It was exactly a month ago that I got pretty excited over the trailer to a new game from developer Dark-1 called Odium to the Core (Free), and while it arrived a bit too late to be included in our weekly roundup the game is now available for purchase in the App Store. Odium to the Core is a cave flyer where you’ll guide your little creature through perilous levels collecting orbs, finding hidden secrets, and hopefully making it to the goal at the end. It uses the tried and true “tap to float up and release to drop down" control mechanic used in most cave flyers, but it also ties the gameplay into the beats of the kicking soundtrack that plays in the background. It doesn’t necessarily feel like a rhythm game, but the way the music syncs up to the action is really satisfying.

Odium to the Core is also not an easy game, not by a long shot. First of all the movement in the game is purposefully stiff, so when you tap the screen to rise it happens pretty slowly as opposed to some cave flyers where you’ll instantly zip upwards with the touch of the screen. It feels kind of like flying an airplane and you’ll have to be careful to plan your routes around the hazards in each level so as not to oversteer and slam into the environment. Once you get a feel for that movement though, it’s a joy to play. The scoring mechanic is also really interesting as you’ll earn more points the less you tap the screen, so there’s even more incentive to not make any unnecessary movements. Collecting orbs along the way also gives you points, and if you’re the type who enjoys going back to collect ALL THE THINGS in a game then Odium to the Core will be right up your alley. Trying to grab every single orb in a level is incredibly difficult, but it’s the kind of challenge where even if you fail you’ll be equipped with the knowledge of what to do on your next try.

This is just on the normal difficulty too, so fi you’re really a masochist you can unlock the Nightmare Mode that has no checkpoints and additional traps and hazards to navigate. This will definitely be one of those “badge of honor" games if you’re among those who can finish the game 100%. Oh, and did I mention there are boss fights? Because there are boss fights. This isn’t your grandpa’s cave flyer. Odium to the Core also features tons of secrets hidden throughout its levels that once discovered will unlock a huge selection of different skins to customize your character with. Again, this is definitely the type of game for people who love to unlock and collect every little thing, and aren’t afraid of dying a million times in the process. Best of all is that this all comes in a single paid package for a price of $2.99 with no ads or IAP, so if this looks like your type of game definitely give Odium to the Core a download and let everyone know what you think of it in our forums.