Deathsmiles is a 2-D shooting game about shooting enemies, collecting goodies, and avoiding getting hit. It distinguishes itself from the rest in a number of ways, such as being focused on a Halloweentown and dark gothic aesthetic, having Elegant Gothic Lolita characters with detailed costumes and realistic body proportions, and being much more story-focused and character-driven than most other games in the genre.
Good:
The artwork for Arcade mode is by "Joker" Junya Inoue, and is not very anime-esque despite being focused on Elegant Gothic Lolita girls. Instead, it brings across a slight hint of realism, and a lot of darkness, horror, depth, and gothic atmosphere.
The iPhone gameplay mode has tons of replay value. You could spend multiple days collecting everything that there is to get and completing the jigsaw puzzle.
RPGElements for those who really like them, in the form of equipment that increases certain stats. Mastery of them is not strictly required to beat the game on Easy and Normal, though.
Arcade mode has a soundtrack by Manabu Namiki and other Basiscape co-workers, with a good range from dark swampy horror to hard-thumping techno-rock fusion to fast-paced techno to classical waltz. iPhone mode has a completely new soundtrack that really taps into the whole Halloweentown aesthetic and is quite good in its own right.
Bad:
Lots of paid downloadable content. It is not required to beat the game on Hard difficulty, though.
The Arcade mode only has the original Arcade content, and lacks Black Label or a playable Sakura.
Depending on your setup, your own finger may get in the way of visibility.
Some of the visuals might be considered NSFW or at the very least not-safe-for-spouse.
Deathsmiles iPhone
Deathsmiles is a 2-D shooting game about shooting enemies, collecting goodies, and avoiding getting hit. It distinguishes itself from the rest in a number of ways, such as being focused on a Halloweentown and dark gothic aesthetic, having Elegant Gothic Lolita characters with detailed costumes and realistic body proportions, and being much more story-focused and character-driven than most other games in the genre.
Good:
Bad: