Genre : Video Game
Developer: Bizarre Creations
Publisher: Sierra
Players: 1-2
Retail Price: $20
Availability: DS (also Wii)
I played the Geometry Wars games slightly out of order: chronologically speaking, they went Retro Evolved, Galaxies and then Retro Evolved 2. I came to the Galaxies party late, and played the DS version: while it’s also available on the Wii, I’d imagine the controls are entirely different and as such I don’t feel qualified to judge its merit.
The core gameplay is retained from the other games in the franchise: you’re a ship, flying about a level with other geometric objects spinning, winding and circling around and at you. There are separate controls for moving and shooting, which generally come in the form of two analog sticks, though that’s obviously not the case on the DS. The D pad always controls movement, but you can switch between two schemes for shooting: the face buttons or the stylus. Neither is perfect, as the stylus is more precise but requires you to hold the DS awkwardly, which both dug into my left palm and made it harder to hit the shoulder buttons to use a screen-clearing bomb. I was playing an original DS, so maybe you Lite and DSi owners’ mileage will vary. The face buttons exchange accuracy for comfort, though at first my right hand would cramp from constant tension. I eventually stuck with the face buttons and found that the cramping ceased and my aim didn’t suffer much. Then again, I don’t consider myself a competition-level player, so I’d imagine those at the top of the leaderboards may disagree.
While Retro Evolved 2 added to the original’s formula by adding different minigames, Galaxies differentiates itself with multiple levels and statistical permutations. Some levels change the shape of the main map: you’re in a diamond instead of a rectangle. In others, the playing area is much smaller (though enemies can be outside the map, you can’t shoot them), or there are barriers impeding both you and your enemies. On top of this, you’ll periodically be tossed in with no extra lives or bombs; the ability to earn more with high scores is also disabled, so it’s just you and your wits.
Another addition to the game are the Drones, which act as helpers as you play. You choose one for each level, though which depends on your playing style and the level you’re on. Most attack alongside you in different ways, though there’s also a Defense and Collect, for picking up geoms. Geoms are the currency of Galaxies, allowing you to unlock new levels, galaxies and Drones. I generally stuck to Collect at first, which gave me more geoms than I needed, after which I experimented until I found Turret, which sends out spirals of bullets and seemed almost overpowered.
As the title suggests, levels are grouped into ‘galaxies,’ with the levels themselves being planets. The type of map is generally varied, and the experience is similarly hit or miss. Some seem to take a long time to ramp up, and others never seem to reach any degree of difficulty at all. The heart of Geometry Wars are the crazy, frenetic situations that come without end after a certain point, with enemies and explosions everywhere, leading to general sensory overload. You should feel fairly out of control, as though you’re driving in a car that’s constantly on the verge of getting into an accident. You’ll slip up and die, given only a moment to catch your breath before it’s all back to the level of insanity you thought you had just escaped.
Yet, still there were times when the level would plateau and I’d be mowing down waves of enemies with little enthusiasm. In one instance in particular, I was almost praying for the sweet release of death. I’d die a few times, then do well enough to earn more lives back. My pride and sense of right prevented me from committing suicide, but the thought crossed my mind frequently and I only lost after a cocktail of exhaustion and apathy drained my lives from me. My personal preference leaned towards the ‘no mistakes’ levels, where my first death sent me back to the main menu.
This was also the first Geometry Wars game to offer multiplayer. Thankfully it’s possible to give the game to a friend via download play, so you don’t both need a copy. It’s a fun addition, though at least in the standard multiplayer game the player colors can get confusing: one is red and the other is blue, and since there are also red and blue enemies and lots to process at once it’s a good thing that there’s no friendly fire.
The DS’ portability lends itself well to the arcade nature of the Geometry Wars games: they’re easy to play while you’re waiting for someone and the DS can be put into hibernation if you’re having a particularly good run. The mixture of maps is a welcome addition to the franchise, but it’s a shame that they aren’t all winners. I ran into some noticeable framerate drops as well, even in the earlier levels, which lessened the difficulty but at the price of the essence of the game. As each level has scores for bronze, silver and gold there’s plenty of replayability to be had, so this will probably stay in my travel repertoire for those times when I want to blow stuff up and see pretty colors.
Which is, let’s face it, pretty much all the time.
