You have never,everplayed anything likeSonic Invaders.
Ever.
Why, you ask? What makesSonic Invadersso special, especially when compared with the epic action-RPG parody that wasBarkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden? How couldSonic Invaderspossibly manage to outdolast week’s Indie Nationin terms of originality or fun factor?
Well, for starters,it’s a game for blind people. That doesn’t mean thatyoucan’t play it, of course — you don’thaveto be blind to enjoy it — but it was initially created with the sight-impaired in mind.
Given that this free game provides one of the most unusual gaming experiences available , you haveeveryreason todownload this gameand try it out. Should you need some convincing, however, I’ll meet you after the jump.
Developed by a Greek composer namedAristides Mytaras,Sonic Invadersis the first audio-only game I have ever played. There’s evidentlya bunch of them, all of which I hope to try out at some point or another, but asSonic Invaderswas my first it’ll beSonic InvadersI recommend.
to playSonic Invaders, you absolutelymustuse headphones. It’s simply not possible otherwise. I’ll explain how that works into the gameplay later; for now, let’s focus on the story.
The narrative, told to the player by a very low, very distorted human voice, may be one of the creepiest things I’ve yet experienced from an indie title (and that’s countingPenumbra: Overture). Essentially, the player is told that in the 21st century, alien invaders attack the planet who can only be destroyed through sonic pulse weapons. The narrator then goes on to inform the player that no matter what, the aliens eventually win and the human race is exterminated; whatyouare playing is merely a retelling of the events of that war.
I know that doesn’t sound very creepy written out, but just imaginethis voicespeaking directly into your ear about the death of everyone on Earth while really, really haunting music plays in the background and tell me you don’t feel a little unnerved.
So, basically, it’sSpace Invaderswith no graphics. In fact, the above screenshot is theonlything you will ever see once you start playing the game.
Control-wise — and this is why you need the headphones — your job is to shoot down alien ships as they approach from seven different directions. The X, C, and V keys fire at 90, 60, and 30 degrees respectively, while the N, M, and comma keys do the same thing for the right headphone speaker. The space key fires straight up and the B key initiates your shields, with which you may deflect enemy fire.
At first, the game seems relatively easy. You hear a ship approaching at a 30 degree angle, so you hit V. Zap, boom. Done. Then another ship approaches. Then another. And another. You frantically attempt to remember which keys do what as you focusentirelyon your sense of hearing, trying to pinpoint the exact angle each enemy ship is coming at. Things get even more complicated when enemies begin moving from one angle to another, forcing you to lead your shots, or when they start disappearing and reappearing just to scare the living crap out of you.
While the game mechanics are very simple,Sonic Invaders‘s focus on audio-only gameplay makes it a hell of a lot more nerve-wracking than it really has any right to be. To hear the sound of an incoming enemy bullet slowly get louder and louder as it approaches from a specific angle, only to crash into your turret with a startling boom, is an experience in suspense and fear I’ve yet to see replicated in gameswithgraphics.
And yet, for all its coronary-inducing intensity and moody audio,Sonic Invadersis stillfun. Once you get the hang of the turrets and learn to rely on your ears far more than you’re otherwise used to, the game becomes a — and there’s no other way to say this — completelyhypnoticaffair. It’s a scary enough game that I cannot see myself getting outright addicted to it anytime soon, but while you’re playing, while you’re completely immersed in the midst of an audio-only space war, it’s hard not to enjoy yourself in some way or another.
You can download the gamehere. It’s completely free. After you’re done, you can always check out somemore audio-only gamesand let the community know if any of them match up withSonic Invaders. If nothing else, though, Iurgeyou to downloadSonic Invadersand give it a try — especially if you’re looking to play something which feels totally unlike anything you’ve ever played.
