Space Impact Explained

Space Impact
Developer:	Nokia
Publisher:	Nokia
Genre:	Shoot 'em up
Platforms:	Mobile phone, J2ME, Symbian S60, N-Gage Classic/QD, N-Gage 2.0

Space Impact is a shoot'em up mobile game series that was published by Nokia and bundled with several Nokia devices.

The first Space Impact appeared on the Nokia 3310 in 2000 and later included in other models with a monochrome display, including Nokia 3410, 5510, Nokia 5210, Nokia 2100 and 6310.^[1] The Nokia 3310's WAP enhanced versions (3330 and 3350) and the Nokia 3410 versions gave the possibility to download extra Space Impact chapters via the phone's WAP connection (the service called Club Nokia).^[2]

A Space Impact-themed Xpress-on cover was released for devices including Nokia 3410.^[3]

Gameplay

Space Impact is a shoot 'em up game and the player has the ability to freely move horizontally and vertically (with a few exceptions on some platform-like levels in Space Impact+) but cannot increase the speed of the screen's auto-scrolling feature. The player can collect power-ups throughout the levels, which award extra lives or special weapons.^[4]

Series

Sequels for the original game later appeared:

• Space Impact II, which debuted on Nokia 3510 and later appeared in Nokia's CDMA models^[5] - Identical gameplay to the original, with new levels and enemies as well as optional background music in some versions.
• Space Impact+ included in Nokia 1100^[6] and Nokia 2300 - Features platform-style levels
• Space Impact 303, available as a downloadable J2ME app for certain devices, starting with Nokia 7210 - redesigned gameplay layout for 128 x 128 color screen.
• Space Impact Evolution, specifically made for the Symbian S60 1st Edition platform, which first appeared on Nokia 7650^[7]
• Space Impact Evolution X, the sequel, which had two versions: one bundled exclusively with the N-Gage Classic and the N-Gage QD (on the "Extras" folder of the Support CD) and another made for Symbian S60 2nd Edition devices.^[8]
• Space Impact Light, released for Symbian S60 3rd Edition. Its demo came bundled with the Nokia N81 8GB released in October 2007.^[9]
• Space Impact: Kappa Base, released on the N-Gage 2.0 platform in 2008.^{[10] [11]}
• Space Impact: Meteor Shield, developed by Rovio and released first for Nokia N97 in 2010, and the first game in the series to feature 3D graphics.^{[12] [13]}

More recently, various clones and remakes of the game have been made for the PC and platforms like iOS, WatchOS or Android, many of which are modeled after the original Nokia 3310 version, often with some gimmicks added.^{[14] [15]}

Reception

The original Space Impact is well remembered as one of the games of the popular Nokia 3310 handset.^{[16] [17]} In 2010, CNET put it in its top 10 'greatest mobile games of all time', and said that it pushed the boundaries in what was possible on a mobile device.^[4]

See also

• Snake
• Bounce
• N-Gage
• Angry Birds

Notes and References

1. Web site: Nokia 6310: sore thumbs. .
2. Web site: Nokia 3330 - oficjalny komunikat. GSMONLINE.PL.
3. Web site: 3410 Space Impact II. https://web.archive.org/web/20180920011241/http://www.nokiamuseum.com/view.php?model=3410+Space+Impact+II. dead. 2018-09-20. www.nokiamuseum.com (archived).
4. Web site: The 10 greatest mobile games of all time. 4 November 2010.
5. Web site: Nokia 3510 review - S21. www.s21.com. 2018-09-19. 2018-09-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20180919212622/http://www.s21.com/nokia-3510.htm. dead.
6. Web site: Space Impact+ Reviews, News, Descriptions, Walkthrough and System Requirements :: Game Database - SocksCap64.
7. Web site: Nokia N-Gage, Recenzie, GamesWeb.sk. balky. gamesweb.sk.
8. Web site: Space Impact Evolution X - indienova GameDB 游戏库. indienova.com. 烽火连城. indienova.com.
9. Web site: Nokia announces availability of 8GB N81 gaming phone. 22 October 2007 .
10. Web site: Space Impact Kappa Base Peek. Levi. Buchanan. 29 August 2007.
11. Web site: Nokia N-Gage - Space Impact: Kappa Base Game Review ~ goldfries. 22 August 2008.
12. Web site: Space Impact: Meteor Shield is out!. 24 February 2010. 19 September 2018. 29 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191229181222/http://www.rovio.com/news/space-impact-meteor-shield-out. dead.
13. Web site: Space Impact Meteor Shield launched!. 24 February 2010 .
14. Web site: O.G. Nokia Mobile Classic 'Space Impact' Will Not Be Left Behind - Now Available for iOS. 18 April 2013.
15. Web site: Space Impact Watch: Perfektná a nostalgická hra na Apple Watch, ktorú vytvoril Slovák. 10 October 2022.
16. Web site: The iconic Nokia 3310 set to be relaunched.
17. Web site: Life before Smartphones – The Golden Age of Nokia 3310 - Edunation. https://web.archive.org/web/20180919211609/https://www.edunation.co/studyinfinland/blog/life-before-smartphones-the-golden-age-of-nokia-3310/. dead. September 19, 2018. 8 June 2017.