Firi Games has had Phoenix 2 in the works for quite a long time, and after we checked out an early version of it back at GDC in March, the game has now officially soft-launched in both the Singapore and Netherlands App Stores. In case you aren't up to speed, the original Phoenix is a vertical shoot 'em up with procedurally-generated levels that launched in the App Store way, way back in October of 2010. It was rough around the edges, but its accessibility and randomly generated nature made it a perfect fit for a mobile game. Phoenix was eventually superseded by Phoenix HD [Free] about a year later, which added revamped HD graphics and a new free to try model. Phoenix HD has been updated a ton over the past five years and continues to be updated to this day. Phoenix 2 retains the essence of the original, but has been rebuilt from the ground up to take advantage of 64-bit hardware and Apple's Metal graphics system. It also has a slightly different concept than the original. Levels are still procedurally generated, but only one per day, and everyone in the world plays the same level for that 24 hour period. It's sort of like Leap Day [Free], but a shooter. It's also not endless like the first game, and if you beat the daily level you're free to go back and try again and again to improve your score.

You'll earn experience and in-game currency each time you beat your best run in a daily level, and the in-game currency goes towards upgrading one of the 40(!) different playabl...