As I’m sure many of you have gathered already by the lovely border currently adorning our site, CAVE is running a sale on all 3 of their iOS games for a limited time. Due to the fact that CAVE has never had sales on their games aside from when they are released, and given the sheer quality of each of these titles, it’s definitely worth highlighting this sale some more. This comes as a celebration for the 1 year anniversary of CAVE World, the division of CAVE responsible for iOS development. Take a look at the description and videos for each of these titles and see what strikes your fancy. Also, each game features full Game Center integration with leaderboards and achievements and there’s lite versions to try for all of them.
Espgaluda II, $8.99 → $4.99 – CAVE’s very first iOS offering was a port of their 2005 arcade and Xbox 360 game Espgaluda II. It featured all of the same screen filling bullet hell action of those versions but also included a special iPhone mode that was designed with mobile play in mind. The scoring in iPhone mode is tweaked slightly to be less confusing, and their is also a special Awakening Pulse attack exclusive to the iOS version.
CAVE did a wonderful job including options for different screen sizes, control schemes, and difficulty levels in an effort to cater to as wide an audience as possible. In many ways, Espgaluda II actually feels best with touch screen controls as opposed to traditional control sticks or d-pads. We really liked Espgaluda II in our review, and even 1 year later it stands as one of the best shooters available on the App Store, and there’s a whole thread of people in our forums with similar sentiments.
App Store Links:
Dodonpachi Resurrection, $8.99 → $4.99 – The follow-up to Espgaluda II was a port of CAVE’s 2008 arcade game Dodonpachi DaiFukkatsu (renamed Dodonpachi Resurrection for iOS). This release was significant in that the iOS platform received this port before any other platform, signifying CAVE’s strong support of App Store gaming. On top of that, it’s just an excellent game, and featured both an arcade mode and new iPhone mode similar to that of Espgaluda II.
This time, however, the iPhone-specific enhancements went even further. A brilliant brand new dual-meter scoring system complimented the new Hyper Cannon weapon which utilized the touch screen in a unique way. These points are covered in more detail in our review of the game from last August, and earlier this year we learned about the alternate routes you could take through the game to unlock a hidden playable boss ship. As far as shooters go, they don’t get much better than Dodonpachi Resurrection, as evidenced by the many positive comments in our forums.
App Store Links:
Mushihimesama Bug Panic, $4.99 → 99¢ – Not long after the release of Dodonpachi Resurrection, CAVE announced that they were working on an original title for iOS using characters from their Mushihimesama series. Titled Mushihimesama Bug Panic, it was a departure from CAVE’s typical scrolling shooters and was instead a dual-stick style shooter featuring elements of bullet hell gameplay. Much in the same way Dodonpachi Resurrection and Espgaluda II represented high water marks for the shooter genre on iOS, Mushihimesama Bug Panic offered one of the best dual-stick experiences available on the App Store.
Besides the single player campaign with many levels to play through – each with hidden areas, collectibles, dozens of enemies and huge boss characters – Mushihimesama Bug Panic was also recently updated with full online multiplayer through Game Center. We really loved Mushihimesama Bug Panic in our review, and once again players have really been enjoying this latest CAVE title in our forums. As an added bonus all proceeds from the Mushihimesama Bug Panic sale will be donated to Red Cross relief efforts in Japan.
App Store Links:
The sale on all of CAVE’s titles started this past Saturday and will run until next Sunday, April 17th. There are lite versions of every game available to try out before you buy, but keep in mind that all games require at least a 3rd generation iPhone/iPod touch or an iPad due to the massive amount of sprites that they push at any given time. Also, just in case you can’t get enough of CAVE on your device, you can grab their free kitchen timer app Mushihimesama Bug Timer [Free] which I have found an invaluable tool for manic egg boiling.
All of CAVE’s titles are worth checking out and grabbing during this rare sale, and with their recently announced Deathsmiles port on the horizon we can all look forward to more CAVE goodness on the App Store soon.
