Space Invaders Invincible Collection (Switch) Review

Space Invaders Invincible Collection is a must-buy for fans of the retro Space Invaders franchise. This package from ININ Games and Taito includes 11 Space Invader games which spans over 40 years of history. 

Starting off with the original, Space Invaders (1978), players will be able to play the iconic original game in black and white on Nintendo Switch. It’s pure, unadulterated classic gaming fun. 

Should the black and white version not be your thing, you can opt to play the same game albeit in colour too. 

Fast forward to a year later and we have Space Invaders Part II (1979). This one is slightly different in that enemies can split into two and there’s reinforcements that join the fray. It’s essentially the same game as the previous one though.

Next up is Lunar Rescue (1979), a game that shares the same board as Space Invaders but plays rather differently. Precision movement is required to dodge certain death from asteroids and flying saucers while you try to rescue astronauts.

Space Cyclone (1980) is next in the list and this one is incredibly rare. It’s the first time this game has seen the light of day on a home console and it plays out rather similarly to the standard Space Invaders game with some new aspects such as a UFO firing a lightning strike out.

One of the standout games in this collection is up next and this is Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV (1990). This game brought with it a lot of new features to the standard Space Invaders formula. New enemies, powerups, branching levels and more are the order of the day here and it’s great.

Super Space Invaders ’91 (1990) is pretty much the same game as Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV but was updated for a Western release with some better looking backgrounds and the removal of level selection. Instead you just play through everything here with no choice as to which area to visit next. 

After the faster paced previous title, Space Invaders DX (1994) is a step backwards towards the more classic titles. The movement in this title is smoother but this game is a back to basics kind of Space Invaders with three different modes on offer. Parody, Versus and Original. Parody is the standout mode since this features Taito characters from their other games. It also looks quite visually pleasing since there is some colourful pixel art from the SNES version here. The Original mode lets you select what type of screen you’d like to play with too (There’s 4 options) and that’s quite a nice touch. The Versus mode introduces some slightly different game mechanics to allow for competitive split-screen play but is still essentially the basic Space Invaders game but refined to feel smoother.

The real star of the show is Space Invaders Extreme (2008) which released onto Steam fairly recently too in 2018. This Space Invaders game was a fresh take on the original formula with a ridiculous amount of new content to keep you coming back for more. There’s a tonne of flashing lights and so many particle effects in this title so be warned. It gets intense too with boss enemies, bonuses, powerful lasers and an adrenaline pumping soundtrack. 

The 10th game in the collection is Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE (2018). This is a classic Space Invaders game but built around 4 player co-op in mind. Unfortunately you cannot play this online and it will have to be local co-op. 

The 11th game, is not featured in the collection but comes as a separate download should you purchase the Space Invaders Invincible Collection. This game is Arkanoid vs Space Invaders (2016) which was originally a mobile game. This title combines Arkanoid’s brick breaking bouncing projectiles with Space Invaders’, well, invaders. It’s kinda addictive and a lot of fun but it is a separate download that players need to remember to go get from the Nintendo Online store. 

Overall, the Space Invaders Invincible Collection is a solid, well rounded package with some classic games and while 11 titles might be a bit of a marketing stretch given the fact that a few are essentially the same game, it’s still worth grabbing. Each and every single game in this collection also runs flawlessly and the star of the show, Space Invaders Extreme, is worth the price alone (Especially given the fact that it’s so addictive and so well suited for pick up and play gameplay on Nintendo Switch). The online leaderboards round off the package too encouraging gamers to play through these titles and rack up high scores to compete with each other.

If you’re a fan of retro Space Invaders games, you might want to consider buying this collection since it has far more titles than 2020’s Space Invaders Forever Collection which featured the newer games predominantly. We do wish that there were more extras included in this game though. Maybe some concept art or history about the franchise, especially since it’s more than 40 years old now but alas this isn’t the case.

A review code for Space Invaders Invincible Collection was provided to Gameblur by the Publisher