Yeah that's what I mean, there are 3 Espgaluda games: One arcade version, one smartphone version and one that contains both. The description says this is the arcade-only version, so I wonder if they'd release the smartphone version of Bug Princess and then the complete version that contains both modes. What exactly is the difference between arcade and smartphone version? Do you have Espgaluda II?
The scoring and controla are different. Smartphone mode is optimized for touch controls. Arcade mode is what it would have been if you playe this on an arcade machine.
Guys, when I search for Bug Princess on the appstore I get a lite version which can be unlocked to the full within the game. Is this so?
Yeah, I was concerned about that too, but desperation for more Cave greatness made me...cave. But most folks seem to agree that if they do do something similar, they will update the current version to include both. We'll see... To answer your first question, though: In Smart Phone mode of Espgaluda 2, you can't move your character when entering Awakening mode. Instead, you tap parts of the screen where you want to execute an Awakening Pulse, destroying bullets and/or doing damage to enemies. Personally, I prefer it, as you can rack up tons of points. Bullets usually drop gems when you destroy them with a pulse, so you can often sit there racking up your score without leaving the Awakening state for quite a while. It's beyond satisfying.
Finally passed this game over the weekend. What an amazing port! It's perfect on my iPhone4 and is so impressive in action! Cave perfection!
So basically smartphone version is the more proper port with controls and gameplay crafted to iPhone right? Seems it's not something I'm happy not to have if I buy this one and the 'complete' version comes out then...
No, arcade mode doesn't have worse controls at all. I think it all comes down to personal preference of scoring; I liked arcade mode more at first, but then smartphone mode grew on me. I suggest you read a guide first to see the differences in scoring and then try out the lite version and get a feel for each mode. Oh, and you can always check out the bullet hell fanatics group here on toucharcade if you have any more questions, I'm sure the other members would be happy to help you more.
Meh...as far as Espgaluda 2 is concerned, I enjoy both modes, and I'm sure there are folks who still prefer Arcade mode. But yes, there are significant gameplay and scoring differences in the two modes. As for "proper port," well, that's a matter of a opinion, I suppose. To be fair, though, Bug Princess is my least favorite of the four Cave games I own on my iPhone. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, but it does lack some flavor. But it's not so much the extras I miss so much as just not caring as much for the avatar bullets or the faster bullets that come at you in the Original mode. That being said, you could almost think of the game's Maniac mode as a Smart Phone mode, as it does present you with different bullet patterns and speeds more akin to Cave's other iOS shooters. For $5, I still feel like it was a great investment. When I'm burnt out of one of the other three shooters, I load up Bug Princess and get a nice, different challenge.
Thing is, I'm very new to bullet hell and as you may expect I find some of the other Cave's offerings a bit too complicated. I enjoyed Bug Panic lite and as soon as I bought the full version I tried all their other lites, but can't really fall in love for them. I want to love Dodonpachi or Deathsmiles but can't, maybe because I'm a a casual gamer. I'll retry both modes in Espgaluda and watch some clips to see the differences more. Then I'll decide whether I can be fine if they release a full Bug Princess version.
I'm slightly more into bullet hell..and while Cave games are high quality and fun, I also can't say I'm totally in love with them. If you find the scoring complicated (like me), you can look into Danmaku Unlimited (if you don't have it already). Its much more simple in terms of scoring (only grinding), but it still takes good concentration if you want high scores.
This is the easiest scoring system by far in any of their releases and I think just in general for all their games. You can always play the full versions of their games using MAME, but I leave that to google search for yourself.
I am a total bullet hell noob. I have played Bug Panic but that game was more about level progression than about hi-scoring. Apart from that I have only played EspII HD simply cause i found ipod too small to enjoy the visuals and aesthetics of Cave games, which in my view is nothing short of spectacular. When I started Espgaluda, I had no clue what was going on. But I read up Vally's notes on hi-scoring and I find it's extremely rewarding to beat your high scores. I plan to pick up Bug Princess soon as well.
Yeah, that's a good contrast too. Though the scoring system in Bug Princess is pretty simple, I find the original mode to be more challenging than either DoDonPachi Res or Espgaluda 2. The bullets fly at you quite a bit faster, I think. Maniac mode actually feels more akin to their other shooters. Love 'em all, to be honest. I'm glad they each feel a good bit different. I know some folks say the absence of a Smart Phone mode in Bug Princess makes it less of a value, but considering the variety they give you between the original, maniac and ultra modes versus the asking price, I say it's another bargain, really.
Actually, I've found that the Bug Panic scoring to be fairly difficult. First, you could split it into groups: Campaign, and Arcade. The Campaign mode was especially hard, because you needed perfect timing to string a combo throughout the entire level (by sustaining it with those little fairy bugs). And the Arcade was hard, because once you got your multiplier past around 500, it went into the real "ultra"-level bullet hell.
I never kept a track of scores in Bug Panic. Getting through the levels was difficult in itself. I still haven't defeated the final boss.
A noob question: Will you die if you hit an enemy but not the bullets? Can't really figure it out since there's so many things going on screen. And in Option Control page 2, what does 'Switch / hold down / double tap' do? And What does 'Shot on/off' do?
I don't know about the first questions, but Shot on/off gives you the option to turn off your shooting. Good to get your bearings, I assume.
Airborne enemies trigger collisions, ground-based enemies do not. That option dictates the control by which you toggle between the two primary weapons. At certain points in the game, you don't want to destroy a particular enemy or portion of an enemy immediately, for scoring reasons, and this button allows you to turn off firing, as was stated.
