I do love a good SHMUP, and a classic old-school style SHMUP with hand-painted visuals appeals to me even more. It probably appeals to a lot of people, actually, which might have something to do with why publisher Lace Mamba Global and developer Firepixels is bringing Solar Wings to the App Store.

Players will get to blow up all manner of fancy-looking enemy ships as they fight their way through five different worlds. Each with a collection of tough/large bosses and vessels. Power-ups are on hand, naturally, as well as a total of three selectable characters with their own personal ships, although the third character needs to be unlocked before they can be used. And it’s all depicted in that colorful hand-painted style I mentioned. Sounds tasty, right?

Solar Wings should be sitting pretty on the App Store come Saturday, July 28th. Any SHMUP fans can nab it for a very reasonable $0.99, assuming there’s no accident with the listing like there was for the game’s Desura release.

*Note: Images are from the PC version*

Cave has released a number of shooters on the App Store, and virtually all of them have been very well-received. In the interest of preserving that tradition, they’ve just announced an iOS port of Bug Princess (also known as Mushihimesama). I’m hoping that I have all my facts straight, but bear with me here.

Mushihimesama was a big hit in Japanese arcades when it was released in 2004. Thanks in no small part to its “Manic” and “Ultra” modes, I’m sure. After all that success, Cave released a sequel – Mushihimesama Futari – in 2006, followed by a 2010 spin-off most iOS users should be familiar with at this point: Mushihimesama Bug Panic. Still with me? Good.

So, Cave is getting ready to release the original vertical-scrolling shooter Mushihimesama, now under the name Bug Princess on the App Store for our enjoyment. My head hurts a little now… Anyway, the original arcade title that led to the creation and release of Mushihimesama Bug Panic is headed our way. According to the developer, it’s going to be compatible with the iPhone4, 3GS, iPod Touch 3rd Gen and up, the iPad and iPad2, and will require OS 4.2 or higher.

There’s no specific release info yet aside from “winter 2011,” but there isn’t a whole lot of 2011 left so it won’t be too long a wait. As for pricing… Well, that’s still unannounced, but it’s a Cave game so I’d imagine it’ll range from $5 to $10 or so. Best get those App Store funds ready.

It’s one thing for slimy, slobbering aliens to go around stealing livestock. It’s something else entirely when they start pilfering cute little kitties. That’s crossing a line. On the other side of that line is a vengeance-fueled engine of mayhem and destruction hell-bent on recovering his lost friend while making his antagonizers wish they were never born. Or spawned. Or whatever the heck aliens do to reproduce. And his name is Dum Dum.

Gamelion has recently announced Monster Shooter, a soon to be released twin-stick shooter. Players will blast their way through all sorts of alien scum on three distinct worlds, featuring a humorous story and lots and lots of shooting. If they grow tired of the plot or structured level progression, there’s also a Survival Mode to put their skills to the test. And yes, the developers have mentioned that they’re already working on additional content which will be released as free updates in the future.

There’s no exact date for Monster Shooter‘s release just yet, but it should be out sometime this month. “… Within the next few weeks,” is the best I’ve got at the moment. Still, it looks funny and sounds entertaining. That combined with a non-existent price (read: it’s going to be free) makes it absolutely worth an inquisitive glance or two. Once it finally gets here, of course.

A couple of months ago we mentioned that Cave was working on an HD version of Espgaluda II for the iPad, but at the time they didn’t disclose much else. We just knew that it was a thing. Well Cave has since chipped away at the ice a bit.

The “Guinness-recognized ‘danmaku’ shooter!” is indeed being refitted with high definition displays in mind, however it’s looking like this HD release will be exclusive to the iPad 2. At least for the time being. In addition to the remastered visuals – although according to the press release, the backgrounds and “some other graphics” will retain their SD quality – the “iPhone Mode” is being re-dubbed “Smartphone Mode” and receiving a new soundtrack by Kenichi Fukui and “KAY.”

Of course, that’s not all. Along with all this HD craziness, the current iPhone/iPod Touch version of Espgaluda II is getting a bit of a revision. For starters, the soon-to-be newly dubbed Smartphone Mode will also receive the new soundtrack. So there’s no need for audiophile non-iPad users to feel left out. Secondly, the full version will also get two separate “split” versions: Arcade and Smartphone. Each one will contain the full content of its titular mode, but won’t contain the other. Of course, the Full version will still be available, and contain everything. I’m guessing (keyword: guessing) this was done to allow more frugal App Store shoppers a way in, so to speak.

There’s still no official release date or pricing, but Cave promises that it’ll all be posted “soon” on their homepage. I’d strongly suggest iPad 2 owners with a love of bullet-hell keep an eye on it. Or here. We’ll probably mention something here, too.

“Is your space-jiutsu up to the challenge?”

A very good question. I suppose it would have to be in order to face-off against the evil Shogun Youhatsu and avenge my master. Problem is, the crafty son-of-a-gun has positioned an entire armada of battle fortresses along the way. On the one hand it means a lot of work in order to reach the badguy. On the other, it means a string of boss battles. And who doesn’t love a good boss battle?

Battlefortress uses an interesting arcade-inspired freemium model, allowing users to purchase Continues with real money. Of course, they can also be earned in-game through achievements and high scores. So skilled space samurai fighter pilots can take down the nasty Shogun without paying a cent, whereas anyone lacking reflexes (but not the drive to win) can even the scales with cash. Yup, sounds about right.

Battlefortress is out now and it’s free. What’s the harm in giving it a look-see?

$1.99

Battlefortress

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-09-22 :: Category: Games

Holmade Games, creators of Hurdle Turtle and preservers of all things retro, have recently unleashed their newest creation on the App Store. Pixel Whirled is an arcade shooter in which players have to constantly flip back and forth between the ninja and pirate sides of the screen while shooting down encroaching waves of enemies. Isn’t it nice when two mortal enemies can put aside their differences in the name of self-preservation?

Pixel Whirled has received a few new additions in its transition from an Xbox Live Indie Game to iOS. Mostly the expected Game Center Achievements and touch controls, but it looks as though a few “super cool” power-ups have also been thrown in. This is all in addition to the retro arcade goodness already contained within, of course.

If Pixel Whirled sounds interesting (and really, why wouldn’t it?), why not do a quick search for it on the App Store? It’s available right now for the low cost of one dollar.

$0.99

Pixel Whirled

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-09-24 :: Category: Games