Nanostray moves Shin'en's expertise in the shoot-em-up genre out of the Game Boy Advance and onto the Nintendo DS. What they learned in Iridion II has clearly been applied to this DS game, as the two games feel extremely similar in concept and design. Nanostray is just a balls-to-the-wall arcade shooter in the vein of Raiden or Axelay, using these classics, as well as more contemporary hits like Ikaruga for its design inspiration. There's even flashes of Galaga in place where players are rewarded with pick-ups by blasting specific clusters of enemies before they zip off-screen.
There's no denying that Nanostray is easily one of the most visually impressive titles on the Nintendo DS system. Forget the fact that most of the imagery is simply background eye candy -- it's still absolutely stunning to see the game generate all the incredibly well-rendered 3D visuals in realtime, at 60 frames per second, flowing across the screen with breathtaking fluidity. Like all good shoot-em-ups, the action remains energetic through most of the game, though there are rare occasions when the processor chug creeps in during particularly crowded moments. Blast a smart bomb in a crowd of enemies while firing the superweapon in a tight area, and you'll see the game slow down. But this is in the extreme, and in 99 percent of the action you'll never see this speed drop.