Space Disorder Review

After spending so much of my time lately eliminating alien scum, I’ve almost forgotten that not all aliens need annihilation. Some of the poor little extraterrestrials even need saving themselves. And who better to let the captured critters out of their space-cages than an adorable little astronaut?

Each level in Space Disorder is broken down into a few key sections, each with an alien that needs saving at the end. Between the start and the tiny prisoners is a gauntlet of rooms filled with enemies, hazards, and secret goodies. Players guide the little astronaut around by swiping left or right for movement, up for using the jetpack, and tapping specific buttons to use one of a handful of power-ups. It’s a rather simple collection of inputs that players will need to become well acquainted with if they hope to succeed.

One of Space Disorder’s biggest strengths is its focus on finding the little out of the way hidden caches of coins and power-ups. Simply getting through a room isn’t very tough but finding a small corridor walled off by a laser and blocked by several crates will require some ingenuity. Will flipping the gravity help? What about using explosives? Or maybe a special shield that can plow through anything is the right call? But don’t sweat it if a treasure trove is missed. Levels can be replayed as many times as a player would want, and they can always come back to it after purchasing more limited-use items in the shop. Conversely they can also gather up or purchase gifts to give to their rescued alien friends in order to gain access to special side missions that can then be completed to earn points necessary for character upgrades.

I have to admit, though, that while navigating through these courses is relatively easy it can still have its moments. Mostly due to the sensitivity of the flight controls. It’s a problem that can be adjusted to after a few runs but at first it can feel like leaping from the ground brings a total lack of control with it. Every little tap will generate thrust and without a soft touch it’s easy to get hung up on the ceiling or face-plant into a laser barrier.

And yet, once I managed to learn my way around Space Disorder’s somewhat touch-and-go flying I found it difficult to put down. There’s just something about scouring each room for items and all that collecting, collecting, and collecting. It takes so adjustment, but it can be worth the effort in the end.