Interesting, artistic twist on Space Invaders

Developed for the experimental gameplay project, EARTH is an art game that will be instantly recognizable to anyone who’s every played a video game.

As EARTH starts, the set up is obvious – you are the lone fighter ship, defending your planet against an onslaught of alien invaders. Control is via cursor keys, with space for fire. Unlike Space Invaders, there is an end to this invasion, and much of the interest with Earth comes from finding the different endings.

Playing the obvious way, it’s really not challenging, although you may not feel good doing so! Playing EARTH in another way – discover how yourself – is more rewarding a challenging!

The graphics are fairly basic Space Invaders style, with some nice explosion effects, and the sound suits the action very well. This is very much an ‘art’ game, so be warned. If you’re looking for adrenaline fueled alien shooting you will be disappointed.

Despite that, EARTH is an interesting spin on the classic genre, and it does make you think about what you are doing – in fact it does so much more explicitly and successfully than Modern Warfare 2! Requires Java.

The simple gameplay is timeless, as are the iconic alien blocky invaders. However, EARTH is not what it first appears to be, and is actually an interesting experience that challenges you to think a little!