Described as an homage to the Dreamcast and N64 title, the sequel scraps the original's omni-directional, Geometry Wars-esque shooting in favor of a more straightforward approach. Numerous weapon types will be available to players, complete with the ability to mix and max their various properties, such as homing or wall-bouncing capabilities.

Along with support for up to four players via local wireless, the game allows players to hop into a stage editor, the only aspect of the game to heavily utilize the DS' touch screen. At any time, players can pull up the editor and customize the game to their hearts content.

Custom stages can then be saved and transferred to others through a modem-like series of bleeps and bloops transmitted into the system's microphone, which can be easily recorded for online swappage.

Compared to the Japanese edition, the North American version will nearly double the amount of stages contained within the game. D3 hopes the North American edition will feature over 150 stages, while the Japanese iteration, which is due to release shortly, will only have 87.