Cave's experiment with Mushihimesama Futari must have shown the company that there is a lot of interest in its games outside of Japan as it has just been revealed that Aksys has secured the rights to bring Deathsmiles to the US. This makes the gothic-lolita shmup the first Cave shooter to receive an official US console release.

Torrance, CA (January 18, 2010) – Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, announces the gothic-lolita shmup hit that took Japan by storm, Deathsmiles, for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Enter the world of Gilverado, a kingdom plagued by hideous monsters and tortured souls. Choose from four angels with unique demonic familiars and battle against a storm of enemies pouring out of Hell's gates! Fight your way out of tight spots as you are surrounded by enemy units and bullets from both sides of the screen. The unique left/right shooting mechanic of Deathsmiles will keep you on your toes as you dodge and weave through complex enemy fire, beautifully crafted by the modern masters of shmups, CAVE.

Triggering "Power-up mode" will unleash great streams of golden crowns, white tiaras, and grey skulls as you cut through enemies with your little angel's mighty magic shot. Try not to get distracted by the bling as you collect these gorgeous trinkets en masse and pump your high score to the limit!

"Most shooters feature space ships heroically charging through bullet showers to kill some alien nuisance," says Cherie Baker, PR Specialist. "With Deathsmiles, you've got little girls flying through a gothic otherworld to destroy the horrific, necrotic Imperator Tyrannosatan. Really, what could top that!?"

Deathsmiles Key Features:

Five Characters to Explore Gilverado

Choose Windia, the foppish English girl; Casper, the sassy German; Follett, the cautious French girl; Rosa, the California valley girl; or Sakura the faithful witch of the swamp wastes. Travel down the roads of Gilverado and discover hidden conversations between the angels.

Mega Black Label

Test your supernatural powers against the onslaught of the Ice Palace and its forgotten protector! Put your skills to the test with a new scoring system that demands more, but pumps out even more explosions of shiny tokens!

Choose Your Path and Difficulty

You can choose your own route through the game's stages and set the difficulty for each, from a level of 1 to 3. These difficulty levels allow you to customize the bullet count and boss toughness. Watch out if you choose level 3 five times, though…

Save and Play Back Replays

Save replays of your own games to watch later for your own enjoyment. Players can also download the top 20 scoring runs on the leaderboard.

Online Rankings & Online Co-op

Check out your score on the online leaderboard, with rankings for each character and game mode. Two-player cooperative play is also available via: Xbox LIVE online entertainment network!