SpaceOff Review

SpaceOff is sufficiently fast paced that it's difficult to capture great screenshots of it. That says more than many words could possibly elude to. The concept behind SpaceOff is a simple yet fun idea. With inspiration taken from many great 1980s arcade games, SpaceOff is all about providing a great two player experience on the small screen space of the iPhone. The iPhone doesn't offer quite as many great two player, one device games, like the iPad does but this has the potential to be returned to regularly. It's a strong first effort for Totem Games, despite some single player failings.

A mixture of Asteroids and Pong, the player must shoot at an asteroid in the middle of the screen, in order to send it towards the opponent. Each side has a series of blocks protecting their boundaries but these are gradually destroyed by the asteroid. The asteroid can be shot at a number of times, eventually crumbling into smaller yet faster orbs, thus adding more of a challenge. Shooting is a frantic affair with the need to move around the screen quickly to keep up with the asteroid.

Two different modes are available: the stronger, two player mode and the single player campaign of sorts. The two player mode is fantastic fun with a friend. Offering furious action, it's impressive how quickly myself and a friend found ourselves captivated in this battle to the 'death'.

The single player mode has potential but it also feels like it needs some polish added. It's an immensely challenging mode, akin to the challenge we saw in the retro games that SpaceOff borrows from. It's a challenge that may put some players off. The addition of difficulty levels would have gone some way to circumvent this. Power ups available are a little overpowered, effectively ending the game once a player has ensnared one. With a few tweaks, the single player mode could be gripping but as it stands, I found myself much more endeared towards playing SpaceOff as a two player game.

Due to the ease in which it's possible to play SpaceOff, it's an ideal game for everyone in the two player mode. One finger is all that's needed and a fast eye to keep up with things. The single player mode could do with a little more attention to make this a great and inexpensive package.