Space Station: Frontier, a new tower-defense-style game from Origin8 Technologies, is live in the app store. With its easy-to-use interface, multiple game modes, and exhilarating gameplay, Space Station: Frontier is able to offer both a flashy package and a deep strategic experience.
Space Station: Frontier Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface
- Multiple game modes including local wifi and bluetooth multiplayer
- Exhilarating gameplay
- Competitive enemy AI
- Appropriately spacey soundtrack
- OpenFeint global leaderboards
- Extensive achievement system
Space Station: Frontier Cons:
- Nada. We love this game
The backstory on Space Station: Frontier involves our having used up our resources and needing to mine for resources in space. We derive power crystals from our mining operations, utilizing space stations as central hubs which power the necessary equipment. Our presence comes under continual attack from an alien race hell bent on preserving these resources for their own and evicting us permanently through the use of deadly force. This requires us to use our mined crystals to defend our station with in-kind force and maintain our access to this rich energy source.
Space Station: Frontier contains three game modes: Campaign, Survival, and Mining. Campaign is comprised of 15 different missions, usually based on mining a certain number of crystals or surviving for a specific amount of time. Completing these missions earns credits which can be used at the Shipyard to purchase upgrades to assist in defending our claim. Completing missions also unlocks the other game modes. These game modes are basically the same as you see in campaign but without the specific goal amounts. Survival tasks you with mining for as long as possible before you are finally destroyed. The rewards are greater the longer your stay alive. Mining mode tasks you with mining as many crystals as you can before being destroyed. Again, high yields equal huge rewards. These rewards can purchase improvements that might be the difference between winning and losing. Survival and Mining modes offer a choice of maps (fixed vs. random) and three levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium, and Hard). As you may assume, the rewards are even greater in Hard mode than in Easy mode. The recent update (May 2010) brings a challenging new mode to the table -- Multiplayer. Now owners of Space Station: Frontier for iPhone and iPad can battle in a war of crystal domination. As in regular play, mining crystals earns cash that can be used to purchase items. In multiplayer mode ships can be purchased and deployed against your opponent.
Purchases made for your station become permanent useable fixtures for all future games, so your station will become stronger over time. These upgrade include: laser turrets, missile launchers, interceptor lasers, power generators, power storage, repair stations, auto defense laser turrets, and proton torpedos, as well as improvements to maximum power storage, speed of power generation, speed of structure construction, increased structure health, increased crystal synthesizing rate, increased EM Pulse range, and increased EM Pulse stun duration. Aspects of structures are upgradeable during battle, such as the range at which defensive systems are effective.
We found the enemy AI to be quite good. They attack from different areas and seem to avoid the range of our weapons whenever possible. Campaign #4 was devastatingly disheartening, as we wavered back-and-forth on whether to spend crystals on another defensive unit so late in the game. We found ourselves 13 crystals short of completing the mission when our last mining unit was destroyed. Our station followed suit shortly thereafter.
One of the intriguing features of the game is the requirement that all units receive power from the central station to function. Therefore, it becomes imperative to maintain the lines of power to keep the defensive units, as well as mining units, operational. Any interruption in service could spell the end of your station. You need strategic placement of defenses to protect both the mining operation and the power nodes, as well as position yourself to shoot down attacking aliens. This is no easy task, but a lot of fun. There is a limit (4 structures) to the number of units that can be attached to a single power node.
The game graphics are polished, as you’d expect from an Origin8 game. The space station has a great giant-spider-gone-mad type of look to it. When mining, there are visible light streams to indicate the transfer of crystals. Powered lines light up when properly connected and black out when there is an interruption in service. Battles are fairly intense, though manageable due to the intuitive interface. Drag an item from the Build Bar to the gameplay screen and place wherever you get the green color. Be sure to connect structures to power sources. Tapping on built structures brings up the option to upgrade or sell. You can speed up game play with the fast-forward button, and your station’s health indicators are visible on the left side of the screen. The amount of time or crystals needed to pass the current campaign mission appears at the top of the screen. The soundtrack has some cool, spacey music that’s both soothing and relaxing despite the often frantic and intense nature of the game. There is support for playing your own music, as well. We found the controls to be easy to use and very effective, with no re-tapping necessary.
Replay value is good, as the AI is strong, the game is fun, and OpenFeint is utilized for global leaderboards and an extensive achievement system. Space Station: Frontier is available for $2.99, a bargain for this 5-Dimple thriller.
