Caveās bullet hell shooters arenāt exactly the types of games many players donāt even like to play with control pads. So howās this iPhone version supposed to work?
Not too shabby, actually. Going into DeathSmiles, I was apprehensive. Previously, Cave brought Mushihimesama, a shooter I really like, to the iOS as Mushihimesama Bug Panic, a game I didnāt enjoy as much I had hoped I would. Mushihimesama was reworked as an adventure game with shooting elements.
But I was also excited. Caveās previous iOS versions of arcade titles ESPgaluda II were more in line with what Cave players wanted to see on the iOS. Me as well.
DeathSmiles is, well, DeathSmiles. The game is Caveās second side-scrolling shooter (Cave shooters are traditionally vertical scrolling). The gameās Gothic Lolita stylings garnered much attention when the title was originally released in 2007, but itās not all window dressing.
For an iOS game, and I hate prefacing statements like that, DeathSmiles is a solid little shooter, capturing the appeal of the maniac chaos of the arcade original. Cave does slide in some new elements like items for sale, including continues.
You can earn in-game currency to purchase continues, but you can also use real money. Iāve almost finished the game (still playing it!) and didnāt need to break down and buy continues with real cash.
It also feels like thereās more story hereāstory I kept scrolling throughāthat follows heroine Tiara.
There were a couple instances where it was hard to see where enemies and bullets were because my finger, which was controlling my character, was on the touch screen, which is unfortunate. However, I was able to adjust and play through it.
DeathSmiles works on iOS, not as well as it does on home consoles, nor as well as in arcades. But thatās not the point here. This is DeathSmiles you can run on your phone, play while waiting for a bus. It does that, and does it well. That is, unless you worry about playing a Gothic Lolita shooter in public.
DeathSmiles [iTunes]
