One of the Vita's best (No longer exclusive) exclusives, Velocity 2X combines some of the best things in gaming to make something unlike any other game I've played. A combination of twitchy action SHMUP, fast-paced speedrunner platformer, position-warping powers using the touchscreen, a butch space marine lady protagonist with a cyborg sidecut, and an addictive scoring system that encourages you to replay levels to perfection, Velocity 2X treads so much ground across multiple genres, and makes it seem effortless and seamless in how well it sticks every landing.
The main unique mechanic of the game is the warp ability, which allows you to instantly teleport to a different area on the screen in SHMUP mode by tapping the screen there, or by holding a button to control a reticle and releasing it where you want to go (Only the latter works in platformer mode though). The game is very creative in getting as much use out of the mechanic as possible, with later levels requiring you to warp around to different paths in a level and even warp back to the start once a platformer section in one route has been solved to open up a new area. Once you get the hang of it, you start to see how it can be used to shave extra valuable seconds off your time in a level by skipping jump animations or warping around a boss screen to have your bullets land faster. It can be a little awkward at first taking your thumb off the system to reach the touchscreen where you want to go, but once you get the muscle memory, it can be faster than the button method. It's a great mechanic that gives the player plenty of tools to optimize their performance with.
If you're a fan of speedrunning games like Sonic that encourage you to replay stages to get better ranks and unlock extras, Velocity 2X will scratch that itch perfectly, and I guarantee you haven't played anything else quite like it. While the former Vita exclusive has been ported to most modern platforms, I should note that because the main mechanic is heavily improved by the touchscreen, the Vita or Switch versions are the best available. Still, I totally recommend it if you too are the type who will not rest until you've A-ranked any given Sonic level.
Or if you just like hot butch cyborg ladies, either one.
