Those of you that have read our Homebrew Shmups feature will be familiar with the original PC title and the basic principles of the game remain the same for the PSP version. During each level bombs drop into the screen from above; with a press of a button these can be triggered to destroy the assorted shapes that enter the play area. These shapes will vary between each stage but regardless of appearance destroying them racks up points, with green and purple shapes leaving behind a corresponding coloured diamond. Green diamonds act as a score boost while purple diamonds 'Quicken' or speed up the action. The twist is that each level is played against the clock and the player is only given a finite number of bombs to detonate. Once the timer runs out or all the bombs are gone, then the game is over.

Explosions can also set off chain reactions with nearby shapes - the bigger the combo the more points are awarded and at certain score limits a re-supply of bombs is granted as an extension. Some objects, identifiable with their yellow colouration, have a time-delayed explosion when hit. Making tactical use of these is essential if maximum chains are to be achieved.

The trick is to scoop up the diamonds with a bomb whilst avoiding the objects, since touching them causes a bomb to be lost. As well as wasting precious time as a new bomb slowly descends into the play field, this also reverts collected Quickens back to diamonds that spread out from the point of impact. These can be collected again if the player is quick enough, but at the expense of further points and chains. It doesn’t take long to realise how apt the game's title is as you combine all the above and start scrambling for every last point, every destructive chain, every single extend.

To complicate things further in this frantic grab to collect points and Quickens before they float out of the playing field, there are also yellow diamonds available which extend the time limit. Since these can only be obtained by chain-detonating the larger bullet-spitting enemies that appear at certain intervals through the stages, they are a valuable commodity. Similarly the end of each stage is protected by a large boss, which usually needs to have its defences chipped away with a specific number of explosions in a chain, before further detonations will decrease its life counter. It’s a shift in pace and tactics that works extremely well.

New to Every Extend Extra is that bombs can also be charged as they descend by holding down the trigger button. This means when they explode they have a larger range of detonation, but the downside is that they are more cumbersome when moving around the play area. Care must also be taken that a bomb isn’t powered up for too long as this results in it reaching critical mass and detonating of its own accord.

All this means there is a frantic, but extremely tactical element to the gameplay. The player will always be trapped in an excruciating dilemma of waiting for the biggest chain possible with the aim of maximising points but all the while being painfully aware that the clock is ticking with little chance of clawing those seconds back. It’s the perfect gameplay paradox and guaranteed to have you cursing that you prematurely triggered a detonation as a juicier, more score-productive chain forms before your eyes.

From all this there may not appear to be that much difference between Every Extend and Extra aside from the format, but the real departure is in the way it’s all presented. The original had its own appealing minimalist style, but here the visuals and audio have been heavily upgraded. For those familiar with the original's intentionally basic look, the dramatic change in backgrounds and colours can be a bit overpowering at first, but it’s a feeling that quickly disappears and actually adds a new depth to the proceedings that wasn’t there before. The game now produces a synaesthesia-like effect where the union of light and sound is syncretic and it does it in such a perfect way that hasn’t really been repeated since Rez was released. It is quite possible to enter 'the zone' while playing Every Extend Extra where movement, music, colour and chains all come together in an extremely heady mixture.

With seven stages (and two additional levels which need to be unlocked) the game may not be lengthy enough for some, but the hook here is not an endless stream of levels, rather the delight of sight and sound and trying to achieve an even higher score than previously. In this respect the number of stages combined with Caravan mode (which allows the levels to be tackled individually once unlocked), Boss Attack modes that allow you to tackle the bosses individually or in sequence, plus the nice little touch of having the original Every Extend included, are all perfectly suited to the game's philosophy and its format.

There is also a multiplayer mode which allows two players to compete against one another. Here each player has their own separate playing field, part of which is occupied by a large impenetrable rock. Detonating chains causes your opponent's rock to increase in size, restricting their play area and making things more difficult. The fact that you have no indication of what your opponent is doing increases the stakes and means if you have someone to pit your wits against it can be a welcome deviation from the hypnotic single-player experience.

It’s worth noting that for those who want to import the game that the Japanese title has very little in the way of Japanese text and all the menus and in-game action are in English.

Both puzzler and shooter, Every Extend Extra’s tag line is 'Music in Your Mind' and thanks to its combination of simple but engrossing mechanics, captivating sound and visuals, and deceptively simple old-school charm, it really is an apt description for the feeling that will bring the player back time and again.