The Tawashi

I have no idea why this hasn't gotten more attention, especially with how starved iOS gamers are for quality SHMUPs. But.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Whatchoogonnado? Now, first off, the negatives:;: There's no GameCenter support, as far as I can tell. A big draw for some SHMUPers is being able to compare their scores against other players, but right now, you can only try and better your own scores.This doesn't really bother me, personally, but I know that it's an issue for some, so I thought I should mention it. The one thing that does bother me (and, really, it's pretty nit-picky to bring up) is the sound FX that are used when hitting one of the enemies (I think mainly it's the small metal birds or.... something like that, not sure. It could be when shooting over a hidden treasure). The FX that are used kind of stand out above all the other sounds going on at the same time and it has broken my concentration more than a few times. Easily solved by turning the FX volume down or even completely off. So.... not really an issue. And now, the positives:;: The controls, graphics, and most everything to do with functionality is top notch. The game runs at 60FPS, with an option to lower it if you'd rather save battery life, but it runs great on my 6S with no overheating issues. Control wise, you can choose between a virtual joystick and relative touch with either the original speed for movement or with that speed limit shut off and able to move as quickly as you can slide your finger across the screen. You can also choose between constant auto fire and only firing when you press on the screen. Options for FX and Music are present and 5 difficulty levels, Easy, Light, Normal, Hard and Hell. There's also a 'Simple Mode' option, but I have no idea what it does yet. The mid-bosses and end-of-stage bosses are great. Fairly memorable. Stage length is fairy long too, at about 5-7 minutes each. This might be longer on the harder difficulties as the enemies don't take as much damage. Scores are influenced by how many 'friends' (those orbs with smiley faces on them) you can snag and the bonuses from the groups of enemies, mid-bosses and end level bosses that you kill as well as treasures you can find hidden in the ground and for not taking any damage in each stage. You start off with, I think, 3 lives, but as you play and get game overs, you earn more. Right now I have 6, but don't know if I can get more. Really, I.... am enjoying this one like crazy. The Hard and Hell difficulties are VERY challenging, and usually leave me looking directly at my hitbox instead of the middle/upper parts of the screen. It.... gets VERY dense, especially in the later levels. If you've been looking for a new SHMUP to dive into, I would absolutely recommend you pick this up. $5 seems like a perfect price for it.