Invaders Mini Recalls Classic Arcade Game Space Invaders

As someone who owned an Atari gaming system back in the 1980s, I played my share of Space Invaders. It’s safe to say that virtually everyone who grew up during that time owned Space Invaders or at least played it at an arcade or friend’s house. Invaders Mini is based on that classic game, but it’s scaled down for the Apple Watch.

Invaders Mini works well on the Apple Watch. However, it’s not exactly the same as the classic title. Unlike playing with a joystick, there is no separate shooting button. You move your spaceship left and right by turning the Digital Crown down and up. As you move, you’ll shoot automatically. You can also control your spaceship by tapping on the screen. Tap to the left of your spaceship to move left, towards the right to move right. If you want to stay in place but shoot, you can do this by tapping just above your spaceship.

At the same time you’re shooting at the invaders, they are shooting at you. If they hit you, it’s game over. Or, if they make it to the bottom of the screen before you destroy them all, it’s game over for you. Complete a round by shooting up all three rows of invaders. The invaders speed up as you progress through the rounds. There are also bonus UFOs drifting across the top of the screen. If you manage to hit one, you’ll get bonus points.

You can access Invaders Mini quickly via its complication, or you can place it in your Dock if you wish. The graphics are cute and colorful. Invaders Mini is a quick pickup game that doesn’t require any backstory or complicated instructions. Play for a few minutes or even less. It’s free on the App Store, and certainly worth the download if you like retro arcade games.