—adding a tactical layer to the chaos.

The game packs 44 sprawling stages filled with destructible buildings, gun turrets, and enemy mechs, and there’s no temporary invincibility after taking damage, so every hit can be lethal. Defeated foes drop fruit that fuels a "scatter bomb" capable of unleashing up to 100 shots at once; nailing every shot opens a hidden shop for upgrades.

Treasure built it with minimalist visual effects to keep the action blazing, but it only saw a 10,000‑copy run in Japan, cementing its collector’s‑item status. Critics praised its retro feel and level design, and fan translations surfaced in early 2026, reviving interest for English‑speaking players.

Storyline

In Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O (often just called Bangai-O), you pilot a heavily armed mech alongside the siblings Riki and Mami. The duo’s mission is to thwart a gang of criminals who are smuggling fruit contraband, using the illegal produce to fund their nefarious schemes. As the mech’s weapons rain down on enemy forces, Riki and Mami race through increasingly chaotic stages to put an end to the fruit‑fueled crime wave. The quirky premise blends over‑the‑top action with a tongue‑in‑cheek storyline, giving players a memorable reason to keep blasting forward.