Spheres of Chaos

Our coverage of inexpensive and trippy video games really wouldn't be complete without a review of Spheres of Chaos. Designed and coded by Iain McLeod, the guy behind the Streamer p2p radio client, Spheres offers psychedelic shoot-'em-up action. That it delivers on that front can't be doubted, but of the games we've reviewed so far, our opinions really are divided about this one. To that end we've both taken a turn at giving the game a quick review. After discussing the gameplay, we'll each outline our opinions.

Credit where it's due: the screenshots from this game were taken from www.spheresofchaos.com because we had a hell of a time trying to get screenshots from this monster.

Help me!

Like many other games in this price bracket, gameplay takes precedence over plot or fancy graphics. The game is probably best described as an update of Asteroids. The controls are pretty basic: turn left, turn right, thrust, fire and hyperspace. Easy to learn; difficult to master. Unless you get to grips with that thrust control, using it sparingly and learning how to reverse thrust to decelerate, chances are you're going to smack straight into an enemy and get smeared across the screen as a gaily-coloured cloud of particles. As you progress, the game flings an increasingly complex array of hazards at you. Some drift in lazy spirals, others propel themselves towards you with deadly speed, and from time to time enemy ships appear, firing bolts of deadly nastiness at you. This additional layer of difficulty is offset by an equally large array of power-ups: shields, invisibility, scatter shot, seeker shots, increased range; I could go on but won't. Get the most out of them, though; each power-up lasts for a limited time only. Fortunately, since they increase your destructive potential, they also increase your chances of blowing enemies up and getting more power-ups and before you ask: yes, they do stack with each other.

I hate flowers.

Phil

I've been playing Spheres for years and I've suffered no adverse long-term health effects. (Insert photo of Pete Doherty here.)

I don't think there are many games that are as immersive as Spheres of Chaos. At risk of qualifying for an entry in Private Eye's 'Pseuds' column, the game bombards you with melodic chimes and chords; huge, brightly coloured graphics and bursts of coloured particles, and I don't think there's a brain that won't be affected by the sheer volume of sensory data.

I love it. A digital narcotic and it only costs a fiver too!

Tabitha

Spheres' constant noise and big, colourful enemies flying every which way make for a sensory overload. I can't make myself play for more than a few minutes at a time. Without practice, however, controlling the ship is damn near impossible. The rotating, thrusting, and braking are too reminiscent of driving, something I've avoided for years.

While most shoot-'em-ups are good therapy, this one is stressful. The lack of control is infuriating, and the graphics are overstimulating to the point of frightening. In all, it's too complex to be enjoyable.