I'll admit that when I first played TegTap's Solar Warfare, I didn’t think I’d enjoy as much as I did. It's nice to be pleasantly surprised as I made my way through. There’s not much in the way of story, except that some evil aliens are up to no good, and it’s up to you and your spaceship to take them out. There’s eight different worlds ranging from an earth-like planet to snow covered and technological looking ones that you must fight your way through. And there’s plenty of bad guys waiting to take you down, from spacecraft to tanks and gun turrets. You'll have to take out a set number of them on each stage, which will then make a big boss appear, such as a giant mech and even a huge scorpion-like monster to name a few.

While it may not look like much at first glance, thanks to a simple, pick-up-and-play style and intuitive controls, those willing to give it an honest chance may find themselves as surprised as I was at just how much fun this little space shooter is.

The gyroscopic controls make flying your ship a breeze, as you just tilt your device up, down, left or right to steer in those directions. You can also hold your finger on any part of the left side of the touchscreen to make your ship hover, while holding down any part of the right side to fire your main gun. Utilizing these controls will have you dodging laser fire while returning your own to take out enemies with ease. And when things get hectic, there’s also a turbo-boost and missile button on screen you can use for some extra speed and lock on to tough baddies to take them out with a single blast.

While zipping through the various levels you’ll find coins you can collect to buy new weapons and upgrade them, purchase stronger shields, seeking missiles, and more. You can even buy revive kits to continue where you left off if you should happen to perish from too much enemy fire. The sounds and visuals are surprisingly good here, as I found myself being mesmerized by the fluid, realistic moving water found on the bottom of the screen in most stages, as well as the detailed backgrounds and terrain. The audio also gets you pumped as you take on the hordes of enemies, as there’s plenty of bass-kicking techno tunes along with laser fire and explosions to keep you going.

TegTap’s Solar Warfare may not seem like much at first, but thanks to an intuitive gyroscopic control scheme and simple gameplay it manages to be one of those rare hidden gems in the crowded mobile gaming world that most are sure to enjoy. Surprisingly good visuals and a good variety of weapons make blasting through the various levels a treat treat, and having a proper navigational control setup that actually works is a breath of fresh air. Those looking for a cheap, action-packed app for your iOS or Android device should be sure to give Solar Warfare a try. For less than a buck you can’t beat the out of this world action you’ll find here.