Manufacturing Content has released 'Tractor Beam' for the iPhone and iPod Touch, a game that bridges the gap between classic and new by using both monochrome vector graphics and multi-touch gameplay, nostalgic sound effects and a modern procedurally generated soundtrack. Along with many others in a wave of indie iPhone developers, Manufacturing Content has attempted to pluck the best elements from many generations of video games, resulting in a new cross-era hybrid that preserves the simplicity and appeal of yesterday's games while harnessing the power of new technology like multi-touch.
The game itself could be said to be a part of the popular "Swinging Games" genre recently highlighted by Apple on the App Store, along with favorites like 'Hook Champ.' This gameplay is then transposed to the world of arcade games circa 1979, with the player instead swinging a spaceship through an increasingly dense asteroid field.
Inspired by endless nights playing Atari's 'Asteroids' and a fascination with the latest in Apple technology, Tractor Beam's developers aimed to create an intuitive game with broad appeal that would recapture some of the glory of classic arcade games while offering the benefits of Apple's platform, not the least of which is the ability to choose your own background music from the iPod application. Its own evolving loop-based soundtrack is something that would not have been possible in the games it emulates while the music itself is reminescent of classic science fiction movies.
Tractor Beam is among the new wave of games embracing the latest technology but with a nod to the classic games of eras gone by.
Pricing and Availability: Tractor Beam 1.0 is only $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.