Buzz Killem

Buzz Killem is a clever mix of arcade styles stuffed into a pixel art package. It draws on the likes of Super Crate Box, Ziggurat, and Only One, then throws in the sort of step-by-step challenges you might expect to find in Jetpack Joyride.

And on top of all that sits a ridiculous game of run and gun. It's a 2D arena shooter at heart, but even the arenas are out to kill you.

There are bottomless pits, whirring circular saws, and swinging girders to contend with, as well as the alien horde you've antagonised into a scrap.

As small bite gaming goes, there's an awful lot to like here. It's fast paced, addictive, and doles out its rewards quickly enough that the repetitive gunplay never feels like a grind.

You play Buzz Killem, the dad of the titular star of Bill Killem, who's also drawn into an interstellar war. This time around though you've got far more control over where Buzz goes, and what he shoots.

The controls are simple enough. Two buttons in the bottom left corner of the screen move you left and right, two buttons in the bottom right of the screen let you shoot and jump. You can perform a double jump with a double tap as well.

You jog around the arenas, dodging bullets, and blasting everything that moves. But there's more to the game than mindless acts of violence.

You're given three goals to achieve. Finish these and you unlock three more. You might need to kill a set number of enemies, wear a specific costume, or grab a number of power-up crates.

These challenges add a spark to the game. You're not just murdering everything, you're trying to stay alive long enough to make sure you kill all the floating heads you need to move on to the next set of goals.

You earn coins as you play as well, and use these to upgrade your arsenal and unlock new weapons and perks. The game doles them out pretty generously, and you've usually got enough at the end of a good round to add some more fire power to your next try.

The weapon boxes you pick up automatically swap your weapon, so you can go from a rocket launcher to a set of throwing knives in the blink of an eye. The power-up crates offer jet packs, super jumps and speed boosts too.

It all makes for intense, frantic bursts of play. They don't last more than a couple of minutes, but while you're bouncing over bullets, grabbing new weapons, and trying desperately to slaughter enough bad guys to move on, you can't help but cackle with joy.

Buzz Killem might not be subtle, but it hits all of its loud and obnoxious notes just right. The gun play is balanced, the controls are precise, and the unlockable guns, outfits, and power-ups keep mean you're always getting tougher.

There are plenty of violent arcade shooters on the App Store, but Buzz Killem manages to have charm as well as a sadistic swagger.

It's tough, it's fun, and it'll keep your fingers busy for a good long while.