Though based on a Cave shoot-'em-up, Mushihimesama Bug Panic for the iPhone is not a shooter itself. Instead, it's a hybrid of many different things. There's some twin-stick shooter action, peppered with a little Bomberman adventuring. It's a strange little game, but once I moved past my expectations, I enjoyed Bug Panic more than I thought I would.
You are Reco, friend of the forest. Something mysterious has happened and now the world is infested by nasty insects, from itty-bitty flies to monster beetles, ant lions, and more. The only way to take these threats out is your bombs, which you hurl by moving the right twin stick. A quick flick tosses a bomb. But if you move your finger around the right stick, you can target up to the three bugs. And the longer you hold your finger down, the more you charge up your bombs. Against the biggest bugs, super-powered bombs are best because not only do they unleash tremendous damage, but they also eliminate their bullets.
Bug Panic carries a bit of Cave's "bullet hell" gene, so expect the screen to often fill with bullets. This makes travel treacherous, but the left stick is up to the task. Just watch out for the small bullets and tiny enemies, as they can be tough to dodge when you are trying to launch a counter-attack. At the end of each world, you face down a massive bug boss that really makes the screen pop with bullets.
Bug Panic is a challenge. You have a limited number of "lives" per stage and when you lose them, you have to start over, even if you're near the exit. There are no health pick-ups; this is modeled after an old school-style shooter, after all. Yet I never felt Bug Panic was being unfair. The controls are good. The first world is pretty easy. But by the time you reach the third area, Bug Panic is running you ragged. And I really enjoyed the boss battles.
One technical note: Bug Panic is a resource hog. Even Cave says you need to close out other apps running in the background to get a smooth play out of Bug Panic. I did so and still had some stuttering on an iPhone 4. Also, Bug Panic will not even work on the first- or sec-gen iPod Touches or the iPhone 3G. That's not an insignificant audience Cave just sliced out of the picture.
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Instead of cartoon animals, this physics puzzler is stocked ...
Connections for Mushihimesama Bug Panic (iPhone)
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