In geometry, there's such a thing as a shape with infinite sides. It's called an apeirogon (basically, a line) and it connects twin-stick shooter Infinity Field with the most iconic example of the genre.
While Geometry Wars: Touch elevated twin-stick arcade shooters, Infinity Field goes even further with a quality design that focuses on detail.
Rather than reinventing the formula, this is a game that fine tunes it with an assortment of features that make gameplay more intuitive and unique modes that defy copycat labelling.
While not everything about Infinity Field is worthy of praise, it takes the right angle.
Square designOne thumb to move, the other to shoot - Infinity Field lives up to its twin-stick shooter billing with straightforward action. You command a small spaceship against an army of geometric enemies that zip about an enclosed battlefield. Along with shots fired from your ship, you can detonate bombs capable of wiping the field clean.
Special power-ups regularly appear. There are extra lives, force fields that keep enemies from approaching your ship, nuclear blasts that obliterate all enemies in sight, and slow motion triggers that give you a speedy advantage.
It all works well, even if the power-ups don't feel fully integrated into the design. Power-ups appear late in levels, usually after you've gotten to grips with the most difficult sections.
The controls are solid and a decent slate of options allow you to tweak the way bombs are triggered or whether the virtual analogue sticks are fixed or contextual.
The stuff you haven't seen beforeWhat sets Infinity Field apart is the introduction of new modes of play. Along with the 36-stage campaign during which you can upgrade your ship using credits earned in action, there's a robust set of one-off modes available in solo and multiplayer form.
The inclusion of multiplayer is enough to distinguish the game, giving it lasting replay value beyond posting scores online.
Take the inventive Zombie mode, for example. Rather than disappearing from the screen, geometric baddies turn white and freeze in place. These zombie shapes can only be eliminated by detonating a nuclear bomb that appears after some seconds pass. There's Snake mode where you guide a red attack line attached to your tail to destroy enemies.
The placement of a radar at the bottom of the screen is a great feature, informing you where enemies are on the screen. Auto-pause whenever you lift your thumbs from the screen is also a nice touch (yes, it's been done before, but it's notable nonetheless).
Cover your earsRather that toying with the twin-stick shooter format, Infinity Field offers new ideas within that framework. Its creativity comes from gameplay ideas that are genuinely fun, instead of derived from experimental controls, odd modes, or a unique setting (something which the game certainly can't claim).
This doesn't excuse Infinity Field from its flaws, chief among them the terrible audio. The music is passable - the generic techno tunes could stand to be replaced - but the sound effects are truly awful. Enemies sound like corn popping when shot and the screeching effect played when advancing to the next level prompted me to mute the device.
That made it possible to enjoy what otherwise is a fun shooter. The line connecting Infinity Blade to Geometry Wars: Touch is clear, yet there's no doubt that this is the superior game in terms of features, modes, and overall quality.