PuppyGames have very quickly burst onto the gaming scene as the source for hip neo-retro gaming; first with the addictive Ultratron, and now with the stellar (pun intended) Titan Attacks. PuppyGames are bringing a fresh flavor to old gaming concepts and giving them a make-over (thanks to artist Chaz Willets) that is at once a homage to the pixelated days of yore and a step into the shiny age of graphical effects.

Gamers that are introduced to Titan Attacks will naturally assume the game is a Space Invaders clone, because indeed, that is what the game seems to be. A longer look at the game will prove that the title is more than that. It’s not just that once the gamer progresses far enough into the game things become a kinetic blend of Galaga and Space Invaders, it’s that there really is much more depth to the game than either of its inspirations can boast.

Let’s explore, shall we?

Cash earned through each level can be used to purchase upgrades such as additional shields, more powerful guns, additional bullets, a faster ship, bombs and add-ons for the ship. Managing these upgrades is vital, too. Shields are all-important, as the gamer will only be afforded a single ship for their adventure and be given no continues. The proper balance of speed, power and protection is very tough to iron out and will likely vary heavily gamer to gamer.

It’s not just upgrades that make the game a rich experience, either. Every level the gamer manages to avoid being shot boosts a point multiplier for the next level, raising the rewards for every alien ship taken out. However, bear in mind that the game’s difficulty automatically adjusts to the level of the multiplier. The better you’re doing, the harder the game is. Is it a good plan to get hit every now and then to tone down the difficulty? That all depends on how high you’re aiming on the high score boards and how many shields you can afford to purchase. Beware that the more you’re hit, the easier it is, but the less cash you make to keep yourself alive.

During gameplay, certain ships will come crashing to the ground instead of simply exploding into nothingness when hit, causing them to act as another missile to dodge. Or, for the speedy gamer, as another moving target to hit, earning skill points for the kill. Other exploded ships will cause an alien escapee to parachute to the ground. Catch him for a cash bonus or face a cash penalty due to letting an enemy combatant escape. Advanced levels feature environmental hazards, as well, such as falling asteroids.

These are very simple gameplay tweaks in the overall scheme of things, but their aggregate effect is a shooter that requires thought beyond the requisite thinking process of “left, right, shoot, bomb�. When is the best time to take a hit? Are you going for highscore glory or trying to power through all the levels? Is a faster ship better than a stronger ship? Can you tag that falling ship or catch that escaping alien?

But, as the bells and whistles to improve the game are simple, so is the game itself. The look of the game is a fantastic pixel-retro homage, but it leaves little unit variety, graphically speaking. There aren’t many different backgrounds and while there are a fair number of different units with different methods of attacking associated with them, they all look more or less the same, which is to say: blocky.

The difficulty of the game is worth mentioning as well. It’s built into the title that the more a gamer gets shot, the easier the game remains, but even assuming things stay at their easiest throughout, the game is still really pretty hard. When pausing the game, the exact game state is saved, but there’s no way to save at a lull in between levels, so the action’s always moving. Also, there’s no continue or password option. Pretty much each time I played the game I’d struggle through for 30-40 minutes and then, poof!, back to the beginning for me. It’s consistent with the originals, but it can be frustrating to continually be cut off at a certain point that you can’t seem to beat.

Titan Attacks is a solid bit of gaming any way you slice it. It’s hard to screw up a classic format like Space Invaders and Galaga and PuppyGames doesn’t just get it right, it makes it better. The look and feel of the game is hip and new and full of style and the gameplay itself is filled with the simplicity that makes these old classics popular after so many years and through so many technical advances.

Graphics:
I love the look of Titan Attacks. It’s an awesome blend of old and new that suits the title perfectly. I do have to mention, though, that if you don’t love the blocky, giant pixel look then you really won’t like the look of Titan Attacks.

Sounds:
The sounds of the old bleeping and blooping arcade boxes are here, with a bit of a upgrade for the new millennium. The ship explosions may sound a little lackluster, but there’ll be plenty of them to go around. Music tracks are a hard rock, thumping background noise to each level, managing to stay in the back of the action and not distract the gamer. Tracks swap around level-to-level as well, giving the sound a nice variety.

Gameplay:
Titan Attacks is as simple to play as Space Invaders and Galaga ever were. Move left, move right, hit a button to fire. Wonderfully simple. Where Titan Attacks improves on this is in all the extras. Power-ups, point multipliers and all the rest add up to some quality gameplay. There is only, however, a single gameplay mode and that one is arguably too difficult for the average gamer, being nearly impossible to struggle through.

Value:
I would give this two plusses if I could. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I have built in price points. Titles that fall under a certain price I consider to be automatic buys because they’re such an awesome deal. At $9.95, Titan Attacks is a pure steal. I’ve played games that are half as much fun (and have half as much content) that have cost three times this amount. A phenomenal deal.

Concept:
Space Invaders and Galaga are OLD concepts. It doesn’t matter that they’re among my favorites. Titan Attacks is a remake. However, PuppyGames has made real effort to expand on the concepts instead of simply re-hashing them and the result is a game that’s deeper and more rewarding than either original.

Fun:
I can’t seem to clear the fourth area or make the high score boards no matter how hard I try, but I keep coming back to Titan Attacks to try and find that magic that will lead me to success. The fact that there’s no way to continue (or to make an actual save game file) is almost enough to cut the fun down a bit, but the game is just that good: It stays strong.

Overall:
Cheap as they come and loaded for bear, Titan Attacks is a rare package. You get far more than you pay for with this package, pick it up.