Haunted Planet

Expectations can be a blessing and a curse when it comes to games, particularly on iPhone. We expect the unique features of the platform to be used to full effect in each and every game. Of course, it makes sense for developers to maximise the system a game is being played on, but sometimes a game simply doesn't lend itself to accelerometer controls or a touchscreen interface. Nevertheless, those expectations stand, and Haunted Planet both suffers and benefits as a result.

Let's start in with the game's positives: Haunted Planet is straight-up violent fun. Unlike the plodding pace of a Resident Evil instalment or the creepy crawl of Silent Hill, here is an experience that is totally balls-out, run and gun, kill everything in sight.

Your task is to infiltrate the lair of a mad scientist in order to stop him from opening a portal to a realm populated by all kinds of evil, and thereby stopping Earth from turning into an evil-filled haunted planet. By 'infiltrate' we mean run headlong into mortal danger screaming "Kill kill kill, murder death maim!" Awesome, especially considering that the set-up and general style of Haunted Planet suggests you're in for a steady, dialogue-driven story, light on the action.

The environment scrolls toward the foreground at a fair old lick as you sprint through 17 levels in the trek to the evil mad scientist's evil lair of evil. Along the way, hordes of zombies, vampires, mummies and all manner of nasties assail you. You can dodge them, kill them, or dodge them and then kill them. Bonus items such as bombs, extra energy, shields, and throwing axes can be picked up to help with the undead carnage, providing you don't bash into the scenery as you try to pick them up.

Unfortunately, this all feels, looks, and sounds very much like an aging mobile game - not a new iPhone game. The graphics are coarse and antiquated, while the controls are decidedly digital in their operation. Moreover, there's little variety in play. Levels become tedious due to the repetitive nature of nightmare creature-killing and the bland, off-the-shelf design.

The controls, which lack the expected depth and sophistication, consist of swiping the screen to run left and right, or tilting the handset. The difficulty curve is severely unbalanced, a complication of imprecise controls. The placement of the targeting and fire buttons mean you can't steer, aim and shoot together. An option for automated targeting and shooting attempt to address the issue, although when activated it never seems to pick the monster that's currently biting your face off.

This sounds a lot harsher than it's intended to. As the back bedroom effort of a fledgling programmer, Haunted Planet would be pleasantly encouraging, but £2.39 could buy you a lot more on the App Store right now. It's not that the game's bad, it's just ordinary to a spectacular degree and struggles to meet the expectations we had of mobile games three or four years ago.

This makes it very difficult to root for Haunted Planet despite the few endearing qualities you can mine from it if you've got enough perseverance. Once Halloween's passed, however, you're unlikely to harbour the kind of determination necessary.