Hypership Still Out of Control

Hypership Still Out of Control doesn't add that much to the template laid down by its predecessor. It's still a relentless space-dasher with a cruel streak a mile wide and some of the simplest controls on the App Store.

The few additions it does make don't change the way the game plays in any spectacular ways, but this is still an engaging and habit-forming arcade blast, albeit one that's lost a little of the surprise value of its predecessor.

As the name suggests, you're piloting a spaceship through a retro cosmos. The problem is the brakes are down and the accelerator is jammed, leaving you careening through a hostile galaxy full of blocky obstacles and glittering coins.

Your phasers are always blasting away, leaving you to control your stricken ship with a single finger. You'll weave through minefields, mazes, and shunting cubes, collecting power-ups and points in your on-rushing quest.

Some power-ups slow you down, others turn your bullets into curved plasma scythes of death, shattering anything they touch and bagging you even more points. There are bombs to grab and unleash with a quick double-tap, and lightning flashes that smash you up to your ridiculous top speed.

There's a Normal mode, a Hardcore mode, an eye-meltingly fast Super-speed mode, a Coin Down mode that sees your coffers ticking down until you die, and the new Shadow mode, which drops black obstacles against a mostly black background.

All of the modes play out in the same way, though. You're flying through waves of hazards with no respite, crashing often, and leaving some mangled wreckage in space and a dent on the high score table if you're lucky.

Hypership Still Out of Control is just as polished as its predecessor, but there's an unshakeable sense that if you're a veteran of the original you're not going to find enough here to really occupy you.

If you've yet to experience the straightforward thrill of piloting a spaceship to its inevitable doom, while trying to make sure that doom comes a little later than last time, then this is as good a place as any to start.

If you're already well versed in the dodge and weave, then Hypership Still Out of Control is a bit of a harder sell.