What made Geometry Wars great
- An open arena: fly anywhere, threats from every side.
- Distinct enemy shapes, each with one behaviour you learn to read.
- Escalation: calm at the start, overwhelming by the end.
- Score chasing with instant restarts.
- Twin-stick control on a gamepad.
Games like Geometry Wars, by what you miss
| You miss… | Look for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| The whole package | Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved on Steam | Check platform support on its store page |
| Open-arena score chasing | Multidirectional arcade shooters | Captain Star |
| Building a ship over a run | Roguelite space shooters | Nova Drift |
| Asteroids-style drift | Inertia-based shooters | Nova Drift |
Captain Star as a Geometry Wars alternative
Captain Star is our top-down space shooter: you pilot a UFO through escalating alien waves, reach the star to clear each wave, and chase a high score. One pointer both moves and aims the ship. It is US$0.99 on the Mac App Store, on Steam for Windows, and on Apple TV and iPad.
It shares the open field, the distinct enemy types, the escalation and the score chase. The big difference is control: instead of twin sticks, one pointer moves and aims your ship, so it plays naturally with a mouse or trackpad. On Apple TV it plays with a controller or the Siri Remote.
Before you buy any alternative
- Check the platforms on the store page: Mac, Windows, iPad and Apple TV support varies.
- Check controls: twin-stick games are awkward without a gamepad.
- Watch a minute of gameplay to see if the pace matches what you liked.