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

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the 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

The poor, defenseless little Po’Trubians are under attack by an army of evil robo-beings known as “Sleevils.” It falls to one lone hero (of course) to defend the obnoxiously helpless little buggers and save their world from total annihilation. Enter Stan (STatic Alien Neutralizer), the rather junky old robot/veteran hero-type.

The plot serves little purpose except to bookend the campaign levels, but the blasting is really what it’s all about anyway. Stan is rooted to the spot, which is odd seeing as he’s in space, so players have to direct his blasts by tapping (and holding) on the screen to get him to blow away the alien aggressors. Par for the course, there are various upgrades that will unlock as the levels progress which can be carried over to the Survival Mode. Which is good because it’s near impossible to last longer than a few seconds in Survival with the default gear.

Anyone who wants to get their mits on a fun little distraction for absolutely should check out this ad-free version of Last Stand Stan before the sale ends. It’s a simple arcade shooter but the myriad of destructive unlockables keep the motivation to play longer high. Plus it makes time pass, which is always nice when stuck at an airport or something.

$0.99

LastStandStan

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-02-11 :: Category: Games

This morning I got to sit-in on a streaming presentation by Cave World as they announced the particulars of their pending DEATHSMILES update. Options have been added, settings have been tweaked and lots of extra content has been tossed in that should keep the fans quite happy for a while. And they announced another game or something.

The update will include two new special features: First, players can unlock new costumes for Princess Tiara in iPhone Mode (eight plus her default, it looks like) by fulfilling “special conditions” such as clearing Normal Mode. The second addition is a jigsaw puzzle, similar to the one found in Mushihimesama BUG PANIC. Players can unlock pieces as they play and pick up equipment in-game and eventually put the whole thing together. What this accomplishes, aside from looking spiffy, wasn’t talked about, but it’s yet another carrot to keep players interested so it’s hardly a bad thing. As is the “hidden” BGM that can be unlocked by using some “special technique.”

In addition, special DLC weapons will be available for purchase. One of the DLC weapons, the “Golden Horn,” was shown off and looked to be somewhat of a screen-clearing powerhouse. None of these weapons (ranging in price from $2.99 – $3.99) will be required for achievements or unlocking content, but Cave fans probably won’t be able to resist using guns from Dodonpachi Ressurection in their game.

Last on the list of additions is a number of unspecified bug fixes and screen adjustment options. Now players will be able to shift the screen to the left or right in order to keep finger obscuring to a minimum, and the display can be reoriented (FINALLY) to accommodate those of us who hate holding our iPhones the wrong way. Oh come on, it’s totally awkward with the Home button on the left. Admit it.

But updates to their newest shooter aren’t the only thing they had in store. Cave World producer Masa King, clad in a French maid uniform (seriously), showed off a trailer for their upcoming social sim game: Castle Creator. Castle Creator lets players create their own castle town in feudal Japan, register their location and “skirmish” with other players when their town is big enough. There’s no specific date yet, but it is in production and should be out later this year.

Mention of a Mushihimesama BUG PANIC soundtrack CD release (featuring 24 tracks) was also made, but I think the bigger announcement was Espgaluda II HD. It was a last-minute thing, and aside from a very brief demo virtually no information was given, but iPad owners should still be getting plenty excited. It looks gorgeous.

DEATHSMILES owners can look forward to the update sometime within the next day or so.

$11.99

デススマイルズ

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Our Rating: :: POSITIVELY RADIANT
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-07-07 :: Category: Games

The old argument of “Which one’s better?” may not be familiar to a younger generation, but Old School gamers remember. We remember the schoolyard fights over Mario and Sonic or talking about how many bits a given console had as though it were currency. Anyone who didn’t have enough bits was behind the times. A “loser,” of a sort. An outcast among their peers due to their archaic game machine.

I think Vetasoft remembers, too, and that’s why they’ve released 8-bit vs 16-bit on the App Store.

While the title is a tad misleading (the two measurements of bit depth aren’t actually fighting each other), it’s still quite the fun little arcade shooter. Horrible cosmic monsters trickle down the screen, as they tend to do, and players have to tap each of the little buggers before they reach the bottom. These beasties come in both 8-bit and 16-bit varieties, however, requiring players to quickly switch between both modes in order to take out the offending parties.

In practice it’s a frantic, goofy, fun mess. The good kind of mess. There are no power-ups to confuse things and no special conditions to meet. No bosses, no mini-bosses… In fact, there aren’t even any other kinds of enemies. It’s just the player and increasingly tough waves of baddies made up of varying degrees of bits. It’s the kind of simple that compliments iOS games quite well. Coupled with the kind of simple gameplay that keeps unsuspecting consumers from getting off the train at the correct stop or neglecting important things like bathing.

8-bit vs 16-bit is available right now in the App Store as both a free Lite version and a paid full version. I highly encourage everyone to take a look at the Lite version at the very least. Since it’s free and all. It probably won’t put the argument to rest for good, but it might get people to quiet down for a bit while they’re busy playing it.

[via Vetasoft]

$0.99

8-bit vs 16-bit

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-07-27 :: Category: Games