When Geometry Wars Retro Evolved was first released, gamers everywhere were hypnotized by the psychedelic splendor of its noisy neon aesthetic. On top of being seizure-inducingly flashy, GeoWars was a crazy amount of fun to play. Its addictive nature kept players coming back to hone their dual-analog shooting skills as they boosted their high score by blowing up geometrical baddies to groovy electronica.
I never understood the appeal of the distraction-filled, shiny shooter and couldn’t get sucked in to it. Regardless, in Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2, this is just one of the six game modes. Even more surprising, it’s the least fun of them.
That’s not backhanded compliment either; that just goes to show you how absolutely incredible the rest of the game is. Starting off with just one gameplay option, you’ll blast new enemies as well as many loathed oldies in an allotted time space with unlimited lives as you rack up a huge score and combos. Picking up the bits of point-filled bits of “Geoms” that dead enemies leave behind allows for bigger points and massive multipliers, but are proportionally risky to seek out.
By progressing their unlock percentage, players open the gates to new and clever game modes. Pacifist takes the concept of the GeoWars don’t-shoot-for-a-minute Achievement and builds a tension fueled runaway game out of it and King forbids players to shoot unless in a ring that disappears quickly after entering it, while the Waves, Deadline offer familiar fun with a bit of a twist.
Expanding on the incredible amounts of entertainment is the four player co-op mode. Without Xbox Live play, you’ll need to buckle down on the couch with a few comrades, but the battlefield becomes as gorgeous as it is tumultuous. Adding power-ups to the mix allows for an even further frenzied overall gameplay and an endless amount of fun, Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 is the best ten bucks you could invest in to anything.
Who knew that melting eyeballs could feel oh-so-right?
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