Tap Fu offers a fun casual fighting game that can be played in short spurts or in more prolonged sessions when you’re looking for a little more action. While it isn’t a particularly deep game, Tap Fu provides an enjoyable enough gameplay experience that makes it worth considering.

The game has 4 modes: Story, Survival, 100 Rounds and Training. In Story mode, you play the role of a Tap Fu Trainee out on a mission to recover candy that the Sweet Tooth Clan has stolen from your village. Under the tutelage of the Elder Tap Fu Master, you gradually learn new skills. The story is told through cut scenes, dialogue boxes and muffled dialog. One of the things to keep in mind is that Tap Fu’s Story mode is a work in progress that currently only includes Chapter 1: Ninjas (7 levels). While additional chapters are planned in later updates, the content that is there right now offers just a glimpse into future installments.

Meanwhile, Survival mode offers high-scoring opportunities by battling a continual onslaught of enemies. A variation can be found in the other mode 100 Rounds where you must defeat the entire wave of enemies to move to the next round. Both modes provide the option of playing in two different locations: Mount Fuji and Sakaki Forest. Whether in the village or on the mountaintop, the colorful backgrounds look terrific even though they are limited in variety.

The big selling point for Tap Fu comes in your Tap Fu Trainee’s fighting abilities. These abilities—blocking, quick attack, jumping, spin kick, back kick, roll, and fireball—visually look great and the entire combat system is intuitive and well implemented.

Using either the virtual d-pad or specific finger gestures, these various moves can be performed. The easier of the two control options is the d-pad with specific action buttons that appear when available. The gesture-based controls require a bit of practice, but are also well implemented. Jumping for example can be accomplished by swiping upwards, while swiping downwards will result in a roll. In general, the quick punch/kick attack is activated by tapping the screen and will be your primary method of attack against ninjas.

Tap Fu includes a local and online scoring system which awards points for combo moves and style. The game also incorporates an achievement system for points scored, battle combos, damage inflicted, and length of survival.

In both Story and Survival modes, Ninjas do become more difficult to slay as you progress, as well as gain the ability to cloak their appearance and teleport from one place to another. While the gameplay can get intense, it is also becomes rather repetitious as there is a limited variety in the enemies. We also found the difficulty ramp up in survival modes to be very slow, making an average session drag out into more of a grinding experience than we wanted.

While the game's art and core fighting mechanics are wonderfully executed, the current version of the game noticeably suffers from the inclusion of only an abbreviated story mode. Tap Fu can still be fun a game for those looking for a casual fighting experience, but we expect that it will quickly grow old those hoping for a deeper game.

App Store Link: Tap Fu, $3.99

iPhone developers Neptune Interactive and Smells Like Donkey have teamed up to create a casual fighting game inspired by classics like Street Fighter and Karateka.

Readers may remember Neptune Interactive as the creator of 7 Cities [$2.99] while Smells Like Donkey is most famously known for iJiggles [99¢].

Tap Fu is a fighting game that features story and survival game modes along with training and free play. The default control scheme utilizes gestures and taps to move your character around and fight the onslaught of evil ninjas that are attacking you. A virtual D-Pad control scheme is also included.

Meanwhile, the combat in Tap Fu is spiced up by adding a combo system as well as style points that have been seen before in other games, notably the Devil May Cry series. Tap Fu will initially come loaded with the "Ninjas of the SweetTooth Clan" chapter and the developers have plans to implement more content over time. The game also comes with online leaderboards and achievements.

The video shows a very nice look at the combat hands-on:

Tap Fu was recently submitted to the App Store, so assuming no approval delays, it should be available for download inside of two weeks.

Zenonia fans will be excited to hear that Gamevil's latest game Hybrid: Eternal Whisper [$5.99] has arrived in the App Store.

Hybrid is a hybrid of action, adventure and RPG genres. It is an action fighting game at its core but with an extensive skills upgrade system, RPG elements and is tied together with an in depth story line. You play the role of Grey a young kid with a mysterious history who is looking to defend his land and avenge his brother. The story walks you through your training which teaches you how to fight. The D-Pad offers movement and an action button for attacks. Grey also has two different sword grips: standard and reverse. The two grips are more effective for different scenarios and can be combined together to form longer attacks.

Additional special attacks and skills are introduced over time and there appear to be a massive number of possibilities. The game is a series of fights strung together with a story. Surviving the fight is, of course, the ultimate goal, but you also get graded on your style and performance with each fight. As you level up and pick up items from enemies, you can upgrade your personal stats and equip stronger weapons and defensive items.

The game features 70 battles, 10 hidden stages, and an endless mode. Some of the skills and attacks are demoed in this video:

We do plan on offering a full review of the game, but, in the meanwhile, the early forum impressions are being collected in this thread.

App Store Link: Hybrid: Eternal Whisper, $5.99

We promised to report back once we had more time with Blades of Fury [App Store], Gameloft's newly-released fighting game. We're happy to report, that against all odds, the virtual D-Pad and on-screen controls actually do allow you to pull off some pretty impressive combos filled with special attacks and suprisingly don't seem to hamper the gameplay at all.

The Blades of Fury thread on our forums is filled with people echoing the same uncanny impressions regarding the controls. I'm really not sure what kind of new virtual D-Pad technology Gameloft has pulled out of their R&D department, but between Blades of Fury and Modern Combat: Sandstorm [$6.99] I'm beginning to become a believer in virtual controls.

The buttons on the bottom right of the screen control your attacks and defenses, you have two types of standard attacks as well as blocking and your special magical attack. Blades of Fury has a cool blocking mechanic in that you can't just keep the block button held down all the time as there is a limited number of times you can block before your armor breaks. The magic attack system is equally cool, and works off a blue meter below your health bar that seems to fill up whenever you take damage or hit your opponent.

This bar fills up in four usable chunks, and depending on how long you hold the magic attack button the more it will use. Tapping the button lets out a low powered special attack that varies for each character. This takes one chunk of the blue bar, holding the button longer eats up two chunks of the blue bar but does more damage, and by holding the button even longer you will use up the entire blue bar but unleash a devastating magical attack.

Each character has a fairly large variety of moves and combos, accessible through the pause screen attack list button and easily perfected in the included practice mode. I didn't have any problem going through the list of moves and memorizing a few combos, which again I found to be very surprising for a game with virtual controls.

There are five difficulty options, ranging from "easy" to "hardest", so players of all skill levels should be able to find some challenge in the game. Easy mode is easy enough that you can win by rolling your iPhone across your face and the hardest mode is just ridiculous. I figured I would give it a try just for the sake of having some frame of reference for the different difficulty settings, and found myself falling victim to these amazing combos unleashed by the AI opponent that had my character juggling through the air powerless to do anything more than get a few hits in before meeting an untimely demise.

If you happen to find yourself administering one of these insane opponent juggling combos, you can also save replays of complete fights. There doesn't seem to be a way to share these replays, but just having the option of recording them is nice. Included in Blades of Fury are many references to their online service Gameloft Live , but no one has been able to successfully log on. There are some statistics in the player profile area of the main menu that detail rankings which I assume have something to do with the currently inaccessible Gameloft Live integration.

The graphics in Blades of Fury are great, and the ten different levels in the game are equally awesome. Each fighter has their own arena ranging from evil looking catacombs to even flying on the back of a giant dragon. Similar to most fighting games, the story is lackluster and the voice work can be laughable at times.

If you're a fan of fighting games, Blades of Fury is worth some serious consideration. Gameloft has been on a roll lately both releasing and previewing games that have raised the bar of what to expect on the iPhone, and Blades of Fury fits in great with the rest of their current and upcoming lineup. If you know someone locally who also has the game, you can play over WiFi or bluetooth, a feature I've been unable to test.

But don't just take my word for it, the thread on our forums is filled with people echoing my sentiments. Ayjona, Nizy, Squarezero and several others have also posted detailed accounts of their experiences with the game.

App Store Link: Blades of Fury, $6.99

Gameloft wasn't joking when they said that Blades of Fury [App Store] was coming soon when I met with them at PAX, as it just popped up on the App Store mere minutes ago.

Blades of Fury is a fighting game obviously inspired by Soul Calibur featuring on-screen controls with a virtual D-Pad and set of buttons. In my brief time with the game at PAX I found that they worked well, but wasn't really sure how well the lack of precision inherent in most games with similar control schemes could cope with opponents of higher difficulty than the first few fights. Also included is a gesture-based system where you use the virtual D-Pad to move, then swipe on the screen to perform various attacks.

Here is our hands-on video from PAX:

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Blades of Fury has ten characters to choose from, each with different weapons, attacks, and combos. ten arenas are included in the game, along with four game modes: Story, Arcade, Survival, and Practice. Blades of Fury can also be played two player utilizing two devices and a local WiFi or bluetooth connection.

Reactions to the game are being collected in a thread on our forums, and we will post a closer look at the game once we're able to spend more time with it.

App Store Link: Blades of Fury, $6.99

The first title of the day is Gameloft's Blades of Fury, a game quite obviously inspired by Soul Calibur. Like most Gameloft games, while the concept isn't original, the gameplay is solid.

Blades of Fury has on-screen controls with a virtual D-Pad and array of buttons that cover two different kinds of attacks, blocking, and a special move usable when your power bar fills up. In my brief time with the game, I found the controls to be adequate to beat the first few opponents, although I could definitely see the lack of tactile feedback that comes from a real gamepad or arcade stick becoming an issue as the difficulty in the game ramps up.

The single player story mode is just as silly as most fighting games, told through a few sentences between matches. Since no one that I know plays fighting games for intense plot and character development, I wouldn't think this would be an issue for too many people. Also included is a standard arcade mode where you quickly just fight another opponent along with a survival and practice mode.

The graphics of the game are absolutely amazing. The test unit shown in the following gameplay video is a 2nd generation iPod Touch. As you can see, the framerate is great, the visuals are top notch, and Blades of Fury will easily join the ranks of games you will find yourself saying "This is running on my phone?" while playing.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

I didn't have enough time with Blades of Fury to form much of an opinion on the game, but what I've seen so far has been fun to play and impressive to watch. I can't wait to see how it runs on my iPhone 3GS.

Blades of Fury is due to be released sometime this month.

Samurai: Way of the Warrior [$2.99] is simply one of the most original and entertaining iPhone hack-and-slash games to date.

The game has a storyline that is well incorporated throughout presented in comic book style cut scenes that honestly conveys a strong sense of adventure and bloodletting. You control the fate of Daisuke Shimada, the wandering samurai as he ventures through the countryside dealing with the villainous Lord Hattoro and his two henchmen Kumo and Orochi. Of course, they have a significant army to carry out their misdeeds, and let’s just say that Daisuke doesn’t take too kindly to village bullies.

Hack and slash is the name of the game, and you’ll be doing plenty of that. Samurai has two game modes: Story and Dojo. Story mode consists of 7 chapters and variety of different enemies presented like a short novel or Japanese DVD. Dojo mode is a survival mode where Daisuke battles fellow hack and slashers in a ring for as long as possible.

The art style is among the best you’ll come across in a game of this nature. The 3D textures and graphics really pop as you explore the different environments with a definite Japanese feel. Combined with the melodic Japanese soundtrack, and this game exudes the charm of the Far East.

To move Daisuke, tap on a specific location on screen (Warpack Grunts-style), and he will move there with full 360 degree movement. The game also uses swipe controls to initiate specific sword maneuvers, and after playing it, I couldn’t imagine this game without swipe controls. Through specific swipe motions, any one of 9 Samurai sword skills are initiated. The sword movements are quite different, inflict different levels of damage, and can be used in unison for combo attacks which inflict maximum damage. Proper swordplay does require some practice and the game becomes particularly challenging at Stage 3.

Controls have been a point of concern in the game for some, and are demonstrated in this gameplay video from AppBank:

Literally, enemies are sliced and diced into pieces, and if you’re good enough, beheadings are in your future as well.

The gameplay starts off relatively easy as you hone your skills. Daisuke’s healthbar is replenished as he defeats enemies and unlocks gates. Enemies become more skilled and more evasive as you progress through the chapters, and the ability to use combos will be essential to survival.

Samurai: Way of the Warrior has to be one of the surprises in the iTunes store. It’s a terrifically well-designed, visually appealing game that I think will catch many off guard.

App Store Link: Samurai: Way of the Warrior, $2.99

In the outside chance that you don't find yourself mashing the check for updates button in iTunes as often as you check your email, here are a few game updates that have added some cool new features and fixes that have come out in the past few days. Videos may not reflect the most recent versions of the games.

Touch KO, $4.99 – Along with most of the first impressions on our forums, we also thought the difficulty level included in the initial release was far too easy in our review. Touch KO 1.1 brings some much needed bug fixes, the ability to skip through the slow motion replays, makes combos more powerful, but most importantly added a hard mode with new AI that is much more difficult.

Face Fighter, $1.99 – A silly fighting game that allows you to use your camera or photo library to customize opponents with the faces of your friends, enemies, pets, and loved ones. Face Fighter 2.0 adds Bluetooth multiplayer, so now instead of beating your friends up you can beat on each other.

Baseball Slugger, 99¢ – Com2uS added 2.2.1 compatibility for everyone still stuck in the pre-3.0 dark ages, the ability to brag on Twitter from within the game, as well as a global and national ranking system. Also, if you've been regretting choosing "HelloKitty15" as your Baseball Slugger user name, you will also be able to change that in this latest version of the game.

Harbor Master, 99¢ – Episode 5: Monster Cove brings yet another new map, this time with sea monsters that capture ships and take over docks. Tapping the monsters when they appear sends them back to the deep. Also, something to look out for in the next update is competitive Bluetooth multiplayer.

GI Joyride, 99¢ – Trapdoor's tilt racer that I've spent more time than I'd care to admit playing added all kinds unlockables, new vehicles, paint jobs, an experience point systems, and Facebook leaderboards. Somehow the ability to drive around a van with an awesome paint job instead of the standard tank has me playing this game again.

Chillingo has been teasing us for a few months now slowly releasing screenshots, interviews, and trailers for Touch KO [App Store].

The game was just released this afternoon and features an impressive control scheme, intense character customization, and a whole slew of upgrades to buy for your boxer.

We've just had a short time with the game (on an iPhone 3GS), but here are some first impressions. Starting the game out, Touch KO treats players to a brief tutorial that explains the controls. Touching the left or right side of the screen punches with that arm, and different gestures like swiping towards the center lets loose a hook, and swiping upwards throws an uppercut. Holding your thumb on the screen blocks, and tilting the iPhone makes you dodge. The controls are responsive and feel extremely natural.

You can choose from a variety of different boxer models and different tattoo overlays for each of them. As you fight opponents, before each match you can choose what areas your character will train in to slowly increase your statistics. Winning matches earns money which can be used to buy different trunks, gloves, and boots, most of which have associated stat boosts that go along with them.

While fighting, when you land the last punch to knock your opponent down the game zooms in and shows a slow motion instant replay, also the boxers seem to use ragdoll physics when falling, so the pose boxers land in can sometimes be pretty hilarious. That said, the graphics are amazing, and it's pretty crazy to be playing a boxing game on my phone that look comparable to 3D boxing games on previous generation consoles.

Here is the Touch KO trailer, released about a month ago:

Something to be aware of is that Touch KO plays like a technical boxing game. Silly characters and special moves are nowhere to be found in Touch KO, so if you're looking for an arcade-style game closer to the new Wii Punch Out, you're going to need to keep waiting. On the other hand, it seems fans of boxing would likely feel right at home with Touch KO.

We have an active discussion taking place about the game on our forums with more first hand impressions. Some of the early players, however, are finding the early fights to be rather easy. We'll try to take a closer look after we've had more time with the game.

App Store Link: Touch KO, $2.99

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At E3 we got a look at Gamevil's upcoming game in where fighting and special moves take precedence over the RPG storytelling elements found in Zenonia [App Store]. Like all Gamevil games, Hybrid: Eternal Whisper is a port of a popular Korean game that they're localizing to English and customizing for the iPhone interface.

From our preview of Hybrid: Eternal Whisper:

The game is structured around 150 levels where you must fight off a number of combatants on each level. Backgrounds and environments differ across levels and different skills and actions are both learned and earned over the game. The game does carry over some RPG elements including equipment purchases and earning abilities. There are various control combinations and swipe controls that invoke different attacks. Mastering these controls may become essential in progressing through the battles. While no official gameplay estimate has been provide, it seems like this could easily provide many hours of gameplay.

Produced and designed by the same team responsible for Zenonia, Hybrid: Eternal Whisper is scheduled for release this fall. Gamevil is very active on our forums, so for more information, or if you have any questions to ask, stop by this thread.