Impressions: AIPD (Artificial Intelligence Police Department)

AIPD Artificial Intelligence Police Department is a top down arcade game with twin-stick controls by indipendent studio Blazing Badger. It\’s nostalgic 80\’s neon art style needs no introduction when jumping in to play. It\’s beautiful and rich colors remind you that this smaller game was built with the power of the Unreal Engine. You select your difficulty, your weapon, your vehicle , and get prepared to shoot (a lot). It consists of 15 waves and a boss fight. At least that\’s what I\’ve heard. The increasing difficulty on each wave has kept me from beating it. And not for my lack of effort. With one health bar and no ability to heal, once the health runs out that\’s it. The game is over. A frustrating and yet engaging fact that keeps me excited and a little discouraged on whether or not I will actually beat the damn thing. It does pull you back though. I found myself saying, \”Okay just one more time.\” many times before bed each time I\’ve played, desperately trying to reach the last wave.

The controls are easy to understand but it took some time for me to get used to them. I\’m love the inclusion of both online multiplayer and couch co-op and the game\’s bright colors will likely appeal to the person who is missing the feel of old arcade games such as Galaga, but it\’s pace is not something to underestimate. You can customize the difficulty from Easy to \”Blazing\” and blazing is no joke. I think I\’ve made it all the way to wave 4 which is no small feat. The weapons range from a standard gatling gun that you start with, to a shotgun, a grenade launcher of sorts, and a laser (the last weapon unlock) that is, in my opinion, the most effective. There are six vehicles to choose from, a standard little space ship, jumping up to a ship with increased shields, and increased boosts that mirror your weapon cooldown.

The arena is a large circle of impenetrable energy that enemies spawn out of. A handful of enemies come out of the woodwork at first, with just small drones, and then build to huge centipede styled creatures that become a grinding pain to kill with their obnoxious grapplers that deal damage from across the space. Enemies you kill drop multipliers and as you progress your score builds. And a lot quicker than I was expecting. As you move from wave to wave you can select different modules that increase your score multiplier. These modules alter the dynamics of your ship and enemies by extending cool times to enabling enemies to drop a pile of bombs when they die. In the main menu you can even select and deselect these modules as you\’d like to achieve the proper amount of difficulty versus challenge.

I really enjoy(ed) playing this game and look forward to hopefully beating it sometime SOON. I wish there was more content to choose from, different maps than just the one arena you\’re in. And the scoring system seems to be a little confusing, at least to me. But all in all It\’s fun challenge and nostalgic vibe are in line with old arcade games, only a tad prettier. Even if I don\’t see myself playing it every single week for years to come, it\’s retro feel and simple structure will have me coming back on those random Saturday mornings when I want a fun and quick game to play.