Making complicated games for the iPhone is difficult. When it comes to swiping, dragging, or tapping, not even the Nintendo DS can hold a candle to the platform. When trying to do anything else, however, things become shaky. Digital analog sticks can only get you so far, and take up 100% of the controls at any given time. Because of this, shooters usually fail to be anything more than frustrating when relying on the touchscreen alone. That said, shooters are extremely popular, so little issues like that aren't going to get in the way of different developers trying their hands at bringing the popular genre to the popular platform. Even the best, though, have failed to really solve the problem, making it all the more impressive that the recently released Archetype brings with it some creative solutions that, if nothing else, make things a bit more... bearable.

Archetype is a multiplayer FPS for the iPhone, and comes with an online infrastructure that really stands out on the App store. While there's no singleplayer beyond fighting against bots and no story to speak of, the game features fast, hectic 5v5 battles over WiFi or 3G connections. At a glance, this seems like a recipe for disaster, something that's simply not true. While the online is obviously not up to the level of home consoles, it definitely performs better than expected, especially over 3G. In fact, everything about the game surpasses expectations. Not only does it work well online, but it manages to remain fairly lag-free and without framerate drops even with some of the best visuals on the iPhone. It's not a stretch to say that, visually, Archetype can go toe-to-toe with most DS and PSP games.

No matter how good it looks or how well the multiplayer functions, it still has to deal with one, large issue: the controls. The iPhone just isn't set up for FPS games, and that's something that is going to hold every game in the genre back. In order to make this less of an issue, the developers have made it so the gun will automatically fire at any enemy in front of the player. While it might sound like it takes some strategy out of the game, it really doesn't, since there are few times that the Quake-inspired gameplay would have a player facing an enemy without laying on the trigger. It helps, it really does, but even that innovation cannot make the game's controls all that great. Even after getting used to the style it's hard to really feel like there's way too much strategy involved, and fans of the genre will likely be infuriated by the controls, especially if they're used to a mouse and keyboard or controller set-up. On top of that, the lack of unlockables makes it hard to find excuses to continue playing for more than a few minutes at a time.

It really is a bare-bones multiplayer action title. The combat is fast, the kills are quick, and fans of classic Quake or Unreal combat will likely feel a sense of familiarity right away with the style. That said, the controls, while likely the best FPS fans are going to see on the iPhone, still fail to really bring the genre to the platform adequately. In short bursts it can be fun, though most players will likely find it a chore to continue for lengthy periods of time. For those looking for a shooter on the iPhone, however, there's no doubt about it: Archetype delivers the fastest multiplayer FPS action to be found on the App store. Just don't expect it to magically add buttons to the phone.

6/10