On December 29th, version 2.0 of SPACE INVADERS INFINITY GENE for iPhone/iPod touch was released to the App Store. While we’ve done some minor tweaking in the past, this free update adds a considerable number of new features.

Now OpenFeint compatible!
- Global leaderboards have been added for three main categories (High Score, Number of Chains, Number of Nagoya Attacks). Separate rankings exist for both the standard game and Music Stages.
- Support for in-game Achievements has been added: 50 Achievements total, 5 of them Secret Achievements.
- Players may now upload their high scores and unlocked Achievements to Twitter and Facebook.
- INFINITY GENE is our second game to feature OpenFeint, following the classic Space Invaders for iPhone.

New Stages!
- 10 new Extra Stages have been added to the game.
- New stages become available as the Evolution Gauge is filled through play.
- Six of the new stages feature alternate versions of familiar bosses.
- Alternate bosses look similar to their standard counterparts, but move and attack in completely different patterns.

Music Stages expanded and improved!
- The fan-favorite Music Stage feature has evolved, resulting in even more diverse levels.
- Under certain conditions, the alternate bosses from the new Extra Stages will also appear.
- Song title and artist information is now displayed when a music stage begins.
- A Music Stage rating feature has been added.
- Players can now rate the Music Stages they’ve played on a 5 star scale
- Players can then share their Music Stage recommendations (title, artist name, and star rating) via Facebook and Twitter.

It’s our number one game at MustTap, and it’s gotten even better!

The Game

Classic Space Invaders becomes…

Space Invaders Infinity Gene is not your typical old school Space Invaders game. It looks like it during the first few moments, but as Charles Darwin would say, the game “evolves.” The game starts evolving into a scrolling shooter, like Raiden Fighters, after playing through a few levels. Evolution is how the game expands. Sometimes this gives the option to increase your lives, new ships with new weapons, or bonus levels, just to name a few of them. The levels each have a few evolution branches that require multiple playthroughs to unlock each of the evolutions. To do this, you need to fill up the Gene gauge by playing through the levels. It doesn’t take too long, so filling the gauge never really feels like a grind. All of the unlocks increase the lasting appeal of the game because most of them are actually worth unlocking.

The gameplay of Space Invaders Infinity Gene is exceptional. In order to move, you just drag your finger anywhere on the screen to navigate the ship. The ship will shoot automatically, so you don’t need to worry about that. I never felt like my finger or hand obstructed my view of the game, which is very important in this genre. There is quite a variety of weapons available to your arsenal; from the simple Rapid Shot, which is self explanatory, to Gravity, which absorbs enemy bullets. The types of weapons all have their own unique strengths and weaknesses against particular ships. Gravity may be good against small ships, but should you be fighting bosses, Lock-On is the way to go. Space Invaders Infinity Gene never got to the point of difficulty where I wanted to throw my iPhone against the ground; which other shoot’em up games often invoke. Since quitting out of rage is almost non-existent in Space Invaders Infinity Gene, the time you spend playing the game will be enjoyable. Fun fact, you can rotate the iPhone/iPod to play more like a horizontal shooter.

…Space Invaders Infinity Gene!

Graphics

Space Invaders Infinity Gene has great graphics in its own particular way due to it holding onto the retro feel from the original game. Most of the sprites in the game come from Space Invaders, but the newer sprites created for Infinity Gene remain true to the retro theme of Infinity Gene. The only color in the game comes from the backgrounds in the later levels and while there really isn’t a lack of diversity, despite it seeming that way.

Sound

Guess what? Space Invaders Infinity Gene has many sound effects similar to the ones found in the classic Space Invaders. The soundtrack is fantastic, and the other sounds work together perfectly. Much like the graphics, the sound will definitely be appreciated by some people more than others. There really isn’t much else to say other than it has that old school feel; just like everything else.

FIRE EVERYTHING!

Additional Comments

Space Invaders Infinity Gene is a great game that sucks you in. You can easily consume large amounts of time playing through the main game by itself, but prepare to lose more of your life in attempting to unlock all of the different evolutions. The tremendous amount of content gives this game a huge amount of replayability; those not obsessed with getting 100% completion will still be tempted to unlock all of the unlockables. There was so much with this game that I did not expect; Space Invaders Infinity Gene was such a fantastic experience.

Conclusion

Most people who do buy this version of Space Invaders will have a fantastic time from start to finish. For some, the $4.99 USD price point will be a turn-off, but I think that the price tag is perfect, maybe even too low. They could have easily charged a few more dollars, and it would still have been worth it. I highly recommend Space Invaders Infinity Gene to anyone who likes shoot’em up games, or just video games in general.