| Space Invaders Infinity Gene | |
|---|---|
| The logo depicts the crab enemy. | |
| Developer | Taito |
| Publishers | Taito Square Enix (PS3/360) |
| Designer | Reisuke Ishida |
| Programmer | Takafumi Kaneko |
| Artist | Reisuke Ishida |
| Composer | Hirokazu Koshio |
| Series | Space Invaders |
| Platforms | Mobile phone, iOS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Android |
| Release | Mobile phone
|
| Genre | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode | Single-player |
Space Invaders Infinity Gene [note 1] is a 2008 shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Taito for mobile phones. An installment of the Space Invaders series, the game blends the series classic characters and gameplay with the concept of evolution. As the game progresses, new game mechanics, which model iterative changes to the series and genre, become available to the player. In addition to the normal collection of stages, it features challenge and bonus modes of play.
The game was directed by Reisuke Ishida, who sought to showcase the series' evolution and pique interest in the shoot 'em up genre. Several elements drew inspiration from previous Taito arcade shoot 'em ups as an homage to the genre. The director implemented "retro-futuristic" audiovisuals, which drew heavily from electronic music. Infinity Gene's music was created by Taito's band, Zuntata, with Hirokazu Koshio handling the sound design.
Soon after releasing for feature phones in Japan, the company published iPhone and iPod Touch versions in 2009; an iPad version followed in 2010. The iOS apps feature touch-screen controls and a music mode that generates stages from songs in the device's music library. Square Enix released it for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in September 2010. In addition to the music mode, the console versions feature updated visuals with high definition and 3D graphics. An Android version was released in September 2011. After being removed from the Apple App Store in 2017, Taito released a remake titled Space Invaders Infinity Gene Evolve [note 2] exclusively for Apple Arcade in 2025.
The iPhone release won several awards and was met with universal critical acclaim. Common points of praise included the touch controls, minimalist aesthetics, soundtrack, and music library integration. Criticism focused on enemies being obscured by the monochromatic visuals. The consoles versions were rated lower that the iOS releases but were received positively, specifically towards the changes related to adapting the game to consoles. Infinity Gene's success impacted Taito's approach to mobile phone games. Music from the game was included in the company's later projects.
The first stage is based on the original Space Invaders , where rows of alien invaders progress downward to a laser cannon that can move horizontally. After completing the stage, a Charles Darwin quote about evolution displays. [1] At the start of the game, the ship features the general controls of being able to move left and right and shoot. However, by progressing through the game and earning 'genes', the game goes through evolution, introducing new aspects such as being able to move the ship in all directions. As the game progresses, evolutions unlock various features such as new weapon types, an increased life limit, as well as unlockable music and bonus stages. During the game, players can shoot down UFOs to release DNA which, when collected, increases the effectiveness of their selected weapon. The DNA will scatter if the player loses a life. Players can chain enemy kills to increase their score, and also perform 'Nagoya Attacks', in which the player can pass through certain enemy fire the moment it is launched.
The game has several modes. Normal Mode, which sees the player travelling through the game and evolving; Challenge Mode, which features 99 challenge stages; Bonus Mode, featuring levels that are unlocked by evolving; and Music Mode, in which levels are generated from music tracks found on the hard drive. [2] The game features real-time ranking, showing players their current position on the leaderboards.
Space Invaders Infinity Gene was developed by Taito, with Reisuke Ishida as the director. He had worked primarily on Taito's mobile phone games, such as Trance Pinball, a pinball game with musical elements. [3] [4] [5] A fan of the Space Invaders series and shooting games, several of the director's previous mobile games included Space Invaders characters. [4] The game was developed for the 30th anniversary of the original game. Ishida's boss approached him about submitting a proposal, which was ultimately approved. [5] [6] He was aided by Taito programmers, who created the game's script converters and data compression tools used during development, and sound designer Hirokazu Koshio. [4] The company's band, Zuntata, created the game's music. [7]
"I wanted players to see the DNA of Space Invaders in every scene, so I loaded the game with allusions to the original game, tying them both together."
Because Taito was also developing Space Invaders Extreme at the time, Ishida wanted Infinity Gene to be as different as possible and decided on an unconventional and experimental approach. [6] [8] Additionally, the company chose to release a mobile phone game since Extreme was releasing on consoles. [8] Rather than be about defending the planet from invading aliens, the director wanted the premise to be about the Space Invaders series as a whole. [4] In retrospect, he considered the game to be the "crystallization of [his] thoughts and feelings about Space Invaders and its monumental role in gaming history." [6]
To achieve mass appeal, Ishida considered multiple player perspectives during the design process. [4] While he believed the invader characters had become iconic, he questioned how many people in the then-current generation had played the original and what are players' impressions from their first experiences. [4] [5] Realizing that younger generations may be familiar with the characters but not the gameplay, Ishida wanted to convey the evolution of Space Invaders and made that the game's theme. [3] [5] [8] The director also felt this would be a good way to introduce the original game to younger players. [5] He then researched evolution in general and integrated his findings into the game; stage names and terminology reference evolution. [3] The development team selected the name "Infinity Gene" to invoke the idea of continuous evolution in order to reflect the overall theme. [8] Ishida hoped that showcasing the series' advancement from its original form to a modern one would increase interest in the shoot 'em up genre. [3]
Ishida considered the evolution aspect of the gameplay the most challenging and critical aspect of development. The initial plan featured branching evolutionary paths. The director contemplated different approaches with this design, like allowing the player to choose their own path or automatically selecting abilities for the player as the game progressed, but felt they disrupted the game's tempo and added unneeded stress onto the player. Because he felt players would be unsatisfied with only a subset of abilities, he allowed the player to choose options after they are unlocked, which he believed had wider appeal. New features are gradually made accessible as the game progresses to provide motivation and avoid overwhelming casual players. [4]
The director was inspired by many games in the shoot 'em up genre. [5] He also incorporated elements from Taito shooting arcade games: the 1987 Darius , the 1991 Metal Black , which he noted also has an element of evolution, and the 1994 RayForce as well as it sequels. [3] [4] He felt the Ray series balanced gameplay with appealing graphics very well and drew inspiration from enemy algorithms, background scrolling mechanics, shooting weapons, and the visuals. [4]
Ishida avoided the " bullet hell " [note 3] style of gameplay because he felt it would have limited the game's audience. He wanted Infinity Gene to serve as an introductory shooting game and believed that the intense difficulty of bullet hell games discouraged beginners. [3] [8] Instead, Ishida aimed to capture the "flashiness" of the genre in the game's visuals. [3] He believed a very visually-oriented game would appeal to both non-gamers and gamers. [4] To increase the "fun and exhilaration", he wanted the game to only look like it has extremely intense battles. The staff applied this to the different game modes, with an emphasis on the Music mode. [3]
In designing the gameplay, Ishida felt that simply combining the classic elements of Space Invaders with newer ones from Trance Pinball would not resonate well with contemporary games and decided that updated visuals were necessary to successfully mix the elements. The director also handled Infinity Gene's graphical design and applied an atmosphere similar to Trance Pinball. [3] With "new, yet nostalgic" and "retro-futuristic" as the game's key design concepts, Ishida aimed to have the game's lineage recognizable within the graphics and included the original invader characters in every normal stage. He also worried that excluding the characters would distance the game too far from the franchise; however, Ishida omitted them from the final levels of the stages to give them a different feel. [4] Visual inspiration was also drawn from music videos for techno songs. [3]
As a fan of rhythm games, he wanted to fuse the musical and visual aspects of the game and include direct interaction between the two—a general goal Ishida had since joining Taito around ten years prior. [3] From the beginning, the director wanted the game to have a "solid, cool techno sound" and had electronic music in mind when planning the aesthetics. He worked with Koshio regularly to balance the music and gave directions, which in retrospect, Ishida felt put a lot of pressure on the sound designer. [4] Because of the game's nontraditional story, Ishida instructed Koshio to eschew melodies, which he deemed too emotional for the design, in favor of more digital sounds. [4] [8] The sound designer used FM synthesis, which was widespread technology in mobile phones at the time, to generate the sound effects. Additionally, Koshio felt such sounds captured the retro feel of the original Space Invaders arcade and avoided making sound effects realistic. [8] In keeping with the evolution theme, each song has three versions that begin as beep-based music and graduate to contemporary electronica. [1]
Space Invaders Infinity Gene was originally distributed in Japan as a Java game on feature mobile phones in 2008 as part of the original's 30th anniversary celebration. [9] [7] [10] Taito released it via the i-mode and Yahoo! Keitai [note 4] mobile internet services on December 17, 2008. [7] The corporation soon after released the game on iPhone and iPod Touch devices on July 28, 2009. [11] [12] The director considered developing the control system for the iPhone a challenge. [4] Ishida believed that providing the player with "full control over their ship/character" was vital to success. [5] He experimented with different schemes and considered providing options, such as tilt and tap controls, to the player. [4] [5] Ishida settled on using only touch and drag controls, which he felt were the most intuitive, user-friendly, and stress-free. [4] A music mode was also added that created stages based on songs from the user's device. [8] [13] Unfamiliar with the Apple App Store market, the corporation did not set high sales goals at the time. [14]
At the beginning of 2010, the developer released the 2.0 version of the iOS game, which included additional stages and new features via OpenFeint integration. [15] This was part of a larger effort by Taito to use OpenFeint in it's iOS games. [16] The company also released a free demo version titled Space Invaders Infinity Gene Lite at the same time. [15] [16] Taito later distributed the Lite version via DeNA's Mobage service in Japan on September 7, 2011, and included new exclusive stages. [17] [18] A year after originally releasing on the App Store, the corporation updated it version 3.0 in July 2010, introducing a few options and paid downloadable content. [19] [20] The paid content packs are named after Taito arcade shoot 'em ups—Darius, Night Striker , and Metal Black—and feature elements that pay homage to the games, such as remixes of their music. [21] [22] [23]
At the 2010 Tokyo Game Show in September, Ishida announced that version 3.5 would soon be available for the iPad and feature high-definition graphics, Retina display support, and a frame rate of 60 frames per second. [20] A demo of the iPad version was available for attendees to play. [24] [25] Following a digital release on consoles, word of the announcement spread to Western regions; the iPad version, titled Space Invaders Infinity Gene HD, was anticipated to release before the end of the year. [26] Soon after, the iPad version released in 2010. [27] Infinity Gene would temporarily go on sale in the App Store in December 2011 and again a year later. [28] [29] Following the release of iOS 11 in 2017, the game was delisted from the App Store. [30] [31] The developer later created a remake, Space Invaders Infinity Gene Evolve. Released exclusively on iOS devices via Apple Arcade in 2025, the remake features a new "Bullet Hell mode". [32] [33]
Square Enix published Infinity Gene to the Android Market for Android mobile phones on September 7, 2011. [18] [34] [35] Taito promoted the Android version at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show. [36] The company updated the Android app in April 2018 to support the UltraMotion sync feature of the Razer Phone. [37] Similar to the iOS version, the Android game would occasionally sell for a discounted price. [38] [39] [40]
Taito released the game's soundtrack in Japan via iTunes in August 2009. The songs were available as an album and individually. [41] In February 2011, the publisher announced a second album titled Space Invaders Infinity Gene –Evolutional Theory– that would release at the end of March. [42] The soundtrack was delayed a few weeks until April 13, 2011. [43] It features 25 tracks from the iOS and console versions of the game and was distributed again through iTunes. [10] Square Enix also concurrently released the album on compact disc, which included a character sticker sheet, as well as digitally via Amazon MP3 and mora. [44] [42] Zuntata released a few songs on its websites ahead of the album's publication. [42] The following summer, Japanese website Famitsu App held a Twitter contest with the CD as the prize. [45]
Rumors appeared online in May 2010 that the game would be ported to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade services. [46] A few weeks later, Weekly Famitsu reported the game would be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Japan, [47] [48] which prompted IGN 's Daemon Hatfield to speculate that the developer would announce a United States release at the E3 trade show in June 2010. [48] Soon after, Square Enix announced its intent to digitally release the game in North America and promote it at E3. [49] At the end of August 2010, the company launched a promotional website. [50]
Infinity Gene released on the PlayStation and Xbox 360 consoles in mid-September 2010. [51] A demo was also available on the PlayStation Store. [52] The gameplay was adapted to a horizontal 16:9 aspect ratio screen, and 3D graphics were integrated into the visuals. The developers sought to maintain the gameplay when creating the 3D stages in order to avoid players feeling like they were playing a different game. A music visualizer was added to dynamically change the stage backgrounds in order to create a connection with the audio, which Koshio struggled to implement. During development, the results were sometimes overly flashy or too simple, which hindered the player's ability to see and dampened the excitement, respectively. Koshio had difficulty finding a balance because the team could not observe the results without testing with the music. New songs for boss stages and sound effects were added as well. [8]
Square Enix released extra stages as downloadable content via Sony and Microsoft's online services in October 2010. [53] [54] Second and third packs of stages were released the following month. [55] [56] Microsoft announced in February 2017 that the game would be backwards compatible with the Xbox One console. [57] In January 2022, Microsoft provided Infinity Gene temporarily free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers via its Games With Gold program. [58]
| Aggregator | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS | PS3 | Xbox 360 | |
| Metacritic | 91/100 [59] | 80/100 [60] | 80/100 [61] |
| Publication | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS | PS3 | Xbox 360 | |
| 1Up.com | N/A | A− [62] | A− [62] |
| Destructoid | 9.5/10 [63] | 8/10 [64] | 8/10 [64] |
| Eurogamer | 9/10 [65] | N/A | N/A |
| GameSpot | N/A | 8/10 [66] | 8/10 [66] |
| IGN | 8.7/10 [67] | N/A | 8/10 [2] |
| Retro Gamer | 91% [68] | N/A | 90% [69] |
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| IGN | iPhone Game of the Month (July 2009) [70] |
| Gamasutra | Best iPhone Game of 2009 [71] |
| Mobile Content Forum | Excellence Award (2010) [72] |
The iPhone iteration of the game met with "universal acclaim" from video game journalists, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, on which the game holds a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 10 reviews. [59] Ahead of the release, Evan Shamoon of US magazine Play wrote that it is "definitely one to watch", citing its audiovisuals. [73] A week after releasing, the game was 54th on the App Store's list of top paid apps in the United States. [74] The next week, Infinity Gene had climbed to number 28. [75]
Darran Jones of Retro Gamer lauded the mobile game, calling it a "stunning shooter" catered to the iPhone. He praised the short stages, reward system, and musical elements and summarized his review urging readers to download it. [68] Levi Buchanan of IGN praised several aspects of gameplay; he called the controls "smooth" as well as "accurate" and lauded the reward system for encouraging replays. Buchanan commended the visuals, comparing the "retro-techno aesthetics to Rez . While he complimented the soundtrack, he encouraged players to use play the Music Mode with their own music library for new experiences. [67] Topher Cantler of Destructoid expressed excitement that the game was released outside Japan. While initially skeptical of the iOS device's potential as a gaming device, Cantler called Infinity Gene the "most engaging videogame experiences [he] had in years". He praised the graphics, comparing them to Rez and the 1983 Star Wars arcade game. While he criticized the monochromatic design for obscuring dangerous game objects at times, Cantler described the visuals as a "treat" for blending the classic look of the original Space Invaders with later shooting games. He wrote that the game plays like a modern shoot 'em up despite the retro graphics and the touch controls work well with it. [63] Eurogamer gave the game 9/10, calling it 'the crowning achievement' of the series. [65] Tony Mott included the game in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die . In praising the audiovisuals, gameplay variety, and touch controls, he described it as a "pacy mashup" of Space Invaders Extreme and Rez. [76]
The iPhone release of Space Invaders Infinity Gene garnered awards and distinctions from organizations. Upon its release in July 2009, IGN staff named it the iPhone "Game of the Month", praising the "slick neo-retro aesthetic and a great techno-thump soundtrack." [70] Additionally, IGN's United Kingdom staff considered it one of the stand out titles of the year in August 2009, citing its presentation, gameplay, and music library integration. [77] During Gamasutra 's retrospective of 2009, Danny Cowan ranked it the top iPhone game of the year, citing its simple and effective control scheme. [71] At its 2010 Mobile Project Awards, the Mobile Content Forum, a Japanese industry association, bestowed the game an "Excellence Award". [78] Soon after releasing for Android, the editors at Famitsu App included the game on their list of recommended apps on both Android and iOS devices. [72] [79]
The HD version for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network has also received positive reviews. Writing for IGN, Colin Moriarty was complimentary towards the game's reinvention of Space Invaders and the matching aesthetics. He summarized his review calling it a good value for price. [2] Carolyn Petit of GameSpot lauded the aesthetics, calling the game a "thing of mesmerizing minimalist beauty" and the juxtaposition of the monochromatic enemies against the vividly colorful backgrounds "eye-catching". She considered the level design and reward systems as highlights but criticized the rewards as being often disappointing. [66] Writing for 1UP.com , Steve Haske praised the transition to consoles, noting that the larger screen makes the game's challenges more manageable. He lauded the addition of 3D graphics, calling it "one of the most effective blends of retro and contemporary game art styles." Haske urged people to purchase Infinity Gene, including those that had bought it before. [62] Destructoid's Colette Bennett praised the changes to the console releases, specifically the HD graphics, game controller use, and gameplay additions. However, she acknowledged that issues with the visuals obscuring game objects and short levels persisted. [64] Jones favorably compared the Xbox version to the iPhone release. He praised the additions and call it a "highly entertaining blaster". [69] Chris Greening of Square Enix Music Online praised the Evolutional Theory album, calling it a demonstration of Koshio's "great command of rhythms and timbres". While he noted that not everyone would enjoy the "hard minimalistic approach", Greening felt many would appreciate the album and considered it a good value. [23]
Retro Gamer staff noted that many early ports of classic shoot 'em ups did not adequately use touch screen controls. They cited Space Invaders Infinity Gene as one of the games that demonstrated good use of the technology. [80] Taito would later apply the touch control design to the mobile release of Dariusburst Second Prologue in 2012. [81] After Infinity Gene's success on the App Store, the company set higher sales goals for Ishida's next game, Groove Coaster . [14] Music from Space Invaders Infinity Gene has been included in later Taito projects. L'ab-normal Limited, a bonus CD with the 2010 Dariusburst Remix Wonder World album, includes two tracks from Infinity Gene's soundtrack. [82] The 2011 rhythm shooting game Music GunGun! 2 includes a medley based on Infinity Gene. [83] A 2013 update of the Groove Coaster arcade game also features an Infinity Gene medley. [84]