Apartheid is a formidable enemy coming from the game Metal Black. It appears in the Metal Black-themed Chimera Stages exclusive to the iOS version of Space Invaders Infinity Gene.
Battle[]
Apartheid's battle consists of 4 attacks that cycle in the same order: a barrage of 4 large bullets down the center of the screen, 6 sets of 3 homing missiles that fire from the back of the boss's head, 7 sets of 3 regular projectiles (similar to the ones fired by Great Destroyer), and finally a large laser beam that looks identical to Black Fly's. During these attacks, Apartheid will change poses but will otherwise remain stationary. Additionally, Apartheid will spawn one Neuron every 5 seconds from its chest, which is a direct reference to its fight from its original game Metal Black.
Inspiration[]
Apartheid's battle in Metal Black is largely similar to its appearance in Space Invaders Infinity Gene. The largest difference is that the attacks do not seem to have a fixed order, unlike Infinity Gene, and the boss is able to move (though scooting backwards, and only during the very start of the fight). The projectiles that the boss fires in Metal Black are generally less numerous and fast compared to Infinity Gene, likely due to the smaller size of the arena/screen.
Another difference is the presence of Neurons in each fight is different. In Metal Black, Apartheid will constantly "eat" Neurons (which are called Newalone), which powers the boss up. The likely reason for the production of Neurons in the Infinity Gene interpretation of the fight is due to the constant spawning of Newalone during the gameplay of Metal Black, where it also servers to power up the player.
Apartheid's entrance animation is taken from Metal Black, where it rises from the ground amongst heavy eruptions of dirt (though this is visually simplified in Infinity Gene). The unique warning sound before the fight is also taken from Metal Black.
The background design in Infinity Gene is directly based on how it appears in Metal Black, down to the color and shape of the buildings.
Gallery[]
