Warblade starts out with a short tutorial to explain the control options and how to play.  Before you start the game, you’ll have the option to set the graphics level, a feature that’s not too common for iPhone Games.  The highest setting displays beautiful scrolling backgrounds, and the texture details and effects are very pretty.  This setting is recommended for iPhone 3gs or better.  The medium and lower settings take out the background and the graphics don’t look quite as nice, but it’s still doesn’t take away from the experience.  This is recommended for earlier iPhones and iPod Touch models.  It should be noted that I tested the game on an iPod Touch, 2^nd generation, and I could use the highest settings without the game running poorly.  That device was pretty bare-bones, so I can’t guarantee it will work the same for you, but it’s worth a try. Two game modes are offered: mission and time trial.  They both contain the same type of gameplay, with the difference being a time constraint in the time trial mode.  Essentially the game plays out like a modernized Space Invaders.  You control a ship which moves left or right along the bottom of the screen.  Baddies fly in patterns on to the screen, and it is your job to blast them to pieces.  The full range of control options are covered, from tilt controls, to 1:1 touch controls, to the digital button controls that I preferred.  No matter how you prefer to control your iPhone games, Warblade has you covered.  As you progress through levels, you’ll gain all sorts of bonuses.  Some ships drop bonus items after they explode, ranging from extra shields and guns, to instant death (yes, all bonuses are not necessarily good things in Warblade).  You’ll also be earning money that can be spent on upgrades in between levels.  There are a lot of upgrades to pick from, and they will stay with you.  For instance, if you buy the “triple shot” upgrade, your ship will always have that as its base weapon for the rest of that game (you’ll shoot 3 bullets instead of 1 with your basic gun).  These bonuses and purchasable upgrades give the game a ton of replay value, as you’ll want to experiment with different upgrade “paths” to see which is the most effective, and which can get you the farthest. But I don’t want to reveal everything. The rest is up to you.