Glu Mobile's CEO Niccolo de Masi has been talking up the power of freemium pretty much since he joined the company at the start of 2010.

Now, and one $13.5 million refinancing plan later, it's time to see whether it's going to work.

Glu's just released the first in its new wave of freemium titles - a topdown twin stick shooter called Gun Bros.

In many ways, it's a typical freemium game.

It's ad-supported and encourages players to buy the in-app currencies with real cash in order to get their hands on better guns, armour and other items much quicker than they would be able to do by purely earning it within the game.

Play together

It also has the all important social features. Integration with Apple's Game Center enables players to take their friends' characters into their game.

This rewards both parties with additional experience and coins, although there's no multiplayer option in terms of direct control.

"We worked hard to deliver an innovative shooter that will appeal to core iPhone and iPod touch gamers as well as casual ones," said Glu's chief creative officer Giancarlo Mori.

"We think Gun Bros. will truly appeal to everyone looking for an action shooter with rich social elements."

You can read a fuller explanation of how Gun Bros. over on Pocket Gamer.