Like a number of recent games, IntoSpace! is all about going as high as you can. But unlike those other games, in IntoSpace! you actually have a final destination: the moon. And getting there is no easy feat.
Like a number of recent games, IntoSpace! is all about going as high as you can. But unlike those other games, in IntoSpace! you actually have a final destination: the moon. And getting there is no easy feat.
The game is as much about skill as it is patience. While you’ll have to navigate your ship around all sorts of obstacles, you won’t actually be able to make to your destination until you play for quite some time. Each flight you take will earn you money which can then be invested into improving your spaceship. You can buy new rockets, gas tanks, and improve aspects like fuel consumption and wind resistance.
You control your ship with the arrow keys or mouse, and there are two ways you can fail: by running out of gas or breaching your hull due to collisions. So you’ll have to keep a close eye on both your health meter and fuel gauge. Thankfully there are numerous power ups to collect along the way, which can both top up your tank and give you some health. Of course, there are also plenty of obstacles as well. There are storm clouds that suck you in like a magnet and planes, spaceships, and hot air balloons that you can crash into.
When you first start you won’t be able to make it very high. It won’t take long before your ship sputters out and runs out of gas. But no matter how badly you do, no trip is a waste of time because you’ll always earn some money. And without money you can’t improve your ship and turn it into a space faring vehicle. For each type of improvement there are multiple levels of upgrades, and the process of making your ship space worthy is a long one. It’s frustrating at first to realize that it’s going to take so long to get to the top, but this set-up also makes IntoSpace! very addictive. Every time you take flight you know that you’ll be able to make it just a little bit further, making this a game that’s hard to put down.
Contrasting the game’s slow pace, IntoSpace! features a very lighthearted and fun visual style, with an art style reminiscent of a children’s book. The hand drawn graphics are colorful and the scenery slowly changes as you progress higher and higher into space. Planes and balloons give way to satellites and flying saucers, and the sky will go from a pale blue to the black of space.
You’re going to have play the same basic scenario many, many times before you can make it to the end of IntoSpace!, but thanks to the addictive RPG style progression and simple but intuitive gameplay, this isn’t a bad thing. Even with only one level, IntoSpace! will keep you busy reaching for the stars for quite some time.
