VVVVVV '90 percent done' for mobile, PS Vita port 'imminent'

Gravity-based 2D puzzle platformer VVVVVV is coming to Android and iOS devices, with a PlayStation Vita port by Cave Story studio Nicalis "imminent," developer Terry Cavanagh wrote on his blog.

According to Cavanagh, the mobile ports have been "like 90 percent finished for over a year" and he is now putting the finishing touches on the game's menus and touchscreen controls. Cavanagh noted that he tested out several different control schemes for the portable version of VVVVVV, including virtual analogue sticks (using thumbs on the corners of a touchscreen), the d-pad and "Super Hexagon-style controls" that required players to press both sides of the screen to flip.

"The big concern that comes up when I talk about this project is controls — is VVVVVV even a game that works well on a touchscreen? And the answer is yes, it does," Cavanagh wrote. "Mostly, anyway — using a touchpad for this sort of game is just never going to be as good as using a joypad, but the touch controls I've got are feeling really nice."

Cavanagh finally settled on a swipe-and-hold scheme, shown in a video shared on the developer's blog. He notes in his post that controls are "super responsive" using this method.

Sony revealed last August that Cavanagh's VVVVVV would come to PS Vita. Earlier this year, the developer announced the mobile ports of his title, as well as an Ouya version.