I imagine that the developer meeting where they came up with the premise for TxtBlaster went something like this:

Dev #1: okay, what’s a great arcade game that everyone loves?
Dev #2: Space Invaders!
Dev #1: yes! Now what’s a cool game that’s kind of obscure but awesome?
Dev #2: Typing of the Dead!
Dev #1: Perfect! Now by their powers combined, we have…  Typing of the Inva… I mean TxtBlaster!

Okay so maybe there was more to it than that but it doesn’t change the fact that there’s very little fresh material in TxtBlaster, and while it may not have the same level of reverence as its sources, its still a decent game on its own.

Get ready to thumbcercise!

If you haven’t yet mastered the use of your touch screen keyboard this game might just be the tool you need to practice without having to leave yourself endless notes full of gibberish.  Little pixelated aliens fall from the sky carrying convenient little signs that say exactly which letter makes them explode.  The goal is to blast away all of the invaders in each level to prevent them from landing and destroying your little moon base.  That’s about it though, the game never really gets more complex.  As you progress through the levels you’ll encounter some different enemy types who fall in different ways and the game will start getting faster.  Eventually you’ll hit that barrier where you can’t possibly type fast enough on a touch screen keyboard to keep up with the speed of the game.

The game has a very appropriate 8-bit art style that fits perfectly with the type of game.  The invaders themselves each have a unique look that allows you to quickly identify them and prioritize the types that fall more quickly.  There’s also a neat little chiptune to listen to while you play and while it adds to the retro feel it gets repetitive quickly.  There’s only one mode available for play and while you have 3 difficulty levels to choose from, the only thing that changes is that on a harder setting you’ll start at a later level.  To make matters worse, the point bonus they give you for jumping right into the harder levels is significantly less than the score you would have accumulated had you taken the two extra minutes to play from the beginning.

Damn you aliens! Get off my moon!

Overall, txtblaster is a game who’s only real flaw is a lack of depth.  Simply put, the game is solid, the graphics fit nicely and the sound does too, but in the end it just won’t hold your interest for long enough to make it really worth the money.