Trapped
inside an intergalactic box*, you are the pilot of a spacecraft. With just two
weapons at your disposal – three charge bombs and a blast cannon with unlimited
ammo – there isn’t any room for mistakes. If your spacecraft is hit three times,
the alien life forms will break through. You’ll be eaten alive… By squares and
squiggly images!
Inspired by
the top-down shooters that once ruled arcades, Geometry Wars is a new game with
a classic style. The graphics are as simple as they can be, having fewer colors
than the games it could be easily compared to, such as Smash TV. This series,
which started on Xbox Live Arcade and will soon go multi-platform, was not
created to be a showpiece of what gaming hardware can do. Geometry Wars was made
with the goal of one-upping all other top-down shooters.
*I
wonder if this is what the inside of a black hole looks like?
Before this
game, originally dubbed “Retro Evolved,” pops up on the Wii and DS, it will make
a stop on mobile phones. The auto-shoot controls and basic game engine were
perfect candidates for mobile gaming, the contents of which have been scaled to
fit on tiny screens without losing its luster. Dual-stick controls (present in
the 360 version) are not possible on this format – a mechanic you’ll surely
miss. But for gamers who were addicted to Geometry Wars as a whole and not just
its controls, this version will help them continue that addiction –
imperfections and all.
Challenge
Me
In addition
to the endless Evolved Mobile mode, players can test their abilities in
Challenges, a collection of modes that contain restrictions to make the game
more difficult. An Immortal Mode is also present, which allows users to play
without dying to get a feel for the game and its controls. It’s not a necessary
inclusion – the best way to learn Geometry Wars is to play it as is. But it’s
here nonetheless.
The seven
Challenges are: Survivor (score the highest with one life), Monster (score the
highest with 10X multiplier), Trenches (score the highest without moving), Speed
(fastest to score 100K, 250K, 750K, 1M, 2M, and 4M), Multiplier (earn 5X or 10X
multiplier the fastest), Feline (earn 5 and 9 lives the fastest), and Bomber
(earn 5 and 9 bombs the fastest). These are cool additions, but bear in mind
that they are played from the same perspective, in the same level, and with the
same enemies as the Evolved Mobile mode.
Still, you
know a series is accomplished when (1) you can’t stop playing it even though it
technically has only one level and (2) you’re willing to overlook or fight to
overcome its flawed mechanics. Whereas the original game enabled you to fly and
shoot in opposite directions, this mobile adaptation must use a phone’s digital
(not analog) arrow keys. The ship fires automatically in the direction you
choose to fly, with a quarter-circle of ammo unleashed every time you adjust
your ship’s movement by 90 degrees.
To attack in
a direction different from your travel, push the center key (which differs by
phone; most say "OK," "Enter," or use symbols) to lock your gunfire into place.
This was a fair attempt, perhaps the only way possible given the technology, but
is more of a hassle than it’s worth. You can’t switch between locked and
unlocked firing modes very quickly, leading to many unnecessary deaths. It
wasn’t long before I eliminated this feature by selecting a different control
scheme from the options menu.
This skewed
my first impression of Geometry Wars, causing me to believe that I might
actually be able to permanently stop playing. The slower speed of the mobile
version didn’t help much – the game is at least 50% faster on XBLA. Again, the
technology (mobile phone versus home console) is to blame, not the game.
Right now, Space Channel 5
fans everywhere are thinking, "Up Down Up Down – Shoot-Shoot-Shoot!"
But in
continuing my play-through for the review, I discovered that, no matter how slow
or awkward the control scheme, Geometry Wars is incredibly addictive. There’s a
wonderful urgency that comes with every minute of play. It’s a constant rush to
survive by dodging and shooting, a gameplay style that has been beaten to death
for decades. But never has it been carried out this well in a top-down shooter.
Never before has there been a game that’s addictive in spite of the fact that
nothing ever changes. One scenario, one set of colors, one song played until you
kill the speaker…
The longer
you survive, the greater the challenge will become. You’ll get a couple of new
ships to destroy, which amounts to additional shapes to blast (mostly squares of
a different size, color, or movement pattern). The evolutions end there, but
your playtime just keeps going. This is the kind of mobile game that’s worth
playing even when you’re not trying to kill time.
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Gameplay: 7.9
Easy to learn,
hard to master, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved Mobile’s simple, blast-‘em-all-or-perish
gameplay is sneakily addictive. You might not realize it at first, when the
slowness and control monotony are making their rounds. But this is a game that,
despite its problems, doesn’t let you give up, making Geometry Wars a worthwhile
purchase for any mobile user.
Graphics:
3.0
Very, very basic,
even by mobile phone standards. A few colors, a handful of animations and …
done, you’ve seen it all.
Sound: 3.0
Geometry Wars has
two audio options: sound effects (which consist of just one blast sound and a
“whoosh” effect whenever you die) or music (one song played
repeatedly). No, you can’t play both the music and sound effects simultaneously.
The music isn’t bad – if expanded on, the game could’ve had a decent soundtrack.
But there’s no way a mobile game can get away with just having two sound
effects, not in this day and age.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Endless play
tests your endurance, while the other modes test how good you are at playing
under certain restrictions (one life, no traveling, achieve a high multiplier,
etc.).
Concept: 6.0
A mobile phone
conversion of Xbox Live Arcade’s most enjoyable release.
Multiplayer: N/A
No multiplayer
component, but you will be able to view opponents’ high scores and post your own
via the in-game network connection.
Overall: 7.7
Geometry Wars:
Retro Evolved Mobile isn’t as fast, flashy, or feverish as the Xbox Live Arcade
version. But if you’re a fan of its gameplay style and can deal with the
limitations of mobile gaming, this is a great game to have on your phone.
