Space Invaders: World Defense is a mobile game released in 2023 by the TAITO Corporation. The game is developed around ARCore Geospatial APIs and the Streetscape Geometry API, allowing for the 3-dimensional Invaders to appear behind and in front of buildings in a realistic manner.
Gameplay[]
Powerups[]
There are five kinds of powerups, each coming in three levels (with the exception of homing shot.) The level of a powerup determines how many projectiles are shot at a time. Green powerups usually shoot one bullet, blue powerups usually shoot three bullets, and pink powerups usually shoot six bullets.
- Wavy Shot - Represented by a spherical pickup. Shoots projectiles that travel along a wavy path twice in a row.
- Rapid Shot - Represented by a square pyramid pickup. Shoots projectiles three times in quick succession with a slight homing effect.
- Bounce Shot - Represented by a cubic pickup. Shoots projectiles with a homing effect that bounce off of some surfaces.
- Octahedron - Represented by an octahedral pickup. Shoots projectiles with a strong homing effect.
- Burst shot - Represented by an icosahedral pickup. Shoots homing projectiles that explode into smaller bullets.
Enemies[]
Invaders come in three different shapes, Squid, Crab, and Octopus, and a variety of colors. Invaders move in formation and periodically shoot yellow cube projectiles at the player that can be shot down and destroyed. Most Invaders can only shoot one at a time, but some can shoot anywhere between three and six. This trait is not represented visually and can apply to all Invader types.
- UFOs - Elusive enemies that don't attack the player. Rather they teleport into the battlefield before flying away and disappearing.
- Multiplier Pickup Invaders - Invaders that leave behind a multiplier pickup upon death, which can be obtained by shooting it. Each pickup adds +1x to the current multiplier. This is indicated by a multiplier pickup icon.
- Life Pickup Invaders - Invaders that leave behind a pickup that grants the player an extra life when shot.
- Bomb Invaders - Invaders that explode when killed, destroying any Invaders next to them. This is indicated by a bomb icon.
- Shielded Invaders - Invaders protected by a cyan wireframe, icosahedral shield that can be destroyed with one shot. They can then be killed. Shields can be combined with bombs, life pickups, and multipliers.
- Double-Shielded Invaders - Invaders protected by a magenta wireframe, polyhedral shield. When hit, the shield downgrades to a standard one, meaning that the Invader takes 3 total shots to kill. Double shields can be combined with bombs, life pickups, and multipliers.
- Powerup Invaders - Invaders that leave behind powerup pickups upon death. There are 14 known[1] powerup Invaders correlating to the 14 powerup types. Each type has a unique coloration and pattern on its face and limbs.
A UFO in the distance.
An Octopus with a multiplier pickup.
A Crab with a life pickup.
An exploding Octopus.
A shielded Crab with a double-shielded Crab above it.
Development[]
App Store Description[]
SPACE INVADERS have returned to conquer the world, this time from a whole new dimension. Go outside and join the World Defense team to find and defeat SPACE INVADERS in your neighborhood with your camera in augmented reality. As a member of the elite pilot force, you'll defend your area from invasion in a first-of-its-kind immersive game experience. Engage in missions across dimensions from Augmented Reality outdoors to the Invader world indoors. Success will earn you a spot on the High Scores as well as special bonuses and power ups. Celebrate 45 years of the original release of SPACE INVADERS, and explore the future of gaming by turning your world into a playground. SPACE INVADERS: World Defense game is powered by ARCore Geospatial APls to transform your neighborhood into a world-scale playground. With Streetscape Geometry API, INVADERS spawn from nearby buildings and you become a pilot to defend your neighborhood against them.
Glitches[]
- Sometimes, an Invader can carry both a bomb and a multiplier pickup. The resulting appearance is a bomb circled by glowing rings.
- Rarely, the textures on a powerup Invader will glitch, causing the bottom pixel of the pattern to appear at the top. This has so far only been seen in squids.
- Sometimes Invaders that are meant to be behind other Invaders will be rendered in front of them, giving them the appearance of being very small.
- ↑ I've been unable to find a level 3 homing shot (pink octagonal powerup) Invader.