Espgaluda II

There is an endless selection of different control layouts, screen sizes and button placements, ranging from auto-guard and weapon-switch hand-holding to a tower of buttons splashed along the side of the screen. Espgaluda II also offers up three difficulty modes and unlimited continues, so it's suitable both for the bullet hell aficionado and the complete greenhorn.

Get down to the deep and swampy minutiae - the sort of high-level stuff that makes the difference between simply clearing the stages and earning the multi-million soaring scores - and Espgaluda II boasts some unique offerings.

In Awakening Mode, the game features an interesting risk/reward system for racking up high scores. Tapping this button puts you in a stasis, meaning you can't move or shoot, but upon returning all on-screen bullets will turn to score-boosting gold coins. Plus, the longer you hang out in Awakening Mode, the more your combo meter will rocket up, making those collected coins even more valuable.

It's both a method of last resort, as you can quickly negate all the on-screen bullets with a couple taps of the button, but also a devilishly useful way to jack up your high score if you're brave enough to leave yourself vulnerable. 

It also shows the difference between the game's 'iPhone' and 'Arcade' modes, which you'd barely be able to tell apart if no one informed you. In iPhone mode, you can tap on the screen during your Awakening deadlock to send out mini-shockwaves, turning bullets into useful gems. Other than that, the two modes are extremely similar, bar a slightly tweaked scoring system.

Those scores are saved on your iPhone, and also shared with like-minded bullet hell junkies through OpenFeint, the Xbox Live-style achievement and leaderboard stop-over until Apple rolls out its Game Center. There are achievements on offer too, but much of the fun is trying to top your own scores, or beating the game with no continues.

Espgaluda II loses next to nothing in the transition to iPhone. Not in speed, nor controllability, nor graphics. Beautiful, delicately designed pixel art graphics they are, with peaceful little backdrops that are so incongruous to the mayhem layered on top. And then there's the music that'll give you a neon heart attack... and the little girls' shrieking voices.

Did I mention your spaceship is actually a prepubescent little girl who lets out a shrill squeal when hit? No? Never mind then. You can turn that voice sample off, thankfully.

It's really refreshing to see a game on a handheld system that's not burdened by the portable form factor. Despite being downsized from a six-foot arcade cabinet to a credit-card-sized wonder gadget, Espgaluda II doesn't come with any caveats through losing content or having to forcibly alter its design to fit the specification.