Maddeningly-addictive Space Invaders remake

Even if you weren’t born in the 1970s, you’ve still probably heard of Space Invaders, which was the original arcade shoot-em-up.

Space Invaders long since got blasted away but its spirit still lives on in games such as Titan Attacks! And what a great remake this is too. Pumping sound effects, fast and furious action, and lots of bonuses, weapon enhancements and money to play for that make it incredibly addictive from the start.

The principle of Titan Attacks! is the same as any Space Invaders-style game – blast the aliens out of the sky before they get you. As you progress through the levels and clear each screen, you earn cash, which you can use to improve your gun or buy more shield (to begin with that’s all you’ll be able to afford). At periodic intervals, you have the chance to blow up saucers and collect falling bonuses that give you a super-shield, extra cash and other bonuses.

Each level takes no more than a minute or so to complete (if you’re a sharp shooter) and by reaching level nine, I thought I’d make it onto the high score table. Well I did, but well outside of the top 100 other players who had submitted their scores online.

My only criticism of Titan Attacks! is maybe the odds are balanced too strongly in your favor. It is a little bit too easy to clear the screen (especially with a big gun) and maybe it would have been a bit harder if ammunition was limited.

Overall though, Titan Attacks! is a brilliantly addictive game that does the space invaders genre proud. Great to see a retro game as fun as this on the Mac.