Mars Attacks: Blast the Baddies Back to Mars

Price: Free
Rating:
Mars Attacks Free: Written & Video Android App Review

Here at the Android Apps Review, we really like a good arcade outing on the Android platform. This is because of one simple reason: Nothing beats an hour in the queue like pulling out your phone and conquering the universe. With that in mind, we’re pleased to introduce you to Mars Attacks Free, by developer Rock-On Development. It’s a simple, engaging, and mostly entertaining entry into the blast-em back genre. Sure, there are a few niggles here and there, but the price is right, and if you’re looking for our full review of this brand-new arcade game for Android, you’ll find it tucked below just beyond the break.

Concept and Gameplay

Mars Attacks for Android

The basic premise behind Mars Attacks is fairly self-descriptive, and looks something like this: You stand alone as the sole protector of the Earth. As such (must have been a work shortage or something) you must defend your home from the oncoming Mars-based hordes. They’ll fly at the planet in their tiny, round ships, requiring you to blast them into submission by tapping on them. Do this a lot, or else the waves will reach the Earth, taking out one of the defense rings. When all the rings are gone, a single blow invades the entire planet, and leads to a game over.

That’s it! Mars Attacks is a simple outing, and in some ways this works in its favor. It takes no time at all to get the hang of, and the simplistic gameplay lends itself well to things like high scores and leaderboards. However, there are no power ups, no bosses, no real “waves” here even. Just lots of baddies, lots of explosions, and not nearly enough to tide us over for the long haul.

Graphics and Design

On a similar note, the graphics set being rocked by Mars Attacks is nothing new, though this doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. However, at the least the app is very repetitive. All of the enemy ships you’ll encounter are exactly the same, which doesn’t quite lend itself to the feeling of being in an immersive gaming world. In addition, with the lack of any new worlds or environments (powerups, game changers, etc.) the action can get a bit stale at times. We also wondered why the lasers shot up from the bottom, rather than just having the enemies explode on impact. However, that’s a small complaint, and we’re aware of it.

Overall Value

At the end of the day, though, Mars Attacks is a hard bargain to argue with. After all, the application is completely free in the Google Play Store, with a paid version available to remove advertisements. With that in mind, you can’t go wrong giving Mars Attacks a go. Still, we feel there are likely better options out there, even with a Mars focus.

Android Apps Review Details: Mars Attacks Free is FREE. This app requires Android 2.2+ and up. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review, as well as a video production fee.