iPhone Review: Isotope
by Carter Dotson
Publisher/Developer: Affogato Software
Genre: Arena Shooter
Price: $2.99 (Lite Version Available)
Verdict: Worth a purchase for veterans of the genre looking for something new
Pros: RPG elements addicting, great longevity and replay value, great controls
Cons: Game feels like imitation-brand Geometry Wars, grinding can be excessive at times
Lately, the trend in games has been to take a tired concept, and add RPG elements to it – a concept perfected by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in order to take the Castlevania series and make gamers actually care about it, and the result was one of the greatest games of all time. While it would be difficult to call the Geometry Wars-esque arena shooter a tired genre, it’s certainly one where games that do unique things are the ones that stand out. Isotope is the nexus point of the two concepts discussed in this paragraph – it’s an arena shooter with RPG elements. And while the gameplay itself may not be the strongest point of the game, the RPG elements add addictive hooks that kept me playing this game.
If you’ve played Geometry Wars, then you’ve played Isotope – you move and fire in 360 degrees shooting at vector graphics-inspired enemies in arenas. The game controls identically to iDracula and Dropship, in that you have 2 disks for moving and firing on each side of the screen, and the controls work as well as they do in those games – they’re precise, and you can configure the controls so that the control disks either stay in place or originate from your finger’s position on the screen. The controls aren’t at issue in the game, at all. The thing is, from a pure gameplay standpoint, I can’t help but get this feeling like the game is the Dr. Thunder to Geometry Wars’ Dr. Pepper. The gameplay just comes off as feeling kind of generic, and like it’s trying its hardest to imitate its precursors moreso than stand on its own legs as its own game from a gameplay standpoint. Even the movement just feels like an attempt to poorly emulate the feel of other games, and it just comes off as feeling a bit lifeless – the gameplay is good, yes, but it’s largely because it’s just a solid execution of preexisting concepts.
However, what makes Isotope fun is the RPG elements – you get experience points and money for killing enemies, and you pick up an XP multiplier as you kill enemies without taking any damage. You use the XP to increase your stats, making your weapons more powerful, your shields stronger, or unlocking new slots for powerups. You can use your money to buy new ships (each ship has different attributes for where their stats max out and what type of bullets they fire), new abilities, modules to boost your stats, and satellites that act as familiars to help you fight enemies. What’s great is that your XP and money accrue in all game modes – not only in the main campaign mode which is structured much like Geometry Wars Galaxies, but in the Survival mode, which puts you in an arena trying to survive for high scores. In fact, the best way to progress in the campaign mode is to use the Survival mode to grind money and XP to buy new upgrades and better ships. Usually, level grinding in RPGs is boring, but in this game it’s far more entertaining because you’re blowing stuff up in a solid if not spectacular space shooter.
These RPG elements are really what make this game worth playing and what kept me hooked longer than just the game by itself likely would have done. There’s something addicting about knowing that there’s that one upgrade you want to get, and you just have to keep playing until you get them, but by the time you have the upgrade you want, you’ll see something else that you want and the cycle continues. This kept me playing far longer than just the gameplay alone might have done. The only problem with the upgrade system is that when you buy new ships, they start off with minimal stats, so you wind up having to grind the lower level waves of Survival mode and the earlier Campaign mode levels in order to upgrade your ship back to the levels that your previous ships had. It’s kind of annoying and unintuitive, but it functions well as an excuse to keep playing the game. The Campaign mode is something I’ve brushed upon in the review, but not really detailed – instead of putting you in arenas where the goal is to survive until you die, you fight waves of enemies in actual levels, with boss fights and end points. It’s very similar to Geometry Wars Galaxies’ level progression in that you have to buy and unlock new levels, but it’s cool as a long-form gameplay mode, and many of the levels are very challenging, even early on. Thankfully, you keep the XP and money that you get from playing Campaign levels even if you die, so progression is often just an issue of grinding until you’re strong enough to survive, or until you develop the l33t mad skillz to survive even with an underpowered ship. It’s another part of the whole package that makes the whole thing a solid purchase for fans of arena shooters.
Isotope is a game that based on its pure gameplay alone might not be all that spectacular – it’s not bad but it’s not exactly a standout on that aspect. It’s everything built around the game, the fun Campaign and Survival modes, the addictive RPG elements that will likely hook you if you buy the game. If you’re a fan of arena shooters and need something different that will hook you and keep you playing for a long time, then Isotope is definitely a solid purchase. I at least recommend checking out the Lite version, as it is quite robust and will give you a great taste of what you’re in for with Isotope.
