Especially in the last five years, the twin-stick shooter genre has taken off. First with the success of Geometry Wars and then by the explosion of the games here on the iPhone. The problem arises in that so many of the games get the basic formula right that it gets hard to stand out from the crowd. There seems to be a check-list in place. Beautiful lighting and particle effects? Check. Great balance of weapons and monsters for high score play? Check. Tight and responsive controls? I'm happy to say a resounding check. What Inferno+ does is take the pressure off the high score system, instead focusing on maze-like levels full of turrets and bonuses, and not only a selection of different ships, but lots of upgrades to purchase as the levels go on. Does this make for a unique and fresh twin-stick shooter experience? Well, yes and no...

If you've played one twin-stick shooter, you'll know how Inferno+ operates. The left stick steers your craft, while the right fires your weapons. There's also a button to utilize a shield next to the right stick. Your craft is responsive if a little slow, but then this suits the more methodical exploratory gameplay. The weapons fire fast and loose, and after a couple upgrades in the conveniently placed shops around the levels, you'll be dishing out destruction with not only improved weaponry but some turrets of your own that trail behind your every move.

Each level is a race to find the exit. You fly through corridors, hit dead ends, find keys to open doors, and try and blast all the enemies in your way (plus the turrets that continuously pump out these enemies). The mazes are quite simple and everything has a natural progression to it, and to top it all off, there are bonus stages hidden in exits behind false walls that will certainly help you upgrade quicker and easier.

It seems that all the components of Inferno+ come together to make a great game, but there is something missing. It might be the sterile nature of the mazes, or the ease of progression with the upgrades. These matters don't take away from this being a good game, but they do keep it from becoming a great game. Take from that what you will.