Earth vs. Moon

Most recently, I've come to accept that the prospect of a nuclear holocaust needn't be a bad thing. This most recent of lessons has come from Earth vs. Moon, where swarms of missiles slowing tracking towards the planet's surface is treated with a refreshing dose of humour rather than any sense of terror.

It's an approach that does Earth vs. Moon plenty of favours, since it clearly doesn't want to be taken too seriously. When the world population is threatened with near-obliteration and the solution is to mate like bunnies in the spring to make up the deficit, the motivation to actually defend against assault gets called into question.

Calling on retro titles from here, there and everywhere, Earth vs. Moon is a case of defending the earth from a series of lunar attacks, the idea being to take out approaching missiles with swarms of your own. It's a snazzy take on Missile Command.

In standard levels, you take charge of three satellites positioned evenly above the earth's surface, your line of defense launching missiles towards target points in the sky whenever you touch the screen. These missiles explode when they reach your target, hopefully setting off a chain reaction of blasts that turn whole lines of enemy ammunition into fodder.

Each level comes with parameters, your moon-based rival launching a limited number of attacks and your own arsenal similarly kept in check. Tackling each wave doesn't necessarily mean taking out each and every missile: holding onto Earth is good enough.

In this respect, the game is as much about resource management as it is shooting down every missile that flies your way. Running out of missiles before the level's end is a serious concern. Learning which waves have the potential to cause the most damage is necessary in determining how to best spend your own salvos.

Sandwiching the standard levels are mini-games that retread arcade classics such as Space Invaders and Breakout. Both are mimicked in boss modes, with gameplay subtly shifted so that it fits in with the touch-based tussles.

Such tributes mirror the air of celebration that thrives here from beginning to end. Familiarity is far from an attempt to cash-in on classics, though. Earth vs. Moon feels like it's been put together to rejoice in past pleasures and poke fun at the serious nature of modern-day alternatives. It manages to be funny, engaging and downright hard. If only man's first steps on the moon had lead to such glorious warfare.