Arcadium - Space Shooter | Game Brain

About

"Arcadium - Space Shooter" is a pixel-art shooter game where players battle against colorful space invaders with unique spaceships and skills. The game offers randomly generated alien waves, special bosses, and a mastery system to permanently improve stats. With 1-finger gameplay and dozens of pick-ups, it provides a new and intense experience every game. Join the community through Discord, email, or Twitter to suggest improvements.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 940 reviews

gameplay72 positive mentions

monetization111 negative mentions

The game brings back nostalgic feelings of classic arcade shooters like Space Invaders and Galaga, providing a fun and engaging experience.
It features no intrusive ads, allowing for uninterrupted gameplay, and offers a fair monetization system with optional in-app purchases.
The graphics are colorful and pixelated, and the gameplay is simple yet addictive, making it a great time killer.

The game can become repetitive over time, especially as players grind for gems to unlock upgrades and ships.
Some players find the difficulty spikes in later waves to be frustrating, making it challenging to progress.
There are occasional issues with controls not registering properly, which can hinder gameplay.

monetization
232 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
7%
48%
The monetization model of this game is highly praised for its lack of intrusive ads, with many users noting that there are no forced advertisements interrupting gameplay. Instead, optional ads are available for rewards, and in-app purchases are fairly priced and not necessary for progression, creating a respectful and enjoyable experience for players. Overall, the game is celebrated for its ethical approach to monetization, making it a standout in a market often filled with aggressive ad strategies.
- “Monetization is very respectful towards the player.”
- “The in-app purchases are completely optional and fairly priced, and you can buy pretty much every upgrade with in-game currency.”
- “Great game with retro inspiration, no ads, no aggressive monetization, and is genuinely a fun game.”
- “I wish in-app purchases were only to unlock further levels, 'pay to continue' instead of 'pay to win'.”
- “No pop-up ads and pretty fun gameplay, just really repetitive and things are way too expensive for the in-game currency.”
- “It's not filled with ads, and it's genuinely a really good and fun game that I completely recommend.”
gameplay
113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
34%
3%
The gameplay is widely praised for its simplicity, addictiveness, and retro charm, making it accessible to players of all ages. Many reviewers highlight the smooth controls, engaging mechanics, and the absence of intrusive ads, which enhances the overall experience. While some note that the gameplay can be repetitive and progression may feel slow, the combination of fun graphics, challenging elements, and a nostalgic feel contributes to a highly enjoyable gaming experience.
- “In all honesty, it's genius and still is a time waster (in a good way), it can be easily addicting and the game mechanics are simple and easy so people of any age can play.”
- “The gameplay and the power-ups, ships, and boss battles are absolutely amazing; it gives you a nostalgic feeling of the 80s.”
- “This game is fantastic; unbelievable how good it is! If I owned the Play Store, I'd put it as the number 1 best game. I love the gameplay, the graphics, just everything!”
- “Decent game but it's frustrating to know that I need more damage, so I play 10 games to finally have enough gems for the next damage upgrade, and it raises it by an unnoticeable amount that barely affects the gameplay.”
- “Keeps on freezing up after 5 seconds of gameplay.”
- “I only have a few annoyances with the gameplay.”
graphics
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
35%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their colorful, retro pixelated style, which evokes nostalgia while remaining visually appealing and smooth. Players appreciate the charming aesthetics and clean design, noting that the graphics enhance the overall gameplay experience without overshadowing it. The combination of vibrant visuals and engaging soundtracks contributes to a fun and immersive arcade-like atmosphere.
- “The graphics are sharp, smooth, and lovely.”
- “Great game with simple but good graphics.”
- “Very fun gameplay and awesome pixel graphics, loving playing it from time to time!”
- “Simple graphics and decent movement response.”
- “It's not over the top with graphics, it's easy to use and the game is pretty simply learned.”
- “Focuses on gameplay and upgrades instead of graphics.”
music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
23%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its retro appeal, catchy tunes, and immersive sound effects that enhance the overall gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the variety of tracks, especially during boss battles, although some suggest incorporating higher BPM songs for non-boss waves to maintain excitement. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant highlight, contributing to the game's addictive nature and nostalgic charm.
- “The music is awesome and the sound effects are very immersive.”
- “The music really adds to the feel of the game, and it's very well suited to the different parts of the game.”
- “The gameplay and music are absolutely phenomenal.”
- “A suggestion would be to use higher BPM songs for non-boss wave music the further you go.”
- “I'd like to have an original soundtrack for this game; the tracks are pretty basic.”
- “Could do something better with the music.... (wow...other reviewers liked the music...maybe it's me.🤔)”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find it enjoyable and rewarding, particularly in terms of progression and upgrades, others feel that it can be tedious and lengthy, especially when acquiring gems or upgrading abilities. The lack of ads and pressure to pay-to-win is appreciated, but many players wish for a more balanced approach to grinding to enhance the overall experience.
- “Good sense of progression, great controls, perfect arcade feel, not too grindy.”
- “No grinding and no forced ads.”
- “I don't mind a game being difficult, I just don't like it being grindy.”
- “The only downside is really prolonged grinding.”
- “Too much grinding; gems should be easier to acquire.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The game boasts high replayability due to its extensive range of upgrades, diverse ships, and engaging gameplay mechanics. Players appreciate the lack of intrusive ads and the consistent updates, which enhance the overall experience. Many consider it one of the best mobile games for its fun factor and replay value, making it a standout choice for retro gaming enthusiasts.
- “Excellent remake of the classic Space Invaders, with lots of replayability without the need to ever pay a dime and a consistent flow of updates.”
- “Well done retro style graphics, fun and replayable gameplay, upgrade system, plus the developer rocks.”
- “Replayability is high, thanks to a massive range of upgrades and a wide variety of ships.”
- “The replayability is nonstop.”
- “It's fun and it doesn't spam my screen with ads; heck, I would 'pay to remove ads' if that became the case with the replay value this game offers.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, users report a generally stable experience with minimal glitches and lag, highlighting smooth controls and a lack of intrusive ads. However, some players have experienced occasional game freezes, particularly after reaching higher scores, which can disrupt gameplay.
- “I have seen no glitches so far.”
- “No glitches, no lag, spot-on control, and little to no ads.”
- “Not really my type of game, but it's well executed, fun, bug-free, and has no intrusive ads.”
- “I have noticed that the game freezes and kills me when I get above 10k points, which is really annoying!”
- “Sometimes the game freezes up for no apparent reason, which can ruin runs.”
- “Though there are no glitches or lag, the occasional freezing can be frustrating.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The game is highly praised for its exceptional optimization, allowing it to run smoothly on a wide range of devices, including older models. Players appreciate the absence of ads, which enhances the continuous gameplay experience, and the engaging bullet hell mechanics. While it may not prioritize visual aesthetics or a clear user interface, its performance and retro feel are well-received.
- “There is nothing not to love about this game; it is extremely optimized, being able to run on pretty much any device. It has no ads whatsoever, which gives a nice continuous gameplay feel, and it has amazing bullet hell physics that are incredibly engaging.”
- “Very cool game! There are no ads at all, nice optimization (I am playing this on my 2016 phone and it runs well), and it has such interesting gameplay.”
- “Runs smoothly, and I love the retro feel!”
- “Isn't optimized for eye-candy, or clear UI.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Players appreciate the game's focus on high scores but express a desire for a more structured narrative or mission-based gameplay. Many feel that adding quests or a story mode could enhance the overall experience, suggesting that the current lack of a storyline limits its potential. Overall, while the game is enjoyable, a more developed story could elevate it further.
- “I actually really like this game; it could have missions or quests to get extra gems and maybe add more ships and more content, but for the most part, I love this game.”
- “Would love some sort of story mode.”
- “Would be five if it had a set of missions or another run.”
- “I actually really like this game, but it could have missions or quests to get extra gems and maybe add more ships and more stuff to the game.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses, serving as a heartfelt tribute to classic titles like Space Invaders and Galaga, while fostering deep connections with its characters, particularly the skill ships. Players report experiencing a significant emotional journey, with some even moved to tears throughout their gameplay.
- “I cried so much during this game; it truly is an emotional roller coaster.”
- “I am now forming an emotional attachment to the skill ships.”
- “For someone who was there at the beginning, this plays like a heartfelt love letter to Space Invaders, Galaxian/Galaga, and Phoenix.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find humor in both their own struggles with the game's challenges and the unexpected difficulty spikes, which add a comedic element to the experience. The game's design elicits laughter, particularly when players face overwhelming odds.
- “I am generally quite bad at these types of games; it can be very humorous to watch me attempt to play!”
- “The massive difficulty spike in later waves is hilarious.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game is described as atmospheric and engaging, with a seamless experience that is enhanced by the absence of intrusive ads or aggressive promotion of premium content.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
- “The game's ambiance is captivating, creating a unique and engaging experience.”
- “I love how the atmosphere enhances the storytelling, making every moment feel significant.”