It’s not surprising that Minigore has been downloaded over one hundred thousand times this last week. For a mere 59p, its single level of madness is great fun, and perfect for those who want to indulge quickly throughout the day. Coming at a time where Chillingo are handpicking and releasing some quality games for the handheld, this title strongly confirms how the publishers are tightening their grip as one of the iPhone’s top teams.

It’s hard to know what to expect from a game that costs less than most magazines, a bar of chocolate or a handful of text messages. Luckily, Minigore currently tempts players in with one level of stylish entertainment, which is easy enough for anybody to play. The object of the game is simple; last a Furry invasion for as long as possible. It’s ridiculous stuff, and even more so when you witness the lead protagonist himself, the mighty John Gore. With a blockhead that silently wobbles on his neck, his design resembles the famous bobblehead figures that love to jive and dance from the shoulders up. John Gore’s sole mission is to splat some Furry brains across the play mat like floor, and my god, he’ll let you know it.

As you stumble round the simple farm with the default SMG in hand, you’ll learn a little bit about this episode’s leading role. Stern jawed and spewing badass quips, he arrives on our screens like a cult fans’ dream, looking like a manly hybrid of Duke Nukem and B-movie favourite Bruce Campbell. This is by no means a bad thing, as his one-man army persona suits the attitude and design of the game. Lets face it, he’s in this alone, and will need to find an inventive way of dealing with the pressure when the alien producing oven gets extra hot.

Without drawing it out, Mr Gore certainly has found this method. By collecting three clovers that appear on his farm he can morph himself into a monster much fiercer than any of the Furries. If you’ve ever seen The Lord of the Rings, think the Balrog. If not, think of a behemoth-sized, fire breathing horned bull that’ll destroy anything with one touch. And with the size of some of his opponents, this one touch one kill power is more than needed.

Despite their cute name, the Furries are not to be messed with. There are four types to eliminate right now, all of which will make an appearance before long. At the lower end of the scale is the Minifurry; a small, fairly paced black splodge that has enough teeth to leave a bite. Next up is the Furry, a bigger enemy that once shot, unleashes a number of the mini foes for John Gore to deal with. Although these are pesky, it’s the last two types of Furry that provide the real challenge.  The slower, mammoth-built Giant Furry will slither slowly towards your troubled hero, and just like the normal Furry, will unleash a number of smaller friends to deal with it’s failing. However, it’s the fire-emitting Minifurry that packs the greatest punch. Proving that size doesn’t matter, these tiny fellows possess superb pace, and can outrun John Gore with ease. As all enemies home in on their target, players need to quickly assess the priority in which they’ll tackle the groups of razor-toothed critters before they serve you up for lunch.

Inevitably, the Furries will most probably be chowing down on a ‘Goremet’ meal before long. Alongside the aforementioned SMG and demonic inner personality, you can sometimes use an underwhelming shotgun, which runs out rather quickly. As you control your hero via a run-and-gun dual-stick method (with the left stick moving you and right firing), it seems there is more success to be had with the spraying of the SMG you start with. With that said, any unused crate of shotgun ammo can be blown up, meaning there is enough potential to make the slower weapon worth a blast. As this sends a ring of fire round your character, it’s a great way of defending your isolated beans before it’s vitally too late. Although he has the attitude of an action hero, John Gore can only take two bites before hitting the floor quicker than a drunken midget.

If there’s a major gripe about the way Mingore works, it has to come from the way the enemy approaches. With your thumbs covering a fair amount of the screen, Furries can often pass through the dual-stick control areas unseen, meaning they’re more likely to pounce without resistance. There’s also no chance of you picking a certain spot on the map and staying there, as Furries come from any direction in an instant, strolling on from the side of the screen. Sometimes it’s tough to move John Gore at the speed that you want, so it may take a while to become totally in-tune with the touchscreen interface.

With the iPhone coming into it’s own as a gaming format, Minigore is a perfect example of what an impulse buy should include. It’s straight into the action, has an excellent comic-book style and even crams an alien-eating demon into the small torso of its protagonist. Sure it’s mindless, repetitive and has a few creases that need to be ironed out, but this is only the beginning. Chillingo already have an update submitted, allowing us to revisit the world not long after it hit the top of the charts this week. For such a low price, you can’t go wrong.

Grade: B-