Space Ace: Playing a Game in a Cartoon

Space Ace ($4.99) is a game for the iPod touch or iPhone that is one of a kind. What’s killer, though, is the incredible cartoonish graphics throughout the gameplay.

In Space Ace, Ace and Kimberly are tasked with saving the world. Kimberly is immediately kidnapped by aliens, and Ace is left to save her and everyone else on Planet Earth. Game play is as simple as using your fingers to either energize/kill bad guys or use the arrow keys on the right hand side of the game board to make Ace move in certain directions.

In reality, though, it’s all about reaction time — at least in the Cadet level where it actually tells you which arrow keys or energizer buttons to press. And even when you progress to those higher levels, you’ll find that the mantra “you snooze, you lose” is really the truth. If you don’t get Ace to move in a certain direction in time or to suit up to energize himself, you lose a life. You only have so many of those.

Space Ace game play is great. The official game description says that it’s a sequel to Dragon’s Lair and that it’s a classic popular arcade game, but I did not know a thing about either game and I’m thoroughly enjoying what Space Ace and its fantastic visuals have to offer.

Tamar Weinberg is a blogger and author of The New Community Rules (July 2009), a book on social media marketing and how to leverage existing communities for awareness and profit. She is also a new mom.