Review: Infinity Field - The Definitive Dual Stick Shooter?
by Staff Writer
February 3, 2011
There are many games that try to copy the Geometry Wars style, and even Activision has brought the official version to the iPad, but up to this point they have mostly been good, but by no means great. The maker of Abstract Ward for iPhone and iPod Touch has worked with Chillingo, and the result is Infinity Field which is kind of like Abstract War HD, but with more. Infinity Field resembles Abstract War, but still seems completely redesigned, and is trying to be the definitive Geometry Wars clone for the iPad, and dual stick shooter for that matter.
Infinity Field is absolutely packed with content with three missions containing 12 levels each, and then there are six different survival modes which are available to play on same device multiplayer. Game Center and Crystal are also included for online high scores and achievements for each of the modes. Once you start up the game the first thing to catch your eye is all the visual candy throughout the game.
There is a visual overload with all the glowing plethora of particle effects from every single killed geometric enemy. Then there are multiple camera angles including a shifting camera across a 3D axis to really offer a great perspective, and an amazing style. The included techno soundtrack fits the game perfectly, though the enemy kill sound effects are a bit off putting.
Though the visuals are what you notice on the surface, once you start playing the game you will fall in love with the gameplay, especially if you've ever played Geometry Wars or like Dual Stick shooters. The game is an overload of action embodied by the sheer number of enemies on screen at once, and the speed at which every object moves. Then you're battling through all the particle effects of your bullets and killed enemies.
The game never slows down to give you a breather, and the difficulty increases at a very good pace in the campaign mode. Each of the survival modes increases in difficulty constantly presenting new enemies with different strategies, so you never get bored with the same style enemy over and over. The game can be a little intense for some, and can seem overwhelming with all the action on screen, but if anyone gives it time it will be well worth it.
Occasionally enemies can get lost in the particle effects so you lose a life, and don't even realize what you hit until a few seconds later. There is the possibility to get stuck on a level in campaign mode, and you can't move on until you beat the level. There's a good system where each level has you surviving for a specific length of time as compared to killing all the enemies.
The game really fits well for the iPad, and is the definitive pick for a Geometry Wars style game, and one of the best action games on the iPad. Infinity Field is a should buy for $1.99 that has as much content as particle effects on screen.
