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Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions

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Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions

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The term 'console quality graphics' is usually met with reactions like "yeah right" and "what, you mean the Dreamcast?"

But trippy, psychedelic shmup Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions - which has you arcing around space sausages, spilling neon-tipped bullets at kamikaze diamonds and pinwheels and triangles - really does look like its PS4 equivalent.

Those sparky fireworks, and whopping great ripples in the fabric of the stage, and the massive mobs of on-screen enemies are all there, on your iPad. It's pretty impressive.

Love triangle

This is, in many ways, a direct port. You get the complete Adventure Mode, which is a string of creative challenges.

Here you'll find those loopy three-dimensional planets, quick-fire stages, and unique levels like puzzle-led boss battles and stages that shift shape mid-way through.

With 50 odd levels, each with three stars to unlock, it's a sizeable package and well worth playing. But Lucid does drop some of the simple elegance of Geometry Wars here.

In its place, we get things like special bombs and tagalong drones, which can be upgraded with cash (thankfully, there are no in-app purchases) adding grinding and issues of balance on the leaderboards (which are curiously kept on Facebook, instead of Game Center).

Luckily, you'll find more stripped-back modes too. Pacifism robs you of your guns, so you spend the entire game running. King only let's you shoot from within short-lived safe zones. Evolved is the closest you'll get to the original Geometry Wars.

Diamond back

A few things are missing from the console edition, though, like multiplayer and all the extra goodies added in recent updates.

The game controls admirably on the touchscreen, and you won't even need the auto-aim handicap to keep up with the game's searing pace. Better yet, Dimensions has full support for MFi controllers.

And while the game undoubtedly works best on iPad, it's perfectly playable on iPhone too - with iCloud saves to keep your campaign progress synced between devices.

Geometry Wars 3 might not be the very best game in the series, but it's the only one on iOS. And with so many ideas, such a lot of content, and very few compromises, it's well worth owning.

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is a truly impressive port of a great twin-stick shooter, that's absolutely packed with content
Score
Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer