The Revival of a Classic with Alien Space Retro for iPad

By Colin | August 18, 2011 | No comment yet

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Ever heard of a little game called “Asteroids”? It was first released in 1979 in arcade console format, and its juiced up cousin has just made it to the iPad.

Gameplay in the original Asteroids was simple, as it is in Alien Space Retro, but this black and white space shooter has had quite the makeover in 32 years.

Alien Space Retro takes players back to the good ‘ol days of avoiding and destroying asteroids on an inescapable map. However, this is not your dad’s Asteroids, no matter how insistent he might be.

Players can choose to use one of two different weapons which start out as basic lasers and proximity mines. The option to switch and upgrade your aresenal comes once credits are earned in either Campaign or Survival mode. With some credits in the bank players can buy some serious weaponry.

There are two control areas on the iPad screen, the left being steering and the right shooting. Tapping the primary weapon directly above the shooting control gives the option to switch from basic lasers to a pre-chosen, limited ammunition secondary weapon that usually packs a bigger punch.

As players destory the waves of alien spacecraft they can pick up more ammunition for their bombs or for the equipped secondary weapon. Also, when asteroids are destroyed they often release little bits of energy which can help revive primary lasers.

My personal favorite is Survival Mode, in which upgrades are released mid-gameplay and need to be picked up after blowing up some space aliens. Along the way new types of aliens appear and players must quickly adapt or risk being overcome by the endless waves.

Options to change the appearance are located on the home screen, including the ability to turn off the honeycomb grid in the background. Also available is the choice to turn the HUD (heads up display) a different color during gameplay.

What I liked: I loved the classic Asteroids feel and smooth controls. The normal mode wasn’t too easy and hard mode was just difficult enough to keep my interest for an entire hour and a half car ride.

What I didn’t like: The in-app purchases limited the number of weaponry options unless players are willing to pay the cost of the app again. There should be a way to unlock them with credits.

To buy or not to buy: $0.99 is a steal for a game like this. The graphics are great, the controls are simple and gameplay is exceedingly engaging. This game is a must have, especially if you are an Asteroids fan.