I died every 8.97 seconds. Thats a total of 588 times in 88 minutes in my play through of the iOS port of Terry Cavanagh's VVVVVV. That's about par with my first completion on my mac last year, though I didn't know the solutions and paths that time. VVVVVV has come to mobile and the port brings almost the exact same game.

You are Captain Viridian who needs to rescue his crew after they crash their spaceship and get separated in an unknown area. You have to traverse the weird and wonderful obstacles that make up VVVVVV's levels in order to find them. Each screen has a different colour scheme and a unique name. After a brief introduction you are free to explore the area. There is a non-linear aspect in that you can play levels in any order, it just depends how you find them.

VVVVVV is a platformer in which you cannot jump. Instead, you can flip gravity and walk on the ceiling. This mechanic is used particularly well and there are rooms throughout that game that have fantastic platforming sequences that can be very difficult to pass but entirely possible with practice. It's all about precision and timing. You may have to move quickly and flip to a platform to avoid a creature running at you or flip across moving platforms, avoiding spikes on the walls.

You will die a lot. The game ramps up it's difficulty pretty quickly after the first area. These deaths are fair though; the game doesn't trick you. Instead, it encourages you to practice and learn the techniques needed to progress. Instant re-spawn and frequent checkpoints mean you are always in the action.

There is a great variety to the level types. Each level, noted by a different colour on your map, still contains the same control mechanics but vary how the levels work. One area has you stuck on the same screen; moving right off the screen will make you appear on the left on the same screen, and one area includes lines which instantly flip gravity upon touch. Throughout your progression you have to constantly learn what the game throws at you.

Souleye's soundtrack is one of the finest and most fitting score in recent gaming. It's constantly faced paced with catchy melodies that fit perfectly with the game's aesthetic and atmosphere. I find that it eases some of the frustration when you've just died for the thirtieth time in one area.

The most pressing concern I had was how well the controls would convert to touchscreen. There are areas in the game that require precision with very narrow margins. Though you do lose a bit of control, the touchscreen controls are responsive, comfortable and retain much of the precision. You control Captain Viridian with your left thumb. A movement to the left or right then hold will keep you running in that direction. You flip by pressing the screen with your right thumb. There is a button in the top right corner for the menu and activating consoles.

While the controls are comfortable they do make some of the harder areas a lot trickier than when played with a keyboard. Rooms like '...Not as I do', 'Do Try To Keep Up' and 'The Final Challenge' always proved difficult but I had a bit of a nightmare getting past these on my phone. I died 111 times in 'The Final Challenge'. There are other areas where you have to flip to very narrow platforms surrounded by spikes and I frequently over or under shot them. The room 'Doing Things The Hard Way'; the infamous start of a hellish route for a trinket, is definitely more challenging. The biggest issue with the controls is when you have to shuffle left and right. Changing direction with just one thumb is slower than two fingers on a keyboard and I used that technique frequently for precision when falling large distances.

Despite the few problems with the controls I must emphasise that they are mostly great. The issues were mostly minor thoughts as I played through and the rooms that are made harder just made me more determined to conquer them. The game is comfortable to play from start to finish.

VVVVVV is a fantastic game. The rooms are designed well with a fantastic amount of play style variety. The colourful art design is a joy and is accompanied by one of the finest game soundtracks in recent gaming. I highly recommend VVVVVV on iOS, whether you want to replay the game in a different environment or experiencing it for the first time.