Space Junk, the premiere iOS game from Upside Down Games, is a modern day arcade shooter paying homage to classics like Asteroids. Flying too close to the sun can get you burnt, but Space Junk may well be good enough to rise like a phoenix and fly even higher than its ’70s inspiration.

Players take control of an astronaut in vector-filled environments that are packed full of junk. Said junk ranges from asteroids to dogs, cheese wheels, and wrenches. Of course there will also be the occasional alien space ship dropping power-ups when destroyed. Space Junk takes place over the course of 25 different levels with three difficulty settings and three unique modes. The goal of the game being, essentially, to survive and collect the highest score possible.

In order to reach those high scores you will need to use your thruster and blaster together in order to quickly fly through space, destroying junk and collecting the wrenches along the way. Collecting wrenches will increase your score, but collecting toolboxes grants special abilities for the remainder of the level. These abilities include shields, upgraded weapons, and extra lives. One thing about the score system is that it really brings back the classic arcade feel where players will be fighting to see their names on the leaderboards.

Space Junk supports easy, medium and hard difficulties, with the player starting out in Standard mode. Standard mode shades all of its shapes and objects in neon lights that range across the color spectrum. The second mode is Classic – unlocked by completing Standard – and takes all the color out of the game, instead sporting a black and white theme. This particular mode offers the classic Asteroids feeling. The last mode is Survival, which is unlocked by completing a certain number of achievements. This mode only gives you one life in which to complete the game and the goal is simply to make it as far as you can on that limited resource.

As far as graphics go there isn’t much more to say other than the fact that they are very well done. The developers have done a great job of providing classic visuals while remaining striking enough to be seen as something from the modern era. The sound also does a fine job of setting the mood with sci-fi tones, and even incorporates some great sound effects for explosions and weaponry.

There are no real drawbacks to Space Junk, and it is undoubtedly worth the $1.99 price tag. It won’t blow anyone away with innovative features, but it does a great job of updating some old ideas and turning them into a beautiful retro piece for the modern gamer. While the game does closely resemble the classic Asteroids, and other such arcade shooters like it, in this case there is nothing wrong with being similar so long as the developers make sure that it plays well and looks fantastic – which it does.

Get more news about Space Junk at the official website. To purchase Space Junk, simply head on over to the App Store.