Curved Space, developed by Maximum Games, is an arcade style, fast-paced shooter.  The game is obviously set in space, as humans fight against space-invading monsters. Players fly space ships in large scale space battles, attacking alien ships and bases. There were a ton of different aspects in Curved Space that I thought added a lot to the game, and made the game a new type of arcade game.

In Curved Space, the gameplay was extremely fast and exciting. Each level had huge space battles, consisting of multiple enemies that players had to defeat. On top of that, the art style in the game made it pop. There were flashing lights and colors that gave off a neon effect throughout the entire game. I feel like this addition made the game pop and kept the players focused on the game. Here is an example of the coloring in Curved Space: 

As you can see from the picture, there are also huge monsters and aliens that players have to go against. These challenging monsters each had certain weaknesses and strengths, and players had to remember and counter each of them.

Besides the coloring of the game, the actual graphics such as lighting and sharpness were awesome, and it felt like an anime or cartoon game. This art style was a really great idea, when mixing them with the arcade style gameplay. This combination made the game feel like a remastered version of space invaders. This combination gave players a nostalgic feeling of the old games that they loved to play as children, as well as introducing new game mechanics in the new game.

On top of the main campaign game mode, there are also time trials that players can compete in where they are actively playing against other players. These game modes test players in races and survival modes. After playing both game modes, I also discovered that there is a customizable progression section in Curved Space. Players can actively grind out levels to upgrade their pilots and ships, unlocking different abilities, skills, and cosmetic items.

The last detail that I want to talk about is the soundtrack in Curved Space. The songs that were playing in the background of the game gave off a very energetic Synthwave, and helped hype me up while playing the game. Overall, I really enjoyed Curved Space. I thought the 2D arcade style gameplay mixed with the modern anime graphics gave the game an amazing feel. On top of that, the Synthwave music really tied the game together. I would rate the game a solid eight out of ten.

-Daniel CW.