At the end of 2020, we got a small collection of Space Invaders games called Space Invaders Forever. Despite not being a particularly bad collection of games, I still thought it was a bit of disappointment. Especially when you consider it didn’t feature any of the classic games from the franchise, such as the 1978 original or the iconic Space Invaders DX, instead opting for giving more modern (and lesser known) spinoffs a chance to shine. That felt weird, considering that Japan had gotten a full-fledged collection which included the aforementioned missing games. It took ININ Games and Taito a few more months to bring Space Invaders Invincible Collection, but I’d say it was worth the wait. If you’re into old-school gaming, that is.

Space Invaders Invincible Collection includes all three games previously featured in Space Invaders Forever (therefore rendering that collection completely irrelevant), as well as pretty much every other relevant title in the franchise’s history. The original Space Invaders, released in 1978, is featured in here in all its black and white glory, for instance. Its colored version is also present. Space Invaders Part II, Space Invaders DX (my favorite of the bunch, despite its reviled reception at the time) are also included. There are other some vastly different games in here, which are canonically considered part of the Space Invaders, uh, “mythos”, such as Lunar Rescue and Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV, which plays more similarly to Galaga and Galaxian than Space Invaders. However, I do appreciate their inclusion.

All games included in this collection have been visually revamped in order to improve their microscopic original resolution. You can also play a good chunk of them in TATE mode, namely those originally released for arcades with a vertical aspect ratio. This means you can play these vertically-oriented arcade shooters with the Switch’s screen flipped to the side, vastly improving these titles’ resolution and screen size, removing unnecessary borders on the side.

To be fair, Space Invaders Invincible Collection is quite simplistic and straightforward: what you see is what you get. There isn’t a lot in terms of extras, with the exception of a neat sound-based Easter egg: a note is played every time you highlight a new game in the main menu, with the note progression of the original Space Invaders game. Most games are borderline devoid of sound and their graphics are as prehistoric as an actual video game can have. Yet at the same time, these games feature such iconic spritework that any kind of revamp would only tarnish this collection. At the end of the day, this is a fun and hassle-free way to take a look at an important chapter in the history of gaming, a way to properly preserve these arcade classics in a more modern format.

Space Invaders Invincible Collection is exactly what we should have gotten last year instead of Space Invaders Forever. It has its weird B-tier spinoffs and modern takes on the original, but it also features the plain obvious: a bunch of classic Space Invaders titles in a package that pays homage to such an important franchise in the history of gaming. For as simplistic as playing a 1978 game might be in 2021, there’s an undeniable charm in these titles, and I fully recommend grabbing this collection to anyone with the slightest interest in retro gaming.

 

Graphics: 7.0 Even though a good portion of the games featured in Space Invaders Invincible Collection are beyond basic in terms of visuals, I appreciate the developers have kept their graphics mostly intact. I also appreciate the inclusion of a TATE mode.	Gameplay: 8.5 You can’t get more straightforward in terms of gameplay than with a Space Invaders game. All commands, be them for the 1970’s originals or 2010’s weird spinoffs, are well-explained onscreen.
Sound: 7.0 A chunk of the games included in this collection feature little to no sound, but these minute sound effects are so iconic we can’t help but appreciate them.	Fun Factor: 7.5 Space Invaders Invincible Collection is the proper love letter to the classic arcade franchise we didn’t get last year, especially since it actually includes all games featured in Space Invaders Forever.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Space Invaders Invincible Collection is available now on PS4 and Switch.

Reviewed on Switch.

A copy of Space Invaders Invincible Collection was provided by the publisher.