Tag: Reflex »

A lone astronaut has to wander through an endless meteor storm. Is he sacrificing himself in order to save the lives of his crew? Has he been sentenced to some kind of space-Purgatory? Maybe this is what really happened to David Bowman (2001: A Space Odyssey)? Whatever the reason for his ultimately fruitless journey, it makes for an entertaining one-button game.

Irrupt is every bit as simple as it sounds. The nameless astronaut flies from the left of the screen to the right, miraculously starting over from the left again after each pass, in an endless loop. While avoiding meteors, naturally. Tapping and holding the screen causes him to cease his movement for a few moments, while simultaneously charging a boost. Releasing the screen then launches him forward at different distances based on how long he was charging. With each completed circuit the number and speed of the meteors increases, rapidly shifting from fairly easy to downright nail-biting. Every now and then power-ups that activate meteor-blasting guns will drop, but catching them can be tricky and they aren’t entirely vital to one’s success.

iOS games don’t get much more accessible than Irrupt. Tap, hold, and release. That’s all there is to it. The complexity and insanity is in the timing. Meteors can miss by virtual inches, but they can also hit by such a small margin. It means any small mistake can end a run in less time than it takes to blink, but it also means that some steadily developed skills can lead to fairly significant scores. Of course, “high score” is kind of a relative term here. So far I’ve only managed to hit 25. It’s much more challenging than it sounds.

Of course all this simplicity and accessibility could be viewed as “too much” for some people. Aside from the constant grind for a better score - and possibly bragging to Game Center friends - there’s really nothing else to it. Not that I personally think it needs anything, but I suppose an unlockable or two such as new spacesuits or something would be nice.

There’s no way anyone would mistake Irrupt for a “complex” or even a “deep” game, but it does simple fun very well. There’s no leveling up or upgrading to be had but it’s a great time killer for high score chasing iOS gamers.