Chillingo once again tries its bid at a successful genre. Can they repeat what they’ve done with Minigore?

Inkvaders ($0.99)

The task at saving the day falls at the feet of Generic Marine (G to his friends). As the martian horde invades, G must battle his way from his base on the Moon back to Earth, to wipe the Martian menace from our streets and restore the human race.

My Take

You know I just got through reviewing EA attempt at the 99 cent market. For some reason or another it’s not that the game is bad (it’s quite fun), but it’s just not as quirky as the ones we are used to playing. Inkvaders is essentially a quirky side scrolling shooter like Zombieville USA. Except there’s a few tweaks here and there to make it not so much as a clone.

Inkvaders plays with a tongue-in-cheek chuckle as you move from left to right, gunning down those pesky aliens along the way.  It’s the perfect setup for a game that costs a dollar.

Presentation

It’s been done before, but it never gets old, the game is made to look like it belongs on a piece of paper, and everything animated is cutout, including the interacting characters. As a designer I always appreciate the extra time it takes to not make it so flashy, intentionally.  Inkvaders looks and plays polished, without all the polish.

Game Play

The “Generic Marine” or “G” must get rid of the Aliens through 30 levels of shooting (or avoiding) in a side scroll method of attack. Hmmm you say, it sounds like the others already made?  With the addition of a jet pack, plus fifteen different weapons, it starts to get interesting the more you play the game.

Good news in my opinion, there is limited ammo in the game.  As much as I like autofire , conservation plays a different role in the game, which I think is much more of an acceptable way of playing.  You should have to manage your arsenal.

One factor of the game that might be a stumbling block to some parents is the red blood the Aliens leave behind. “G” has a good aim for headshots, and they are abundant!  Although the aliens are a bunch of bobble heads, some of the invaders are dressed up in different costumes if you will.  It makes the game that much more interesting to play through.

The Cons

This one is near perfect.  If I can fly, why can’t I shoot while in the air?  It’s annoying since “G” is angled down to aim at the aliens.  Secondly, autosave feature would be helpful. It’s a casual game, but it is 30 levels, some gamers can only play the game when they can.

Finally, it’s a game that could use some social integration.  If it’s in the works, that’s great.  I think it’s a game of bragging rights with internal achievements like some of the other titles we like.

Conclusion

It’s fun!  I will say it’s worth the dollar spent.  It’s not one of the “best of the best” of the 99 cent market, but it’s definitely worth the purchase.  Inkvaders is a straight up shooter with some well done “badly drawn” graphics.

I only hope we can get more of these gems thrown our way. Once again, to independent developers who make these games, hats off to another fine specimen.  You would only hope EA would learn from Games Faction’s standards and produce something good.