Geometry Wars: Retro Involved Review (no fat)

Game Description

Geometry Wars: Retro Involved, one of the first Xbox Live Arcade titles, is a relatively simple space shooter. A four-minute demo is freely available for those who want to get a glimpse of what awaits them in the full game. Of course, this demo version is heavily restricted compared to its full-fledged counterpart, but you do get a good idea of what Geometry Wars is about.

Geometry Wars: Retro Involved Gameplay

Geometry Wars is a top-down shooter, and its premise is simple. There is no story, and you only play for the challenge and the score. It’s not like the game’s genre requires it to have a story anyway. Control your pea-sized but strangely powerful spaceship, and fend off the legions of enemies swarming towards you by releasing a string of bullets. And a lot of foes are available to give this title a charming appeal. The uniqueness of the opposing forces includes giant space snakes and just plain squares, circles, or other shapes.

This almost hilarious roster gives the game an addictive atmosphere. You won’t find the time to even chuckle though, as the enemies never fail to notify you of their presence. Moreover, keep in mind that some of those cutesy opponents can even dodge your regular attacks, making your task substantially harder. Thankfully, in addition to your bullets, you also have bombs at your disposal, which are limited in number, but utterly destructive. Use one of these apocalyptic ammunition, and the screen is instantly cleared, as all opponents are ripped into oblivion.

Don’t forget to let loose on your ship’s bullets, since you obtain upgrades and new lives when you reach a certain amount of points. Your gun itself can evolve into a stronger and more rapid version, with your bullets dashing away at top speed and spreading to take out more foes. Watch them tear your enemies apart with less effort. Extra bombs are also obtained, and these will certainly come in handy to clear the screen of surrounding enemies as you find yourself in a tight situation. Finally, extra lives can also be netted, to increase your chances of attaining the acclaimed 1,000,000-point mark.

The points’ threshold to obtain the different bonuses is quite elevated, and thus makes the game even more challenging. In addition, your score is stored, and there’s nothing more satisfying that having your name on the Xbox Live scoreboard, as you proudly let the world know of your achievements.

Geometry Wars requires you to be fast and alert at all times. With the barrage of enemies always appearing from everywhere and seeking you out, you’ll find yourself never letting go of the shoot button. There is no slow-down even with the sometimes mind-numbing number of targets on-screen, and this only makes the game even more frantic.

This is however just a single-player game with only one basic mode. There’s no multiplayer support, and no real secrets, other than the extra items, to unlock. The game nevertheless does not suffer from this lack of options, as it delivers a lot as a simple shooter. The fun lies in avoiding your opponents’ attacks and retaliating as quickly as possible, and Geometry Wars never disappoints in this aspect.

Geometry Wars: Retro Involved Controls

Since the action is so fast-paced with so many enemies to dispose of, the effectiveness and response of the controls are important. Thankfully, both aspects are nicely taken care of. Moving your ship around involves using the left analog stick. You may then fire in any direction with the right analog stick. This simple lay-out is extremely intuitive, and easy to get accustomed to.

Geometry Wars: Retro Involved Visuals

While Geometry Wars makes use of pretty simple patterns and shapes, these are nevertheless beautiful with flashy colors coupled with nice visual effects to highlight the action. Ships are destroyed amidst vibrant explosions of color, and the light effects are almost delicate in their crispness.

Geometry Wars: Retro Involved Sound

The game boasts a catchy techno theme, but that’s merely the tip of the iceberg. Custom soundtracks make Geometry Wars a title upon which you can listen to your favorite music. It’s your choice. Pop in your favorite metal album to make the action even more hectic, or load in some rock music to give more meaning to the surrounding explosions. The sky’s the limit…

Geometry Wars: Retro Involved - Overall

With its low price tag and addictive game play, Geometry Wars is an excellent game in spite of its simplicity. Its excellent control and superb visuals makes it a thoroughly enjoyable game, specially if you’re a long-time fan of shooters who grew up with classics such as Galaga.

Geometry Wars: Retro Involved Cost

Geometry Wars isn’t actually available on store shelves, but is instead downloaded via Xbox Live Arcade for 400 Microsoft points, which amount to approximately $5.