Wan Nyan Slash

Japanese lesson for the week: "wan" and "nyan" are the Japanese animal sound equivalents for "woof" and "meow". No, the title's not quite Citizen Kane, but it begins to give you an idea of the scope we're dealing with here.

In this arcade flick-fighter you have to tap and drag your canine and feline protagonists across the screen, creating your line of attack and displaying where each character will land after their slash.

Once you've aligned your second attack, you'll release your finger and the two carnivores will launch off, slicing anything bar bosses in half with swift execution.

As you might expect, these black belt level ninjutsu masters face off against only the most fearsome mythological Japanese ghouls, such as the wibbly daruma and tongued lantern.

Each monster has a larger boss form, and these take several attacks to defeat. Should you let any foes reach the left side of your screen, you'll lose a light. Once all your lights are extinguished it's game over.

Unlockable costumes grant bonuses like extra health or reduced slash time. It's possible to grab three of the five costumes in your first playthrough of the game, with the other two taking time more than skill to earn.

The day and night cycle affects which monsters appear, alongside one of your costume bonuses. Lanterns mostly come out at night. Mostly.

Attack scrolls can be earnt by topping up your ever-decreasing chain meter with combos (striking two or more adversaries at the same time).

These scrolls allow you to perform one spectacular aggressive maneuver, attacking multiple areas of the screen rather than just carving a straight path.

Utilising these can get extremely fiddly once the screen starts to get busy. I would have greatly appreciated some kind of auto activation option. Tapping each can be a little off-putting, resulting in a fumbling demise.

There's a fair bit of fun to be had in Wan Nyan Slash, but with everything unlocked and seen within a few sittings, a high score table isn't enough to keep you playing.