Hidden Gem: Serious retro style gaming with GravitreX

We love hidden gems but lately with the recent Android Market app update it is a little harder to find hidden gems with the "Just In" section being non-existent now. What is nice though is when our readers point out a game as a hidden gem. Such is the case of GravitreX by Martin Hjerne.

GravitreX is a cool retro-style physics game where you control your ship to avoid obstacles and move objects in order to get to the end of each level. When we say retro-style, we really mean retro-style as the graphics are right out of an 80's game with nothing but green lines making up all the graphics. This is a gravity flying game which means you'll be using your ships thrusters to keep you going. The more thrust you use, the faster and higher you will go. Less or no thrust will have you slow down and your ship will start to descend.

One aspect of this game that is really neat is that you can pick up objects with your ship. When you land on an object you need to move in order to get through the level, you can grab it with your ship and then use the thrusters to lift the object up and move it elsewhere so you can continue through the stage. Some of the levels and game mechanics are simple but also challenging. A prime example of this is when you flip your ship upside-down by accident. Most people end up just restarting the stage citing that there is no way to right your ship. Actually there is which we will mention in a tip a little later in this article.

Features:

• 50 levels (25 included for free, the rest can be unlocked from within the game as an in-app purchase)
• Real 2D physics, simulated using jBox2d
• Grab and lift boxes
• Advanced damage system that will keep things interesting to the end
• Map physical keys if you have them, otherwise touch controls are fine, even if you don't have multitouch (pressing middle is same as pressing right+left)
• Controls can be inverted, if you prefer to press on the side of the thruster you want to fire, rather than on the side to which you want the ship to turn
• Autohover system, if you switch ships while in the air, the ship will autohover until you repossess control of it
• Online leaderboards
• Achievements
• Connect to your friends to filter scoreboards showing only you and your friends

GravitreX actually recently won an award as well during a Swedish game development competition. The theme for the competition was to create an 80's themed game which GravitreX ended up winning an award in. GravitreX is available for download off the Android Market for free and has been out for about five days now. Surprisingly it has only managed to get 100-500 downloads which could partially be a direct result from the "Just In" section being gone.

If you are a fan of retro games or flying games then you will definitely want to check this one out. You get to play the first 25 levels for free and if you want the other 25 you can purchase them through an in-game purchase. You can check out GravitreX in action on the Xperia Play in the video below.

Tip: If you accidentally flip your ship upside-down, there are three ways which the developer mentions that you can correct your ship. Indeed one method is simply restarting the level. The other two are: You can self destruct your ship which can be done by pressing and holding the button in the upper left corner of the screen for five seconds. The last method, which is the most fun but challenging one, is to use another ship to lift and flip your ship back over.

Developer Website: Martin Hjerne

Android Market Link: GravitreX