Developed by Testament Creative, Bit Pixel Horde is an ultra-challenging Atari-style arcade game for iOS that lays the nostalgia on thick.
Featuring super-blocky visuals and low-fi midi sounds, Bit Pixel Horde is a direct throwback to some classic games of the 80’s.
The game itself is straightforward – you’re a block, and you can shoot left, right or down. To fire, you simply tap in the direction you want to shoot. But be careful, physics applies here and shooting in one direction will send you hurtling towards spiky walls in the other.
Blue ‘enemy’ blocks come at you from both sides of the screen and if you can’t shoot them before they hit you, it’s game over.
The controls and interface are simple and self-explanatory and the only method of scoring is ‘Time Alive’. If you manage a high score this will get recorded in the main menu of the game. If you’re particularly good, there are Game Centre leaderboards to compare your times with other players.
To say this game is tough is an understatement. The blocks come at you thick and fast and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. It took many attempts to be able to survive for just 30 seconds.
Bit Pixel Horde has that immediate pick-up-and-play mechanic that makes it so addictive. You just keep finding yourself saying “Oh hell no, I did not just die in 6 seconds”. And then you play again.
Bit Pixel Horde requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.