Multi-chain attaks, combos and power-ups
Space Invaders Extreme has an in-depth scoring system where you’re judged not only on how many of the scuttling invaders you kill, but also which ones you kill first and how you kill them.Multiple chain attacks can rack up some serious wonger, whereas hitting a certain UFO may result in a shooting challenge where you’re tasked with destroying a set amount of one alien type as they fly at you from all directions.
Also, if you shoot 4 invaders in a row of a certain colour you’ll get more points then if you simple kill them in any order. As well as extra points for clearing columns or rows of invaders there are dozens of things that determine your score.
There are laser power-ups, allowing you to send a wide beam upwards and take out multiple targets. There are bombs, shot enhancers and many other variations that make the game tactical as well as fun. A nice touch is that you can disable your power-up by pressing the shoulder button and it will also disable the countdown ticker. When you feel you’re up against it, you can simply press the shoulder button again to activate it and start the countdown timer from where you left off.
The way that the gameplay and the scoring system are designed encourages you to play strategically rather than just blast the aliens to pieces like you would do in the original.
The fast-paced gameplay is often chaotic, but similar to the gameplay in Geometry Wars on DS, it flows perfectly and the swirling patterns and colourful explosions just add to the overall sensory experience
One word sums up Space Invaders Extreme: brilliant. Undoubtedly, the developer has used sound and music to stimulate your senses, and boy does it work, but it’s still the challenging gameplay that makes it so addictive. With a distinguished scoring system that encourages you to experiment, Space Invaders Extreme is one of the best arcade-style titles on DS, no question about it.
Pros
Still retains classic feel, but blows you away with modern twists
In-depth scoring system encourages experimentation
Great power-ups
Looks great
Sounds great
Multiplayer and global leaderboards
Cons
I want to play this on a bigger screen!
Space Invaders comes careering into the 21st century with some style.
HEXUS Awards
Space Invaders Extreme- Nintendo DS (9/10)
