Armada

Armada is a cool little classic arcade game with that RPG-style progression that modern gaming does so well. It’s a little Missile Command roguelike combined with Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move, and the whole game is played with the crank only. You control a turret in the middle of the bottom of the screen, and you fire automatically wherever you’re pointing. Alien creatures fly toward you nonstop, and there’s nothing to defend except yourself (unlike in Missile Command, where you’re protecting cities). You have an energy bar so you can take more than just one hit, and each time you get enough experience points, you get to level up and choose one of three random perks. The perks will increase your bullet size or speed, or unlock different weapons, or add HP to your energy bar, and making the right decisions for your play style is the only way you’ll get far.

The aliens get tougher from one level to the next, and they reward points that you can trade in for permanent upgrades. It is a VERY precise shooter, much like Be Kind To Yourself. Your bullets are small (especially at the beginning before you’ve gotten any upgrades), and the aliens are small, too. Luckily, there is quickly such a large horde on the screen that even if you miss the ones closest to you, you might hit some in the back.

The crank controls, also like in Be Kind To Yourself, feel great. You really feel like you have 1:1 control over your aim, and it’s got a smooth roguelike way of slowly increasing the difficulty as you get stronger. Within just a few levels, you’ll be taking down the low-level aliens without even thinking, while the new tough ones can really just wipe the floor with you before you know what you’re doing.

There are multiple planets to see and a large variety of different weapon and passive upgrades that you’ll eventually be able to choose from. The only thing is that it’s pretty hard, and it’ll really take some superhuman gaming skills (or at least the persistence to slowly grind for stronger upgrades on many shorter, repeated runs) before you’re able to even see the end of the first planet. There is a ton to unlock, and the intensity ramps up quickly enough that you don’t have the issue that some games have where it’s just way too easy at the beginning of a run and takes a number of minutes to get to the challenge. It starts strong and just gets more hectic, and it really feels like I’m playing that giant LED Space Invaders game at Round1. My wife is way better at that than I am and often wins the 500-ticket jackpot so we can cash in all our tickets for a Switch 2 someday. I’m going to practice for that with another round of Armada! It’s important to impress your wife with your gamer skills – I can’t just be good at the big piano game!

(Released May 19, 2025, on Itch. Releasing September 16, 2025, on Catalog. Copy provided by developer.)