The undying appeal of arcade games could be made more apparent by the hundreds of arcade game apps that are being released for the iPhone and iPad. Starific is one game that has been making a buzz among mobile-gaming communities for its inimitable concept and gameplay.

The standard gameplay of Starific is easy enough to summarize. Your task is to keep a ball bouncing and hit as many obstacles and debris as possible to maintain a high combo. All the while, you are to collect as many power-ups as possible, which help you advance in levels and, with the right synergy, can offer varying degrees of gaming experience to the user. The controls are touch-based and not at all hard to learn.

There are 4 modes to choose from, namely, Arcade, Moves, Sandbox, and Time. Each of these modes cater to players with different preferences of game style. Each mode has different controls and can be beaten if a specific strategy is employed. Besides modes, the many quests that the user can do is also what makes this game entertaining and not dragging. Each playthrough is, as the game aptly put it, very “frenetic” and thoroughly engaging, and not at the least bit boring. As in most games, unlockables are present in Starific as well, which range from custom themes, color schemes, and to other in-game content. The game even offers a mini—game Wheel of Fortune on the side, where players can win various in-game prizes and credits.

The gameplay is only half of what makes Starific laudable, though, because the style that the app makes use of is what really makes it really entertaining and unputdownable. The myriad of colors that characterizes each explosion is a feast for the eyes, to say the least, and the energetic music that accompanies them really serve to highlight the harum-scarum quality of Starific. Cosmic chaos incarnate, indeed. It is this aspect that ultimately makes this game pretty much worth your while.

It is difficult to compare Starific to other arcade apps, for its features are pretty much sssunique. It has been compared to such well-known classic arcade game titles as Breakout and Tempest, but not much similarities can be drawn between the three, as their designs, concept, and mechanics pretty much stand on their own. With that said, if you want a completely capital-O Original game to play in 2015, then we highly recommend that you give Starific a try.

What definitely makes this game great is that it completely goes against the pay-to-win system, which are prevalent in most arcade games nowadays. Starific is definitely one of those few gems in the App Store that still value the old—school principles of arcade games, which asks for nothing else but the player’s time and skills. And, it is for this reason that this game could very well become, as one reviewer of Starific puts it, the long-awaited successor to such classic games as Pong and Space Invaders.

Price: Free