Prey Invasion

The hunt for a great touch-enabled first-person shooter begins with Prey Invasion. Succeeding where so many other games have failed, responsive controls ensure this beautifully crafted title scores a spot on the cutting edge.

It misses the mark a bit with gameplay that lacks focus and clarity, but by aiming to evolve iPhone shooters Prey Invasion hits the target.

Using a pair of digital analogue sticks situated in the lower corners of the screen, you control Tommy in his quest to save girlfriend Jenny from extraterrestrial abduction. A small arsenal of alien firearms enables you to dispatch the disgusting creatures that stand in your way.

Tapping the centre of the screen allows you to fire rounds from several different weapons, including the Hunter Rifle, and to chuck explosive Crawlers.

The default controls are remarkably intuitive, though you can easily opt out of the analogue scheme for a set of digital pads that sit in the corners of the screen. Additionally, several advanced options allow you to adjust the method of fire, camera sensitivity, strafing, and even switch to left-handed input.

This customisability accommodates a wide range of options that best serves individual control preferences. It's an innovative measure that fundamentally changes what we expect from shooters in the future.

What Prey Invasion does with these controls, however, leaves something to be desired. Despite intimidating looks, the bizarre alien enemies you encounter are hardly challenging. Differences are only skin-deep, with most foes easily dispatchable with a couple of shots from a decent distance.

Some enemies won't even notice you're around in the larger spaces. You can often hang back and take out aliens from afar.

Even when you face a boss or get swarmed by beasts, there's no threat of death. Prey Invasion forgoes any penalty for dying - instead, you're taken to a spirit world so that Tommy can regenerate health and spiritual energy.

Firing arrows from Tommy's spirit bow at the red and blue ghosts that encircle his spirit recharges both gauges, though shooting the ghosts is optional since your return to the corporeal world is timed. By eliminating the tension that in-game death brings, the game has been essentially neutered of any challenge.

The decidedly mindless combat is ever so rarely punctuated by puzzle-solving. One such puzzle requires calling upon Tommy's spirit to walk through a energy field, after which you deactivate said field using a nearby panel. Another near the end of the game has you toying with four panels in order to extend a bridge. These blatantly simple tasks don't provide the variety that is so sorely needed.

Prey Invasion possesses the potential for visceral gameplay, yet ends up far more pedestrian than its looks would have you assume. Stunning graphics and an array of control options are enough to attract your attention, but it won't hold it for as long as it should.