Based in Brno, Czech Republic, Madfinger Games has been best known for its two arcade-style hack ‘n’ slash titles for iOS, Samurai and Samurai II: Vengeance.

In May of this year, the developer announced its intent to take on console action properties, including Gears of War, with a third-person shooter called Shadowgun. The title promised cutting-edge graphics for mobile devices, and the finished product certainly gives some console games a run for their money.

Built on the Unity mobile game engine, Shadowgun is a sci-fi title set in the year 2350 which stars an interstellar bounty hunter named John Slade who must infiltrate a scientist’s heavily guarded compound. In doing so, he takes on mutants, cyborgs and other vicious creatures with the help of some powerful weaponry.

The game plays similarly to Gears of War, with the action unfolding through an over-the-shoulder perspective. Players move by swiping on one side of their device’s screen, and aim by swiping the other side. Enemies possess advanced artificial intelligence which allows them to take cover and utilize tactics against players, flanking them and working together in groups.

Enemies are both ground-based and airborne, but aren’t the only challenges players must contend with. At points during the game, players must win hacking mini-games in order to progress.

Madfinger Games says that Shadowgun is the first installment in what it anticipates will be a long-running franchise, and has worked with author Micah Nathan to develop a story that includes multiple endings within this game alone.

Apple is currently featuring Shadowgun, a $7.99 universal app, as its App Store Game of the Week. An Android version of the game releases next week.

You can follow Shadowgun’s progress using AppData, our tracking service for mobile games and developers.