The Space Invaders cabinet stands alongside Pac-Man and Donkey Kong as a mainstay of any classic arcade. Its gameplay is familiar to even the most casual of gamers, and its blocky sprites have become something of a cultural icon, symbolizing not only classic video games but the entire era they emerged from. It has seen countless remakes and sequels on home consoles, but rarely have they strayed from the formula outlined in the original.
Space Invaders Infinity Gene, available on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, as well as mobile phones, is the latest incarnation of the franchise, with a twist. The game begins identical to its predecessor, but gradually progresses in complexity, maintaining visual elements of the original while introducing unique gameplay elements that make it almost unrecognizable from its classic roots.
The game’s low price ($4.99 mobile, twice that for consoles) and digital distribution represents a recent trend in gaming. While the video game market has traditionally been lead by physical sales of lengthy games with large development teams and high budgets, the low overhead of virtual distribution has lead to a re-emergence of smaller, more artistic games. Made on much lower budgets, these games don’t depend on massive sales to recoup their costs, and can afford to take risks and target a smaller audience of gamers. This relatively new market, made possible by the iPhone App Store, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and distribution software such as Steam, has seen success with award-winning independent titles like Braid and Machinarium, which managed to achieve a level of artistic recognition not usually associated with video game design. Space Invaders Infinity Gene is one example of how larger developers, in this case Taito, have begun scaling down with much smaller development teams in order to try and recreate that same sense of art.
For the most part, they’ve succeeded. The fusion of retro graphics with modern effects has already proven successful with the Bit.Trip series of rhythm games, also released via digital distribution, so it isn’t much of a surprise that Taito chose to take this route. As a result, the visuals are by far the most engaging element of the game, merging sprites from the original with 3D backgrounds and wireframe graphics. The gameplay manages to stay inventive from level to level as it evolves from the simple, albeit classic, original to a more fully fledged top-down shooter with some RPG elements. It is sleek and well executed, but it doesn’t break any particularly new ground. The constantly evolving graphics, however, manage to keep the game immersive and exciting.
The game is mostly focused on its atmosphere, and for that it’s well worth the price. Its combination of inventive graphics and twitchy arcade gameplay should be enough to keep almost any gamer satisfied.
Get more from gamer t shirts.
