Halogen for iPad from developers RocketHands is a fast-paced action game that kind of mixes air hockey with Space Invaders. Your job is to smash a puck around the screen and activate the colored reactors on each side, while at the same time eliminating the hordes of colorful enemies that invade your space to collect enough Halogen elements to complete each level and achieve your highest score.
There are 4 game modes that will each push your reflexes to the limit – single player mode features 16 insanely crazy levels that start off fast and then become faster. Your enemies get bigger and nastier and the black hole at the bottom of your screen gets wider. This intense, fast-paced gameplay is what makes Halogen so addictive and keeps you returning to the game in an attempt to beat each level and complete the game.
Completing a level will unlock it in practice mode, where you get the opportunity to play each level individually in a bid to improve your skills and get the highest score you can.
Infinite mode will deliver wave after wave of enemies in which you must fight off with your trusty pucks to achieve the ultimate high score. This is one of my favorite game modes and is great when you only have 5 minutes spare and you just want to pick up and play. Having said that, the 5 minutes you intended to spend playing can soon turn in to a few hours when you find yourself retrying again and again to beat your personal best.
Multiplayer mode allows you to compete with a friend head to head in a traditional air hockey style game. This mode is great fun but offers no more than any other air hockey game in the App Store. I think with a bit more effort, RocketHands could have added their own touch of craziness in some way.
Halogen also features the OpenFeint network allowing you to compete for a top spot on the global leader-board and unlock the numerous achievements within the game.
The brightly glowing neon visuals make Halogen a fantastic looking game, while the retro sound effects and high tempo music only add to the intense, high-speed acton.
Halogen is currently $4.99, which you may argue is a bit pricey for just 16 levels. However as you progress, each level becomes increasingly difficult and overall offer a great deal of gameplay. The other game modes, especially infinite mode, also bring a lot to the game.
You can find Halogen in the App Store here.
