Cosmic Bugs Demo

In some cases, simple ideas are worth more than complicated concepts that take forever to understand and use properly. This certainly holds true for video games, because there are countless examples of basic ideas that have enjoyed tremendous success over the years. In fact, you can attract a lot of attention by just borrowing most of the elements in your game from others, as long as there’s a bit of originality in there as well.

Cosmic Bugs is a Volfied clone with a couple of new ideas added to the mix, although the underlying principle is pretty much the same. Hence, if you are familiar with the original, then you should grasp the concept from the first few seconds, even if there are some differences in the gameplay department. Thankfully, there are hundreds of levels to enjoy, which gives you plenty of time to get better at it.

To begin with, the main goal is to fill the stages with solid material, in order to either trap or kill the enemies that roam them. You do that by shooting a line between two walls, and the trick is for the line to reach both walls without touching any of the bugs. If you manage that, then you are one step closer to completing the stage. Speaking of which, each level sports a different layout, although the differences are sometimes cosmetic only.

Each enemy you kill is liable to drop a power-up, which provides you with a certain bonus. Whether the line moves a lot faster or the enemies get frozen in slow motion, each power-up can be a game changer if you pick it up at the right time. On the other hand, there are fake power-ups as well, so you may find yourself moving a lot slower. You can just sit and wait for it to pass, however, so it’s never that big of a deal.

Visually, the game is obviously much better looking that Volfied, but don’t expect anything too mind-blowing either. In fact, the graphics engine is in 2D here as well, while the levels and the enemies do not overflow with detail. Thankfully, at least the textures are smooth, and the animations are actually quite impressive in some cases.

Even if Cosmic Bugs is not an original concept per se, that shouldn’t stop you from having a lot of fun with it. In fact, the gameplay is just as addictive as you remember it from Volfied, so you may lose a couple of nights trying to beat this one as well.