invAIders (XBLIG): "Puts the AI in Invaders"

I was recently contacted by Martian Face Games about doing a review on their new XBLIG title 'invAIders'. I had actually passed up asking for a review code on this game, because I didn't know what it was really about. I'm definitely glad that Martian Face Games contacted me. After playing a couple of hours worth of the game I was truly impressed. This game really sports the 'AI (Artificial Intelligence)' game mechanics that the game's title suggests. As you play you'll find that the enemy ships adapt in very intelligent ways in order to defeat you in the easiest possible way. There are to modes of gameplay in this shmup, as well as an AI reset in case you wish to start over from scratch.

There are two available modes in 'invAIders'. The first mode in the start menu is called 'New Challenge Game'. In this mode you must survive wave after wave of ever-adapting enemy ships that come in waves of ten. After every tenth wave the 'AI' chooses the best candidates for the next generation of enemy ships. The game keeps track of each generation you 'train' through a detailed genealogy chart. Your actions/lack of actions will determine how successful the next generation of enemies will be. The types of ships you'll face come in 5 categories that include Arch (the elite/purple), Dominant (red), Mutant (orange), Crossbreed (yellow), and New (green). Arch features the smartest AI based ships while New features the simplest. If you continue your game without resetting the AI you will face 5 Arch, and 5 New waves at the beginning. If you start off with a fresh game you'll begin with 10 New AI type waves. The following generation's waves will include a mixed variety of all types of ships, and the ones that are more successful will constantly be added to the Arch waves.

The second mode in the game is an AI training mode in which you have an unlimited amount of lives as opposed to the 3 lives you have in the Challenge mode. The purpose of this mode is to get you used to the gameplay, and how the enemies evolve over each additional generation. Other than that the mode mirrors the Challenge mode. I actually made it much further than I would have in the Challenge mode while playing AI training. You would think that I would be good at this game seeing as I'm an experienced shmup player, but honestly I only made it to the second generation in 'New Challenge Game'. I figure it has something to do with the aggressive manner in which I approached each wave of each wave of enemy ships.

The graphics, and the music in the game were surprisingly impressive. The trailers, and gameplay videos online definitely didn't do this game justice. In the game you can manually switch between a handful of tracks from the game that are some of the best/most original I have heard in a long time. Aside form the amazing soundtrack, the game also features enhanced graphics that really make the game shine. If you've ever played Astro Cluster, and seen it's backgrounds then you'll have a clue as to what the amazing backdrop of 'invAIders' looks like. The enemy ships even have their own unique design. This game is truly unique in both design, and gameplay.

Controls in 'invAIders' is somewhat of a dual thumbstick shmup, but not entirely. You will use the 'Left Thumbstick' for movement, and the 'Right Thumbstick' for aiming. To shoot you will have to press either the 'Right Trigger' for standard shot, or the 'Left Trigger' to shoot missiles. The standard shot will overheat if used too much, and will only be usable again after it has cooled down. There is a meter at the top right hand corner of the screen that will let you know when your weapon is about to overheat. Missiles are limited as well, but you can pick more up from power-ups that drop. There are also different types of shot power-ups available that effect the spread/range of the shot. During gameplay you'll find that you can switch between soundtrack tracks by either pressing 'Left Bumper/Previous', or 'Right Bumper/Next'.

This game offers detailed information about the 'AI', and enemy generations involved in the game. There's even a visual breakdown of the types of enemies, and power-ups available in the game. Everything you could possibly want to know is laid out in great detail in menus located within the game's start menu. The developer really went to great links to make this game understandable for those who may not understand the concept of 'AI'.

In the end I found this game rather enjoyable to play. I loved listening to the game's soundtrack as I tried to defeat the forever adapting enemy ships. While the game was a bit difficult for me, it was most likely due to my approach to destroying the waves from each generation of ships. I definitely think the game is worth the 80 msp, but it'll most likely appeal to shmup fans like myself.