Beat Invaders

Developer: Raffaele Picca | Publisher: Raffaele Picca | Release Date: 2022 | Genre: Action / Casual / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Games like Space Invaders Extreme have proved that sometimes all the classics need to shine again is a new coat of paint and some polish. Beat Invaders by Raffaele Picca continues this trend by using Space Invaders as inspiration, but turning everything about it up to eleven. The game started as a 48-hour game jam project, which proved popular enough to turn into a compact full-game release. While the retro influences are undeniable, Beat Invaders adds enough to the mix that it never feels like a cheap imitation.

For a game that is all about moving left and right while blasting alien enemies, Beat Invaders offers a surprising amount of modes and options. Players can select between Easy, Normal, and Hyper Mode, which dictates the pace of the game as well as the difficulty. The beat and tempo of songs in the game influence factors such as enemy movement and firing rates, so each difficulty has its own playlist, which is a neat touch.

While the goal is always to blast through waves of enemies as quickly as possible, players are also tasked with protecting a convoy of four freighters flying in formation in front of them. This adds an extra layer of strategy to the shooting as on any mode above Easy these freighters are vulnerable to friendly fire. So, instead of simply holding down the fire button and blasting away, players must carefully maneuver past the freighters to protect them from harm while not inflicting any damage in the process. Players who would rather not deal with this additional challenge can instead opt for the “Lone Wolf” mode, which removes the freighters from the equation. In addition, there’s a “Speed Run” mode which ends the run after the defeat of the final boss, instead of looping around like the other modes. Finally, the game offers Daily and Weekly Runs with online leaderboards to keep players invested.

Initially, players only have access to one pilot, Captain Blaine, with her “Pulse Blaster” ship class. It offers a high rate of fire and a piercing projectile special, but medium mobility and only three health points. Players can also unlock Captain Sienna with her “Spreadshot” ship class, which trades mobility for an extra health point. Finally, there’s  Captain Riley whose ship offers a low rate of fire and only two health points but has a devastating railgun. Whichever pilot players choose they can further customize their run with “System Hacks.”  These range from a defensive shield and extra upgrade levels to faster upgrades and friendly fire protection. All of them are extremely useful, but only a few can be equipped, so players must choose carefully which will benefit them the most and match their playstyle the best.

The gameplay is as simple as the original Space Invaders, but no less addictive. Enemies attack in waves and stay in formation while moving left and right. Players must eliminate all the enemies before they can destroy the convoy, reduce the players’ ship health to zero or reach the bottom of the screen where they are much harder to hit. Destroyed enemies drop tokens and power-ups, which can be grabbed to purchase upgrades between waves or unleash devastating special attacks. The upgrades are randomized and can help increase things like the fire rate of your weapons, ship speed, weapon spread, and more. While these upgrades are all lost if players are defeated they also earn skill points that can be spent on permanent upgrades for future runs. These are split into ship modules, ship upgrades, and convoy upgrades, each with multiple options and upgrade levels. Thankfully, skill points can also be reset without any penalty so players can try out different combinations if they wish. The upgrades really make a difference and enabled us to push a little further each time we played, which kept the game fresh and interesting.

Visually the game looks great and surprised us with what the Godot Engine is capable of delivering. Each screen is bursting with color and enough projectiles are flying around to give any bullet hell shooter a run for its money. The visuals can get a little chaotic at times, but that’s true for most games in this genre. Beat Invaders also feels very polished and we didn’t encounter any issues while playing. We would have liked to see a few more bosses, but the two that are in the game, along with the events and mini-events make for exciting encounters.

As the name suggests, Beat Invaders features a soundtrack that is integral to the gameplay. It’s not as pronounced as in full-on rhythm games, but the beat and tempo of the music do influence the action. The game features 33 music tracks in total and even after multiple runs we never grew tired of any of the songs. Beat Invaders also boasts responsive controls, whether using a keyboard, mouse, or controller. Players only have to worry about moving left and right, shooting, performing a dash, and activating a special attack. We prefer using a controller for these types of games, but since the ships can only move left or right keyboard and mouse players will have no trouble playing either.

Overall, Beat Invaders is a fast, fun, and very addictive game that pays tribute to the likes of Space and Invaders and Galaga. It features enough modes and options that it can be played either as a mindless shooter or as something that requires a bit more restraint and careful planning. The neon-lit visuals and thumping soundtrack will draw players in, but it is the gameplay that will keep them coming back for more. Fans of the arcade classics will love Beat Invaders, but it also gives newer players a taste of what they missed out on from the early days of shooters.