Space Invaders Forever allows players to recover two very important titles for the history of gaming: Space Inveders Extreme e Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE, albeit in the European version Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders, title available only in the edition sold in the United States of America. But what game is Space Invaders? While it shouldn't need any introduction, know our purpose is eliminate aliens before they reach us. All of them follow a predefined pattern and rather simple to predict… but only after a while. How was the historic title revived this time? Here are all the details.
Right, right, down, left
As we said at the beginning of this review, Space Invaders Forever is a very small collection that contains two titles. The first available is Space Invaders Extreme, which literally makes the experience proposed by TAITO. The gameplay will be quite classic: we will have our small spaceship at our disposal and we will have to eliminate everything that comes in front of us. When we defeat some aliens, these are likely drop power-ups, so that we can clean up even more easily and increase our score, which is the real purpose of the game.
Although it may seem like a very boring and predictable title, it is absolutely not so, many things happen on the screen and you have to be careful about do not lose the three lives available, given that in the event that this happens, it will be necessary to repeat everything from the beginning. In addition, there are a number of boss fights available, which will become more and more difficult and that they will require more and more skills.
The feeling of victory that is perceived is really fantastic, even if you do not have time to enjoy it 100%, since the player will immediately find himself facing a new challenge. It must be said, however, that this title it doesn't have a multiplayer mode, but remind those who grew up in arcades how cool it was when the only enemy to beat it was his own score.
Space Invaders Extreme at first it might seem almost dark, a game with a very empty color palette, as it uses grays and whites. However, it is in game that they trigger very bright colors, so as to be able to accentuate the elimination of enemies. In fact, you will want to make a clean sweep even just to "color the screen". In short, a graphic style integrated into the gameplay so as to avoid possible fatigue in the player. The music and the sound effects manage to stay in the lead, and adding it all together we can define this first game contained in Space Invaders Forever truly an addictive pastime.
Old school projected into the present
If Space Invaders Extreme is reminiscent of arcades, Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE is the total opposite, even if it winks a lot at the old school. In fact, if in the first title of Space Invaders Forever it is a struggle against oneself, we can define this second title an online co-op. In fact, it will be possible to play with three other friends (always if you have the related service for your console ed) and have fun together to eliminate aliens. Of course, there is always one single player mode, but can't keep up with Space Invaders Extreme. Not only for the graphic style chosen, which is very reminiscent of the original, but also because it's not that smooth to play, at least alone.
The gameplay consists of games divided into three different waves: in the first we have the typical Space Invaders, therefore with very slow enemies to shoot at. Then enemies will come that they need to be hit three times to be eliminated, and we will notice that we hit them because they will get bigger with each hit, until they explode. The icing on the cake is the boss fight, which despite being quite difficult, does not stand up to the difficulty of Space Invaders Extreme. Also, you are catapulted to the next round in case the aliens reach the "bottom line of the screen".
As we have already said, the graphics remember very much the original Space Invaders, but can't keep up. This also applies to the sound effects and the chosen soundtrack, which is rather catchy but does not remain impressed, which is also a way to summarize Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE.
Celebrate history
Space Invaders Forever is a great way to celebrate the history of the video game, in the most general sense possible. We are not referring to this franchise that has marked the world of gaming, but to its entirety. This small collection is nothing more than a way to bring even the youngest, who now grow up with titles far from what the videogame world was in its origins. Regardless of the type of player you are, the fun is guaranteed, and being able to play with friends only triples it. Although it can be considered a "grandfather of video games", Space Invaders Forever is the clearest proof of how certain historical titles can never die, and that they manage to be playable even after years and generations of videogames that are increasingly "realistic and powerful". We remind you that Space Invaders Forever is available for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
