“Retro games don’t die, they just get remade” is a saying I heard once. And in a way that is very true, for some games at least. Retro games get rebooted, remade, remastered almost all the time now. From the obscure Japanese only release to one of the most influential arcade games, at one point or another these games make a comeback so that a new generation of gamers can experience them. And speaking of influential arcade games, ININ once again has released a compilation of games based on said influential arcade game, a game that helped define a genre and other games were inspired by, Space Invaders.
Since its release in arcades in 1978 and home console release in 1980, Space Invaders has been ported to several different consoles and saw numerous remakes, remasters and reboots over the years. For this compilation, known as Space Invaders Forever, ININ decided to bundle three different versions of Space Invaders. These versions are Space Invaders Extreme, Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE and Arkanoid vs Space Invaders.
Story
While both Space Invaders Extreme and Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE (and any version of Space Invaders in general) doesn’t have a “story” per se, Arkanoid vs Space Invaders does. In Arkanoid vs Space Invaders, a race known as Invaders is terrorizing the galaxy as they invade planets for their resources. The last remnants of humanity develop two weapons to combat the threat: the mothership Arkanoid and the space fighter Vaus. These two are in the frontlines battling against the Space Invaders and are humanity’s last line of defense. The story is your typical space adventurer rookie tasking in protecting the galaxy from an invading threat. It’s not bad, just basic and something that has been used in other games over the years.
Gameplay
The gameplay for each of the three games is somewhat generally the same: shoot the alien ships before either time runs out, they destroy the bases or reach the bottom of the screen. However each of the three games takes that basic formula and puts their own spin on it.
Space Invaders Extreme is a highscore fest that has players trying their best to maximize their score shooting waves of alien ships that fly by using various power ups. There are different ways to do this: by shooting all the aliens in a column, in a row, the same color or the same shape. Doing anyone of these will fill up a fever meter that will send the player to bonus round. If the player is able to complete the objective, then they enter fever mode. This will increase the point value of the various ships for a limited amount of time. Levels end with a boss battle, and that’s pretty much all there is to Space Invaders Extreme. Players progress through levels using a branching path system that dictates the difficulty. As they progress through the various levels, they are unlocked in the Free Play mode, giving players the ability to replay individual levels.
Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE is classic Space Invaders but with a twist: instead of one player defending a row of bases there can be up to four players at once. It’s a bit basic and barebones, but with four players in the fray, it can get hectic. Fun but hectic. There is a downside though: no online multiplayer. And with gatherings being restricted, its a bit of an oversight to not have added online multiplayer.
Arkanoid vs Space Invaders is the odd one out of the three games as its gameplay is a mix of Arkanoid and Space Invaders. First off it can only be played in handheld mode, as the game is a port of the iOS version. Players take control of a ship called the Vaus (the paddle thing) and are tasked in fending off the “space invaders” by bouncing their lasers back to them, much like the game Arkanoid. There are pilots players can choose from that gives a unique special power after filling up a meter. These power ups range from bouching lasers back to the Invader ships faster, extending the paddle, etc. that The touch controls are very responsive and can be adjusted.
Graphics
Each of the games in Space Invaders Forever has their own unique visual take on the classic graphics. Space Invaders Extreme takes the original sprites and turns it to a laser light show. Everything from the flying saucers to the power ups are bright flashing lights that make for a really cool visual spectacle. Arkanoid vs Space Invaders also uses a mix of the classic pixel style but with bright neon colors and a space theme. As for Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE, don’t let its simple pixel art deceive you. Things get very colorful and flashy after a while.
Music/sound
While the original Space Invaders isn’t know for its musical tracks, later versions of the game have some really great tracks. The music in each of the games in Space Invaders Forever are all really catchy, with Space Invaders Extreme having the best tracks out of all of them.
While there might be other compilations of Space Invaders that have more games and extra content, Space Invaders Forever still does a good job of bringing together various takes of a classic. Other than Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE not having online multiplayer and being scarce on extras, I didn’t have any issues with the compilation. Do note that if you do buy the game off the eShop, that it will come as two separate downloads. With all that said, if you’re looking for a new way to experience Space Invaders, Space Invaders Forever is one way for that experience.
