I loved Space Invaders as a child, particularly the Game Boy Color version. Something concerning the music, the straightforward gameplay, and also the seemingly endless levels that I could never get very deep into with my limited skill made the game so appealing. Space Invaders Forever, produced by the initial company TAITO (now a subsidiary of Square Enix), brings three of the franchise’s twists around the original to the Switch and PlayStation.
The Space Invaders Forever collection includes three titles: Space Invaders Extreme, Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE, and Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders. None of these titles are new and were recently part of a Japanese exclusive Space Invaders Invincible Collection. However, Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders marks the first port from the original mobile game in the United States.
Space Invaders Extreme is exactly how it may sound. It’s extreme. It requires your classic Space Invaders gameplay of shooting flying aliens with missiles while they shoot back at you and cranks it up for an 11. In this high-octane version of the game, psychedelic colors flash in cool backgrounds, and great soundtrack music pumps as you remove waves of enemies. Your shots, kills, and missile intercepts all contribute different sounds to the dynamic inside a nice little touch, adding an extra backbeat to the game. These beats are different depending on which track plays in the background. It makes the gameplay a lot more addicting than it already would be.
A lot happens at the same time on the screen, though, even though you receive basic instructions at the start, it’s still a little confusing. You will find three various kinds of special shots you can force enemies to decrease, each tied to the enemies’ different colors. I surmise you are able to force them to visit killing a certain quantity of the same color in a row. A bar on the right side from the screen, that is difficult to see at first since you’re dropped straight into the sport, and there are lots of other flashing lights to pay attention to, seems to indicate just as much. But other HUD aspects have something related to rows and columns, and frankly, I could not discern what they did.
The game itself has an arcade and freeplay mode; the arcade mode driving you via a number of branching levels that you will get sent to based on your score in every level. The larger your score, the harder the amount you’ll be sent to next. You will find five rounds but many of replayability between your proven fact that your score is placed to zero if you lose all your lives, and there are a number of branches to attempt to conquer.
As fun as Space Invaders Extreme is, Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE is an overall total dud for me. This four-player form of Space Invaders has a very old-school graphical style and gigantic rows of aliens to shoot. The sport had three rounds. The first is your standard Space Invaders with straight rows of enemies and incredibly slow shooting. Then the aliens fall at random and take three shots to kill, each shot which makes them grow larger. The ultimate round is one giant alien boss battle. You're forced into the next round each time the aliens arrive at the bottom of the screen.
Single-player, farmville has basically no value. Even in multiplayer though, the clunkiness of the movement and shooting holds true to the original, sure, but why would I select to experience a clunky game after i can enjoy a smooth one? The background music and design are fine, but it really feels hardly worth time.
Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders surprised me with just how much I enjoyed it. I am unable to explain why farmville may come as a completely separate download from the other two titles which are packed together. However when I hear mobile port, I expect either time-delayed gameplay or gameplay that requires absurd amounts of in-game currency to continue after a certain point where it tries to allow you to spend real money to advance.
Fortunately, Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders sports neither. This game is really a crossover between TAITO’s Space Invaders and Arkanoid (a Breakout clone) also it really works really, really well. There’s a plot towards the game; basically, exactly that aliens are invading and you've got to stop them. But truly, I quite enjoyed the gameplay.
Rather than the normal back and forth movement of your ship whenever you shoot the aliens, here, you move a paddle up, down, left, and right to bounce aliens’ attack back their way or even the bricks that protect them. It’s a really creative mashup that actually elevates both game types. As you play with the game’s 150 stages, you collect gold coins based on how many points you accumulate which can be spent on single-round powerups or to unlock a number of new characters. Each of these characters comes from TAITO’s history of arcade games and have unique special powers that are activated via falling bonuses. While you play, you must also catch extra time and attack bonuses. Time bonuses are essential because each level includes a short time limit, while attack bonuses are helpful because, after a specific amount, you're able to launch a strong shot that breaks through enemies and bounces off both walls and bricks.
The levels do get more challenging as you play along. The music is not particularly exciting in this rendition though. And there's one major hangup. The sport is played entirely with the touch screen. Since it was originally a mobile title, the Space Invaders Forever port of Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders retains its original controls. Somewhat, this works and also keeps it from being clunky in the manner that many mobile ports can often be. However, it takes you to play with your Switch turned on its side. It just feels slightly cumbersome playing by doing this. I know the Switch is built to work such as this, however it feels bizarre considering so few titles actually utilize the Switch’s touch screen.
Space Invaders Forever is a nice celebration of the franchise. Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders are both quite fun and could make for great occupation on the long trip or while attempting to kill time. They’re quite replayable and offer challenges in a tight package. Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE is hardly even worth a glance though, and makes the $30.00 price tag a bit hard to justify.
Space Invaders Forever is available now on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
