Gaia brings top Facebook creature battler Monster Galaxy to iPhone, including cross platform extras

As the likes of Zynga and Digital Chocolate have demonstrated to varying degrees, there's plenty of crossover between Facebook and iOS.

The latest company to tread that highway is Gaia Interactive, which is bringing its 15 million active monthly user Pokemon-style Facebook game Monster Galaxy to iPhone.

Launched under the moniker - Monster Galaxy: The Zodiac Islands - it's a freemium game that has you battling and collecting monsters, or Mogas, as you complete missions and attempt to cross the mystical Zodiac Islands and dethrone its evil king.

Of course, to boost your progress, you'll also be able to spend real cash to acquire Moga Cash (up to $99 for 1,000) and items such as Blue Coffee (Moga health) and Starseeds (your capture mechanism).

Further driving cross-platform communities, if you use the Facebook Connect features within the iPhone game, you'll be able to keep track of your purchases and personal game data, enter the daily prize draw, and earn Facebook rewards based on your progress.

Game Center is used to display statistics such as battles won, number of perfect attacks, and overall tamer score.

"With the success of Monster Galaxy on Facebook, we've proven there's a hunger for a different form of social game - one that exudes console game-like play," said Mike Sego, Gaia's CEO.

"We see a huge opportunity for the mainstream gaming industry to expand into both the social and mobile platforms. Gaia intends to continue with a multi-platform social gaming strategy and look forward to delivering titles that both casual and hard core gamers will enjoy - no matter what platform that may be."

You can find out more about Monster Galaxy: The Zodiac Islands via its website.