Space Invaders Forever Review – Extreme Arcading

TAITO and ININ Games surprised us recently with a sudden release announcement for the highly anticipated arcade classic revival collection, Space Invaders Forever, which brings not one, not two, but THREE games in one, all of which offer their own fun and unique twists to the arcade series.

But is this 40+ year old franchise invading a bit too extremely on the wrong year? Or is Space Invaders Forever the perfect way to close out 2020, with a lot of aggressive aliens rhythmically dancing their way towards you? Well, let’s not wait any longer.

Right off the bat, there is surprisingly a lot of game here. For those who are not familiar, TAITO has resurrected a few of their legendary games into a more modern style with techno music, bright colors, and eye-popping visuals. It has really done wonders for the Pac-Man franchise, but here we have a couple of newer Space Invaders games that have been huge in Japan for quite some time at the TAITO Game Centers.

Space Invaders Forever boasts three games that all follow the standard Space Invader formula while also doing their own thing to provide more bang for your buck in this fun collection. Since there are three games within, I will be reviewing each game individually and then reviewing the collection as a whole at the end. We will start with the top game (And arguably the most popular) on the list upon startup, Space Invaders Extreme.

Space Invaders Extreme

Space Invaders Extreme is to Space Invaders what Pac-Man Championship Edition is to Pac-Man. This is a wild ride and quite literally an extreme version of the original game. The Switch version of Space Invaders Forever, unfortunately, only has the single-player version of Space Invaders Extreme, which is a bit of a bummer, as the cooperative gameplay in the TAITO Game Center and even the Xbox 360 version of the game is a ton of fun.

Despite that, the frantic action in Extreme will keep you busy for hours and hours as you try to tackle the best routes, build your way up the difficulty ladder, and cement yourself on the extremely competitive leaderboards.

Arcade Mode sets a path through 5 stages that will really test your skills and speed. The explosive colors on stage can be a bit distracting, but the particle effects that occur as you blow up the numerous invaders is mesmerizing in all the right ways. Each stage takes you through a series of invader patterns with the occasional special UFO stage that ultimately leads to a boss battle, and the bosses are absolutely awesome. Each one special in their own way and require unique attacks and strategies to take them down, and they are genuinely the highlight of Space Invaders Extreme and possibly even the whole package of Space Invaders Forever.

Accomplishing certain milestones from level 2-A onward will give the opportunity to branch into more difficult versions of the following stages, and as you branch downward, it really does get insanely difficult. There is even the option to start the game in 1-E after you clear it for the first time which takes you through a designated difficulty path that will challenge any veteran of the series.

It really is unfortunate that the cooperative mode is not included, because the value of this game and the total package would rise tremendously. Playing alone is an absolute blast and can occupy you for many rounds, but knowing that the co-op mode exists and is not included here is a real bummer. Hopefully a future update will add this necessary feature.

Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE

The next game in Space Invaders Forever is Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE, and this is the competitive/cooperative game of the package. This was a TAITO Game Center exclusive that has finally made its way to the west, and it is a bizarre twist on the franchise where 1-4 players battle their way through three parts of a stage: the standard Space Invaders wall of invaders slowly moving downward; the fun mid-stage where hitting the fast moving invaders makes them larger until they finally pop; and finally a boss section that can be cleared alone but is heavily recommended to do with a partner or two or three.

This game is a lot slower than its Extreme sibling, and you feel that slowness tremendously when transitioning from one to the other. Movement is very similar to the original arcade game, and the death animation as well as the recovery feels like it takes ages. This approach is to contribute to the competitiveness of Gigamax 4 SE, so it is not simply about shooting recklessly. It is also about being wise and moving out of the way even if it seems like you are missing out on valuable points.

Although this can be played alone, it is not recommended. The real value here is in the multiplayer, especially when it comes to the boss fights. When two ships are next to each other, the blast is wider and stronger, and if all four ships are together, the ultimate attack is unleashed and does lots of damage. Each individual ship will also upgrade through casual play which improves the speed of the blaster, making later stages more tolerable.

The one unfortunate thing about Gigamax 4 SE is that the multiplayer is local only, which is hard for many of us now in this difficult time where we are social distancing. TAITO and ININ Games should have implemented online multiplayer, as I do not see too many people any time soon having parties and get-togethers just to play this one.

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders

The final game of Space Invaders Forever is Arkanoid vs Space Invaders, a port of a mobile game that came out over three years ago, and it is surprisingly fun on the Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, I do need to point out a couple problems right out of the gate.

First of all, something is up with the Nintendo Switch version, and instead of Arkanoid vs Space Invaders being an actual part of the Space Invaders Forever‘s package, it is a stand alone title and app. For whatever reason, this is not the case for the PS4 version of the game, and it is basically just taking up more space on the home screen. Secondly, this game can only be played in handheld mode, which makes sense considering its mobile roots, but it does not feel like part of the package for this reason (These two problems are most likely related). With that out of the way, let’s continue!

Of the three titles, I think this is the most enjoyable because it is the largest package with the most stuff to do. There’s a proper story, tons of stages, lots of things to unlock, and a boatload of characters from the TAITO universe making appearances. Not only all of that, but it is a really good arcade game to boot.

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders alone feels like a full game. The story, albeit shallow, is serviceable and combines the worlds well. Not only that, but the implementation of favorite characters like Bub and Bob from Bubble Bobble, people from New Zealand Story, Darius, Lufia, and Groove Coaster, just to name a few, adds a lot of replay value to mix things up in previous levels.

Since this is a mobile game, it plays like one, both physically and aesthetically. Holding the Switch vertically is fine for a while, but a normal Switch becomes hard to hold long term due to its weight. I found playing on the Switch Lite to be a significantly better experience. The look and feel are also completely mobile with touch controls, earning powerups, gaining coins (currency) to buy in-game stuff like characters, and attacking Ranking Mode. To some extent, this is what I expected, but I was blown away by the amount of fun I had with this one.

This is a really easy game to pick up and play, especially if you are out and about with your Switch, but the long term enjoyment very much depends on the size of your hand and the Switch you own. This can result in two different individuals having wildly different times with Arkanoid vs Space Invaders.

Space Invaders Forever

Now we talk about the whole package, and you know what? Despite its obvious flaws, Space Invaders Forever is great. At $29.99, you are getting three solid games in the TAITO universe that provide loads of fun and replayability, especially Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid vs Space Invaders.

The music across the board is spectacular, which should be no surprise, and the sound effects in Space Invaders Extreme particularly are out of this world.

The look and feel of each game is equal parts nostalgic and new, and it is amazing that we are still able to talk about Space Invaders in 2020 and not bat an eye. This is a franchise with legit staying power, and this is a collection that is worth a place in your game library.

Space Invaders Forever Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: ININ Games, TAITO
Release Date: December 15, 2020
Price: $29.99, £24.99, €29.99
Game Size: 1.0 GB (Plus Arkanoid vs Space Invaders)