Geometry Wars is a series that brings back such fond memories, it was the first ever title I purchased as a digital game on a home console, which back then was not all that common. But when developer Bizarre Creations went the way of the Dodo after number 2, hopes of ever seeing this series again dwindled down to nothing.

But then out of nowhere, Activision decided to breathe life back in back into Sierra, which was amazing on its own, but one of the first titles they decided to bring out was Geometry Wars 3 and at that news I was happy. For anyone who has played previous games in the series, you won’t feel like you have to relearn the game again, I had not played either of the previous entries in many years but the moment that the music started, I was back where I belonged and I remembered the controls perfectly.

And that is the most crucial point here, the controls are what makes the game, perhaps even more so than the crazy on screen antics. The precision controls mean that if you die, you did something silly and at no point can you blame the game, no matter how hectic the game gets. You still use the left stick to move and shoot with the right stick, bombs can be deployed by using the right trigger and now you can use drones, who follow behind you with the left trigger. The controls are not complicated at all and even if this is your first time playing this game series, you will be a master after one round.

But for all that feels the same with the third entry, there is so much that feels fresh and exciting, the game worlds are now more chaotic than ever. If you jump into the classic mode, you will get a simple flat play space, just like the games of old, but if you jump into the all new adventure mode, you can experience some truly bizarre game maps. The first one shown is mostly flat, but with the edges dipping down, like the top quarter of a sphere, but it is not long after that you get to experience play fields with walls, or in the shape of pills, squares and many other shapes and with the adventure mode sporting 50 levels and a host of bosses, anything you thought you knew is going to be re-written.

But the play spaces are only half the fun there, the enemy ships are where the challenge comes into play, with each ship having its own unique pattern, learning which does what and how you can best it, means you need to focus. Some ships will simply float around, doing their own thing, while others will bounce up and back throughout the level, ignoring you completely, unless you happen to wander into their path. There are those of course that will seek you out and some that will hunt you down but flee when fired upon, knowing what ship does what is important, but all that knowledge can go out the window when you have 30+ ships gunning for you.

The other aspect of the game that has seen a major improvement since the last title is in the presentation, not just better looking, but everything has another level of polish to it. Now as you and the enemy ships move around, the play space will actually deform under you, as if the weight of your ship was cause the world to give way, when you die the resulting explosion sends shockwaves throughout the map. Similarly the music has also been amped up, to where it feels more dance/electronic compared to the more dance of the previous games. While not normally my style of music, I could see myself listening to this outside of the game. Rounding out the experience is online and local multiplayer, bonus stages that see you taking on giant sized enemies and variations of the modes with no guns or only a single life, Geometry Wars 3 Dimensions offers up lots of content for such a small price.

If you are looking for something fresh and special to help pass your summer vacation or simply longing for that wonderful feeling of nostalgia then you can’t go wrong here.