Space Invaders has been enjoying a renaissance in the gaming world. With Space Invaders Get Even and Space Invaders Extreme, the series has been brought back to the forefront of gaming. Taito shows no signs of slowing down and has brough over Space Invaders Infinity Gene from Japanese mobile phones straight to the iPhone and iPod Touch, and introduces to quite possibly the best version of Space Invaders produced yet.

 

 Space Invaders Infinity Gene is all about evolution. The game begins with you playing the original Space Invaders in all its retro glory. After killing a few aliens, a white flash engulfs the screen and you are presented a quote from Charles Darwin about evolution. The game then transforms into a kaleidoscope of trippy visuals and thumping music.

 

 

Infinity Gene plays like a classic shoot-em-up, with some traces of bullet hell gameplay in later stages. Enemies, which also evolve, fill the screen and fire massive salvos for you to dodge. Lucky for you, power ups litter the stage which upgrade your current weapon to devastating proportions. The weapons are all practical and cool to watch and in their upgraded forms are true spectacles of destruction.

 

These weapons ensure the game is never too hard, but also not too easy. The difficulty stays balanced and stages are bite-sized enough for a portable offering, which is good because you can't save in the middle of a level or if a call interrupts your game.

 

Each level also presents you with the opportunity to evolve further. In order to evolve, you have to chain your attacks by destroying invaders in succession. Let too much time pass between your kills and the chain will break. After each level, your chain is tallied up and if you meet the requirements, you evolve. This can bring new weapons such as the lock on laser, bonus stages, and new abilities like being able move from the X-axis and really cause some carnage.

 

Control, which is an issue for many iPhone games, is spot on in Infinity Gene. You control your ship by touching anywhere on the screen. The control is tactile and responsive, and doesn't lag or feel sluggish. The game also auto fires for you, so there is no need to worry about laying down on the shoot button and dodge as well.

 

 

The visuals and music complete the evolution angle. As you progress further into the game, backgrounds and music begin to become more complex. What starts as a flat black screen soon becomes a Rez-like scene that's straight out of  Tron. Early stages feature no obstacles, while later ones showcase barriers and turrets to deal with. The music follows this philosophy as well. Early levels have slow and basic music, but as you evolve, the music does as well. The beats become faster paced and do a great job rising the tension.

 

Space Invaders Infinity Gene is a great shooter. The combination of visuals, music, and evolving gameplay make a fresh experience in both the Space Invaders franchise and shoot-em-up genre. It's better than Space Invaders Extreme and one of the best games on iPhone.It's a must have on your device.

 

 

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