The dual-stick shooter is an overcrowded genre on the App Store, but every once in a while one of them stands out from the pack. Developer Facet Studios is working on a new dual-stick shooter called Etolis: Arena, and based on their preview video it looks like it may just have a chance of standing out. Etolis: Arena is a space-themed game that almost has a Halo-like look to it, with metallic ship chambers and bright neon highlights. Rather than just one big open map like most dual-stick shooters, the levels in Etolis: Arena have a lot more structure, and are made up of different corridors and rooms.

You'll play as a soldier of the United Front Alliance who has been captured during an invasion of the planet Etolis by an army known as the Kraven. The Queen of the Kraven, Natus, has requested that you fight for your life in what is known as the Arena for her amusement. Battles consist of 3 waves of attackers per round, with an endless amount of rounds across 5 different maps. As you defeat each wave, the Queen will give you honor points which can be used to upgrade your weapons to take on the increasingly difficult enemies. The developer details some of the features of Etolis: Arena:

- Battle for survival on 5 different maps
- Use 7 different weapons and 3 grenade types to destroy your enemies
- Battle against 11 different enemy types
- Use 1 of 4 temporary special abilities for those emergency moments (invisibility, invincibility, self explosion, and endless ammo)
- Unlock secret information about the invasion as you play in different locations
- Leader boards and Achievements
- Compelling Music

Etolis: Arena is still one to two months off from release, but is looking pretty nice in the teaser trailer. The structured arenas seem like a fun place to do battle, and the game has a cool style and impressive graphics to complement this aspect. There's also a fairly fleshed-out storyline to accompany all the action, which can be rare in games of this type. More information and screens can be found in the upcoming game thread in our forums, and we'll bring you more news on Etolis: Arena as it becomes available.