Game Reviews

Space Invasion

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Space Invasion

If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, then Starbyte just gave Taito a big, wet kiss. Any discussion of Space Invasion can't come without the inevitable comparison to Taito's arcade classic Space Invaders. A top-down shooter by any other name would be as sweet and that's exactly what you'll get here. Starbyte's game is unabashedly inspired by Space Invaders, which is to say it's horribly derivative.

That, however, doesn't prevent it from being entertaining.

Manning a spaceship, your objective is to wipe out waves of alien craft scrolling down the screen. Each stage pits you against enemies organized into various patterns. As they stream downwards, you blast them and take shelter from their attacks. Kill all the aliens and you progress to the next stage.

Contrary to what you'd expect, there aren't any tilt controls to be had here. Instead, manoeuvring your space fighter involves tapping two directional buttons near the bottom of the screen. Since your ship stays locked at the same altitude, you only have to bother with moving it left or right. Firing at alien vessels is also done using an onscreen button. We found it best to use both hands, your right thumb poised over the directional buttons and your left primed to fire.

For the most part, these controls work well. Your thumb has a habit of drifting off the directional buttons during intense shootouts – a result of not having a physical button to press. Since you don't ever receive the tactile sensation of a plastic button under your thumb, you can end up losing a life when your thumb presses down on the space above the actual key. It's impossible to know whether your thumb is actually on the directional keys unless you look down, which is undesirable since it interrupts the action.

A few minutes playing the game is enough to get accustomed to the controls, after which you can start to lay into the alien scum. Space Invasion is far from easy, requiring a sort of psychic relationship with the controls to preempt enemy fire with evasive dashes. Predicting enemy movements and attacks is the only way to survive and actually get a shot in yourself.

Help comes in the form of items dropped at random from certain enemies. Some aliens flash blue when hit, signifying that they're about to transform into an item. These range from point bonuses to a temporary shield to the extremely helpful extra life. Unfortunately, the probability of item drops is totally unbalanced. One game may offer only a couple items, whereas in the next you'll get a dozen.

What really stalls Space Invasion is the lack of content. With only one main mode of play and no stage select options, you're forced to play each game from the lowest stage. A hot seat two-player option allows you and a buddy to compete in this same mode for the best score, which is nice but really doesn't differ from playing on your own. Fortunately, the low price keeps things in check. You're only spending £2.39/$3.99, so the value-fun ratio is acceptable.

Space Invasion gets the job done if you're in the mood for something entertaining, but it's lasting appeal is questionable. There's just no a whole lot here. The retro-style gameplay is definitely enjoyable, though, despite being as fleeting as a kiss.

Space Invasion

Retro gaming invades iPhone in this entertaining, if short-lived homage to Taito's classic shooter
Score
Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.