Energy Invasion, a game I was unsure what to expect of and that has surprised me greatly. This sounds like I am describing something great, but not all surprises are welcome and good ones. The little I saw of Energy Invasion made me think it was a game like Breakout with some neat twists on it, to keep things fresh. This was not my experience however, and I must now describe why this game fell short.
There is nothing wrong with making a clone of an older puzzle game, especially if you want to put your own spin on things. Many games we love, began as clones of older games or at least took heavy inspiration from them. The trick however, was to bring something new that made you truly realize how different this was. It didn’t need to be something huge, and even a tiny change could make all the difference in the world. The change just needed to be a good one that added to the experience and didn’t make you dislike the game and this is where Energy Invasion falls short.
The game looks to combine Breakout with shoot em Up elements. You play very similar to Breakout but must time the ball’s movements so you fire a shot from it at the blocks to destroy them. The more you fall, the more hits the blocks will need to take, which sounds reasonable but has its problems. For one, you can only fire from one side and this makes navigation much more tricky. Changing direction is far more obtuse than it needs to be, which further throws you off and hurts your timing as well. You will be more busy trying to navigate the ball that more often than note, you will miss the shot. The result is a frustrating mash up of genres and done so awkwardly that it feels like shaving a square into a circle; it just doesn’t go together this way.
I tried to like Energy Invasion but it was needlessly frustrating and with controls that left much to be desired. I would not recommend this in anyway, and suggest saving your money for other games.
Reviews on Nintendo Switch
Disclaimer: A review key was provided