Does the game not save in iPhone mode when you exit? I went to check on something in the menu and now it looks like the only option is to start from scratch. Bleh. It was only a couple levels in, but still it's a bit annoying.
How big is the full game uncompressed? And are there any IAP? I remember somewhere was mentioned possible IAP...but not sure...
Mm, on iPhone 4 headphone jack is top right playing this game, so i would think ideal position. Is it located different;y on touch, other iphones?
Oh yes, right... But I'm used to playing all my horizontal games the 'other' way around (volume buttons facing downwards). Makes it easier to access the volume and sleep buttons for me. Still, changing screen orientation should be a staple in any app. Wondering when Apple will add an option to lock horizontal orientation?
On ipod it's at the bottom right. So it sucks not be able to rotate. btw, easily the best from CAVE so far. It's hard to not love it. Though it's rather embarassing with all those girl characters.
Game Impressions I think Cave has marked up the side-scroller with this game. I am skipping the details. It is fast paced and colorful shooter. You can upgrade equipment from the gold earned in each stage. Downsides:a bit short 5 stages +1 extra and you cannot save progress if you quit mid-way.
Actually there's 8 in all: - Port Town - Forest of the Lost - Lake Shore - Graveyard - Swamp Wastes - Volcano - EXTRA: Gorge - FINAL: Hades Castle. Plus most will let you pick between 3 difficulty levels, and there's 4 characters. Edit: did my first play-through. Fantastic game. CAVE has really raised the bar. Now I just need to figure out how the scoring works (and how to live!)
Poorest Cave effort yet. The lack of rotate option is sloppy, but the simple fact is that this game just isn't suited to the iOS devices, because you have to constantly cover so much of the screen with your hands. I wasn't particularly impressed with the 360 version either, in fairness, but everything about this is wrong for iOS. I beat it first try on 1 credit at Normal difficulty without ever really knowing what was going on, the visuals are a mess (pretty in pictures, but when it's all moving you can't tell what's background, foreground or enemy), but for about 80% of the time it didn't matter because I was shooting stuff I couldn't see anyway, as it was underneath my hands. People will make all sorts of excuses for this game, but it was a poor choice and while the execution is about as good as it ever could have been, it still doesn't make for anything fun. You're never in the game world, because you're forever looking down for buttons.
In defense of CAVE and Deathsmiles against foreign incursion I'll take the first shot at putting you back into your grave. Touch screen controls work really well (esp relative touch) with bullet hell games. Just ask around the forum. Oh and how big is the finger that you use to 'cover the screen'? There's a 'small screen size' option in the settings menu that gives you a freaking 1.4 cm border on 3 sides of the screen. Go figure. First try on 'normal' difficulty or 'novice'? You can't beat a bullet hell game without 'telling what's going on'. Visuals are a mess? A mess of beautifully hand drawn explosions, animations and special effects! People as in majority of players/reviewers. You are an outlier. Who looks down for the buttons? They are all comfortably close to each other. Tapping them becomes second nature.
I stand corrected, I was crazy not to count the final! Except the extra and final, the first 6 can be played in any order. Well said, if one does not like bullet hell then surely this masterpiece is not that appreciated. I use iPod Touch4 and play at max screen size and is not bothered by no screen flip nor touch screen issues. The final stage is so well done and it is one of those moments in my shooter experiences. YMMV.
I tried the lite version and it's a visual mess IMO. The screen is made even smaller with a border for some absurd reason and the sprite work is sloppy at best.
Playing for the last two hours. It's the best shmup in the App Store (and even one of the best shooters I've ever played). It's just so overwhelming, so exciting, so ridiculous. The iPhone mode fun starts after beating the Novice difficulty, which is pretty easy, especially for a Cave shooter. The upgrade system is fantastic, keeps me playing and really makes a difference. Right now I'm playing the Arcade mode over and over again, switching between Angels. I am absolutely in love. Best Cave game on iOS and again: best shooter ... enemies, variety, level design, boss fights, music, graphics, controls... it's all just amazing.
I completely agree. But not this one, because it plays completely differently to the likes of Espgaluda and Dodonpachi. Great - I can play the game on a screen the size of a postage stamp, and STILL obscure a large chunk of screen if I suddenly have to move my character halfway across it. Normal. That's why I said "Normal". Except I just did. I flew across the screen semi-randomly, dodged the few bullets that got anywhere near me, and hey presto, the end sequence. Not a clue what I was doing. Multiplier seemed to be at 1000 most of the time. In other words, pretty in screenshots. Assuming that the majority of players also post on this forum, which of course they don't. Yes, that would be the problem. In EGL or DDPR you rarely need to press any. Here you have to press them all the time, which means you have to look to make sure you're not switching between Laser and Shot when you meant to switch from Left to Right, as they're so close to each other.
First off: I bought the full game after trying the lite so knew exactly what I was in for and felt it was still worth it. That said, I agree with most of the above. A side scroller comes with more issues on the iPhone platform than a vertical one. A side scroller where you need to change shooting direction even more so. I can "make do," and feel it's (mostly) worth it for the overall gameplay, but this game will never ever feel "at home" to me on the iPhone screen. In fact, the more I play the harder it is to shake the notion of how much better this would be on the iPad.
