The Bug Butcher

YOU’RE AN EXTERMINATOR... IN SPACE. $5.99 | noodlecake.com

CLASSIC ARCADE ACTION with updated graphics — that’s the pitch behind The Bug Butcher, in which you take on a bunch of space-nasties that bounce and ricochet around the room.

The game takes place in several different levels, each with several waves of enemies — huge, bulbous pink balls that split in two when you’ve shot them a few times; electrified enemies that belch out bullets; spiders that attempt to eat your friend. You have limited lives, and several special moves and effects that can do things like increasing your rate of fire or freezing enemies. It’s repetitive, but quite satisfying, and the fact that your character is shooting vertically the whole time feels quite novel. It’s awfully small on a four-inchor-so screen, though, which makes quick decisions and reactions quite tricky.

What’s more, the controls are the standard left/right in one corner and shoot/use special move in the other, which, while it does replicate that arcade feeling, means it’s easy to mess up without the tactile feedback of a controller. The levels get quite frantic as they progress, which means you’ll die more frequently, so it would feel more fun if the controls weren’t quite as slippy.

Overall, it’s a snappy and fun arcade game that doesn’t quite translate perfectly to mobile: it requires accuracy and speed that touchscreen controls just can’t handle. Still, if your thumbs are sufficiently small and grippy, you might get on just fine.

A novel, fast-paced arcade game, but with touch controls that suffer on some devices. [