Opinion: Espgaluda II could herald the dawn of hardcore era on iPhone

So-called hardcore gamers have always taken pride in bashing the dubious entertainment potential of Apple’s iPhone.

Long viewed as a casual platform only capable of hosting simplistic titles thanks to its reliance on a touchscreen interface rather than traditional pad and buttons setup, the machine has struggled to gain the kind of recognition it deserves amongst the self-professed video gaming elite.

However, the week before last an event took place which shook the foundations of the portable gaming industry and turned this situation on its head: highly-esteemed Japanese shooter studio Cave – arguably the finest creator of 2D blasters in the world – released Espgaluda II on the iPhone.

The existence of the game was announced on April 1st and the fact that many fans dismissed the news as an elaborate prank gives a good indication of just how unlikely and unexpected this release is.

For the uninitiated, Espgaluda II is a fiendishly challenging 2D vertically-scrolling bullet hell shooter considered by many coin-op connoisseurs as one of the best examples of the genre yet seen.

Countless western fans have paid through the nose to import the region-free Xbox 360 version from Japan and revel in its tortuously difficult bullet-dodging gameplay. It is, to be perfectly blunt, the very definition of hardcore gaming.

On paper, it seems an almost ludicrous situation: arcade shooters are all about precise controls, tight reactions, and button-mashing brilliance. The iPhone - inexorably tied to the limitations of its touchscreen - would surely be the last piece of hardware you’d ever dream of hosting such a title, yet here it is. And what’s more, it’s absolutely fantastic.

From a purely technological standpoint, Espgaluda II on the iPhone is a marvel: despite the bad feeling generated by the fact that it only works on the iPhone 3GS (iPod touch 3rd Gen support is on its way, but iPhone 2G and 3G owners are sadly out of luck), getting such visually intense arcade machine on a device this dainty is an achievement worthy of considerable praise.

Granted, the inevitable shortcomings of the touchscreen interface – including lack of accuracy, removal of all-important tactile feedback – are hardly going to make hardcore Cave lovers pick this as the definitive version, but being able to carry this insane gaming challenge around in your trouser pocket is real bonus.

What makes this move all the more incredible is that Cave has eschewed the Sony PSP – which would arguably be capable of creating a more faithful arcade experience thanks to its old skool controls – and instead launched on Apple’s device.

Such a gesture speaks volumes about the current standing of the two machines: Sony would have you believe that the iPhone isn’t a direct threat to its profitability, but Espgaluda II is proof of the exact opposite.

Cave has confirmed that it intends to support the iPhone with future conversions, which begs the question – is the platform finally reaching out to the hardcore? Is Espgaluda II at the vanguard of a new wave of old skool titles aimed at long-time gamers rather than casual mobile users?

While a wholesale revolution is unlikely, the more diverse the software library becomes on the App Store, the more appealing the platform will become to a wide demographic of players - and this can only be positive for the portable gaming industry as a whole.