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Space dogfighting sim Silpheed Alternative: Menace from Beyond the Stars blasts onto the Android Market, free version available to try

Intergalactic, planetary, planetary, intergalactic

Space dogfighting sim Silpheed Alternative: Menace from Beyond the Stars blasts onto the Android Market, free version available to try

Fans of the space dogfighter series Slipheed, last spotted in the 2001 PlayStation 2 game Slipheed: the Lost Planet, can rejoice.

As long as they own an Android device, that is.

Published by Japanese firm GungHo Online Entertainment and developed by GungHo's subsidiary studio Game Arts, Silpheed Alternative: Menace from Beyond the Stars swooped onto the Android Market this morning.

Featuring interplanetary warfare, fast-paced space combat, and "attractive characters", this latest iteration in the Silpheed franchise should appease intergalactic gunners everywhere.

In the mix

The game also throws some tactical thinking into the frantic dogfight mix: players have to maintain their spacecraft via pre-battle customizations and in-game shield management. With the more complicated space manoeuvres costing you shield power, for example, you may be left vulnerable to enemy fire.

Silpheed Alternative's chief producer Masato Dobashi was keen to pay homage to the series's history. “We tried our best to recreate Silpheed’s excitement as much as possible. I hope Android users will try Silpheed’s exciting experience at least once.”

To that end, GungHo has released a free version of its space fighter on the Android Market. The full game, meanwhile, will set Android owners back £1.98 / $2.99, and can be downloaded via this link.

Check out the gameplay video below.

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Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman
Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman
When Matt was 7 years old he didn't write to Santa like the other little boys and girls. He wrote to Mario. When the rotund plumber replied, Matt's dedication to a life of gaming was established. Like an otaku David Carradine, he wandered the planet until becoming a writer at Pocket Gamer.