Infinite Sparkles
Infinite Sparkles is a twin-stick space shooter that combines retro arcade action with an extensive upgrade system. Unlock levels, planets and weapon systems to become the first spaceship ever to discover all 7 jewels.
Accessible for casual or younger gamers with its simple “twin-stick, twin-button” controls, forgiving learning curve and simple intuitive game menu. Challenging for die-hards with the deep weapon mechanics, time-based medal system and unlockable secrets.
The perfect game to play for a few minutes to kill some time, as well as to make it through the entire night again because you want that gold medal, break that record or achieve that highest rank.Story
Since the day she was built everyone knew that one day she would be capable of great things. Her talent and drive earned her respect and admiration from both people, aliens and robots, young and old. Despite her undeniable specialness, she always remained modest and friendly. Because of this she was loved by all, and was always welcomed with a smile.
Hence, great was the sadness when the inevitable day came that she had to say goodbye. Spread her wings to pursue the dream that occupied her mind ever since she could remember. Legend says that someone discovering all 7 jewels can experience infinity. There is only one way to find out if this legend is true.Key Features
- Easy to learn and easy to pick up because of the simple controls and intuitive game mechanics (you can change the control style of the spaceship to your own liking).
- Difficult to master due to the deep weapon mechanics that must be used to acquire medals and unlock all game content. The challenge to keep improving your record provides infinite replayability.
- 7 planets to discover including more than 50 levels.
- 3 primary weapons: bullets, fireballs and lasers. Each with different and complementary characteristics.
- Mood System (Unlockable): Multiply your stats during play by dealing damage and avoid getting hurt.
- Decharge System (Unlockable): Charge and release system gives a temporary fire rate boost.
- Overdrive (Unlockable): Activable by achieving the highest mood. Gives a temporary period of extreme firepower.
- Earn medals by completing a level within a certain time limit. Achieving medals will grant bonuses which can be used to upgrade your weapons and enhance your ship.
- All weapon systems can be further enhanced by adding stars. Earn stars by achieving all medals on a planet. Stars can be rearranged at will, so experiment to see which constellation fits you best.
- There are rumours of an endless level somewhere on the edge of the visible universe (but nobody has ever seen it so it probably doesn’t exist).
Game Discussion
Steam User 5
Infinite Sparkles is a really decent, retro-style arcade shooter with a cool neon look. The "enemies" which consist of bright neon balls and UFOs are well-varied and have their own set of mechanics that you'll need to very quickly learn. I also really liked that there are different types of projectiles that you can switch (using the right mouse button) and use, though I only found this out a bit later in the game and that's entirely on me.
Watch me play!
Pros
+ A game that's best played with a controller, I'm sure Infinite Sparkles works well with ye olde keyboard and mouse as well. It may just take a while of getting used to.
+ Multiple projectiles for you to blast at your enemies
+ Interesting UFO boss fights
+ Plenty of upgrades + you earn upgrade materials at a pretty good rate = satisfying progression. Don't get me wrong; you'll still be grinding for gems and stars but at least you're going somewhere :)
+ Levels that get increasingly more challenging. Don't be fooled by the super easy earlier level! I'm 3 planets in and I still find the levels manageable but I can't seem to be able to earn even a Bronze rank for Planet 2 onward.
+ ... and this brings me to my next point: Each level comes with 3 ranks and which rank you get (or not get) depends solely on the time needed to complete a level. I'm probably kiting the neon balls around way too much :P
+ Considering the hours of entertainment you'd get from it, the asking price is most definitely right even at full price!
Cons/Feedback (more feedback than cons though!)
- The red, laser-like projectile seem to be the weaker link here since it doesn't really seem to be very useful. It's very similar to the blue projectile but you only get one stream of projectiles rather than two, which is a "minus". Maybe turn it into a solid block of laser like the one in the "I'M A' FIRIN' MAH LAZER" meme, instead of a stream of discontinued dashes, that the player can "whip" around to destroy stuff.
- There seems to be a little hiccup whenever the game transitions from one screen/interface to the other. Not really a huge issue though, but it's very noticeable. It made me clicked twice on the Back button several times just because I thought I didn't really clicked it (but I did click it)
- UFOs have wayyyyy too much health. I enjoy the UFO fights since different UFOs provide me with different "patterns" to learn, but they just seem to have a bit too much health - or it's just that my damage is too low? - forcing me repeat the same few motions for 5 minutes (or more) straight. It does get a bit boring after a while but I can't let my attention wander or my ship will get destroyed... it's a dilemma, for sure.
- Maybe this is mentioned in the game somewhere but I'm not very sure how I can earn the silver star so I could upgrade certain parks in the game. So far, I managed to get two silver stars and I had no idea how I got them.
Overall
All in all, Infinite Sparkles is a solid retro-style arcade shooter that a fan of the genre would be more than happy to spend hours in. The game's actually not too hard if you just aim to complete a level and move on to the next, but if you are a perfectionist and like getting "3 stars" for every level, then you can try grinding for a higher rank for every level you play by returning to older levels once you have tons of upgrades. The rewards you get would be very much worth it too!
Side Note
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Steam User 3
I love to play Infinite Sparkles.
Its a bit hard too find the keyboard and mouse settings right but as soon as you lift off there is no way back! Its a real gamer's game with some bugs you have to oversee, but it does not harm the gameplay itself. The gameplay is; addictive, fast, enjoyable graphics and replayable although I never play a game twice after I finish it.
Just an enjoyment overall. I give it a 8,5 out of 10 because of the keyboard-bug I can't give it a 9.
Steam User 2
Retro arcade shooter - but with an upgrade system, unlockables and secrets all throughout. Use different shooting modes to destroy sparkles before they explode your ship - then get a medal.
Steam User 1
What a great game this is. I thought this would be for just an hour, but I have already enjoyed it for about 15 hours and I am not done with it yet. Love it, I can heartily recommend this game to all lovers of twin-stick shooters. I really experienced a huge amount of fun while playing this game. There is a lot of progression and it is really great fun to shoot all the different enemies to pulp.
The design of the game is simple, enemies are approaching you in different waves and the goal is to shoot alle the enemies and not get hit. What makes the game special is that you have three different weapons (bullets, fireballs and lasers) that you can switch between. Also different for this genre is that your spaceship develops slowly during the game. This also my biggest criticism: if you want fast action right away the the first half hour will be boring because you are still so weak. However, I think that it is a big mistake to let this scare you away because the mid and endgame are nothing less than spectacular.
There are 7 different worlds with approximately 7 levels per world i spent about 7 hours copleting all levels, but I also backtracked to get some medals. When I was done I was positively surprised by the amazing endless level that I also spent a few hours in (perhaps an idea to make this game mode immediately available for the "instant-satisfaction generation").
--- SPOILER ---
For me, the highlight of this game is the bonus planet which unlocks after getting all levels on gold. This planet consists of 3 incredible challenging levels that really test you to the limit. Sweaty hands! :).
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The explosions and fireworks are beautiful but the graphics are nothing very special, just fine. The menu could be a bit more user-friendly but once I got used to it it was also fine. The music is fantastic, sometimes a bit strange for a space shooter (it varies from classical music to hardrock to techno) but it works absolutely great, some tunes were still in my head for days.
PRO's
- Just an insane amount of fun, awesome game mechanics
- Surprisingly long playing time for this type of game
- Spectacular explosions, like a firework show
- Many hidden extra's
- Soundtrack is amazing
CON's
- Start is slow, takes a while before the real action starts
- Menu a bit annoying, needs getting used to it
- Graphics nothing very special (except explosions)
To be clear, the pro's crush the con's with ease. An absolute recommendation, easy question!
Steam User 2
A cool little asteroids style game.
Shoot three different types of weapons at relaxing colored lights as you work your way through the levels.
The game feels a little sluggish at times but is fairly enjoyable.
It is probably a little too expensive for what it is.