Abyss Attack

Back in the old days there was no such thing as a save point. Aww, your character died? Back to the very start for you! This trend has seen a revival of sorts in casual games, especially ones that use micro-transactions. Abyss Attack is a graceful, playable top-down shooter marred slightly by some decisions. The takes place underwater, and your goal is to dispatch (ahem) waves of glowing, ephemeral sea creatures, most of which resemble lotus flowers or other beautiful aquatic flora. Your vessel fires constantly, so your only concern is to manoeuvre and launch secondary weapons. Gems are dropped by enemies and can be used to buy power-ups and extra lives. You can also buy gems with real money, or acquire them by promoting the game on social networks. The micro-transaction is a matter of personal taste: Abyss Attack plays smoothly and shimmers nicely, but this player would rather a bigger one-off payment, conventional save-points and no shilling for micro-transactions. A pleasant retro shooter anyway.