I have not played a Space Invaders game for a quite a while, the last time was in a hardcore rap night in Cornwall where they inexplicably had the unit wedged away in a corner. Much to say I spent more time putting 10p's in there than pulling shapes on the dance floor. Prior to that it would have been another solid 10 year gap but even then the memories of those early days came flooding back with the sound effects and the unbeatable game play.

 

Switching on Extreme for the first time reopened all those memories, the haunting Jaws like theme is still there but has been given an up to date effect with a fat bass sound driving it and the familiar sprite based enemies are still floating across the screen looking menacing.

 

The original was always about the high scores and this is no different, but nowadays we have combos and they have been sensibly implemented here. Take out a column of attackers and you earn a combo bonus, take out groups of the same colour and it's another bonus. If you take out a set amount of the same colour you get a power up. Here you can upgrade your piddly little single shot to a broad shot, a bomb shot that takes out a group of invaders, a shield and the impressive laser that beams forward hot death onto all those that get in your way. If you manage to take out two sets of different coloured invaders and hit a bonus UFO you will be taken to a fever mode where you get some huge point bonuses by hitting a certain alien ship.

 

 

Though most of the baddies are your classic invaders that move across the screen, slowly making their way down to you after a few levels they start to evolve. Some will have shields whilst some will hold explosives that will allow you to get more combos. An unexpected surprise was the boss battles, these are huge invaders made up of small blocks that you need to shoot out to get to the weak spots.

 

The sound and look of the game feels Rez inspired, with a cool techno track in the background being accentuated by each shot you fire and baddie you blow up. The ships have a mixture of classic and trippy colourful effects that look great in HD.

 

The main game is hard enough with plenty of levels to play through but you also have a co-op mode and online mode that includes a survivor mode and a score attack mode.

 

Overall this version of Space Invaders is a real treat with a sensibly designed combo and score system that will keep fans hooked for another 30 years.