Strawdog Studios love arcade games. From the compulsive penny machines that line the piers of Britain to the punishingly fierce gameplay of classics such as Robotron 2084 and Centpede, the team share a fondness for all things arcade. Their last game, Geon, a downloadable PSN puzzle title that featured a cube, a grid and lots of lines, enjoyed a comfortable amount of success, and soon reached the shores of Xbox Live Arcade, with the updated Geon: Emotions. While Geon fit the genre of arcade puzzler, its influences were a little less obvious, and the team felt they wanted a game with characters and personality. They wanted a game that harked back to the fiendishly addictive arcade cabinets, a game with colour, a game you played for fun, and a game you played for the high scores. They certainly found it with Space Ark.

It seems particularly apt, then, that the developers chose Soho House in London to present their game. Hidden in a quaint room of vintage furniture and fine china, Space Ark has never felt more at home. With the main influences being arcade classics such as Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble and Breakout, the day almost seems like a step back in time. Space Ark aims to capture the magic of those old games you used to swear by, and then some, and it’s looking promising.

As Space Ark was fired up on screen it became immediately noticeable how bold and colourful everything looked. From the bright text of the game’s logo to the vibrant animals that decorate the title screen, the game does not lack a varied palette. It’s certainly refreshing to see such boldness in colour, and thankfully the characters of the game are similarly delightful, with a range of twenty-four charming animals to use in the game. From chirpy penguins to break-dancing frogs, humble zebras to hilarious donkeys – each animal (or Arkonaut, as their official name is known) is adorably designed, with no filler to be seen. It won’t take long for you to affirm a favourite.

The central gameplay mechanic sees you take control of a trampoline-like blob that you use to bounce your animal into the air at various bricks, fruits and DNA crystals that are dotted around the playing field. The main objects you will be aiming for are the DNA crystals. You need to hit these in a consecutive combo for the really big points. The more you hit in one go, the greater the combo and the greater the score. Each time you hit a certain amount with your animal you earn fruit that builds up your power meter, which fills up as you earn more fruit. When the power meter is filled the multiplier is increased - these are important for a truly devastating high-score. The fruit you earn acts in a kind of hierarchical system, where three in a row nets you a cherry, and twenty-five in a row for a watermelon.

With power-ups added to the mix, things can get a little hectic, at least on first impressions – no bad thing of course. Each level has a different combo target number, and if this is not reached you can either start again from the beginning of the world or retry the level with your current accumulated score lost. When Strawdog Studios’ technical director Simon Morris was explaining how the game worked, he stressed how hard the concept was to put into words, that it’s better just to grab a controller and get stuck in. He was right.

The initial controls were deceptive in that you expected the animal’s trajectory to be completely determined by the bouncing platform it springs from. Using the left and right sticks to control the bounce pad and animal, respectively, the main control lies with the right stick. Precise and deft touches are required to make sure you clear the playing board as efficiently as possible, and while the dual stick method of control takes a bit of getting used to - like a male multi-tasking for the first time – it doesn’t take long for you to feel confident and get cocky.

Much like Geometry Wars’ peerless dual-stick method of control, Space Ark demonstrates a suitably apt control scheme that introduces an emphasis on tactical proficiency and a need for competence in thumb dexterity. While the angles you bounce your Arkonaut from do have an effect on its path in the air, primary control lies with the Arkonaut itself. Using the right stick you can glide your chosen character across the screen in order to collect as many DNA crystals and fruits as possible. It makes sense as it makes it easier to combo more crystals.

Space Ark is a game about high-scores, so it’s interesting that the developers have opted for multiple levels and so multiple chances for a cracking score. The game contains approximately 180 levels spread over five worlds. Areas range from rainforests to arctic plains, and while these are nothing new for gamers, they are varied enough to keep you interested, and again display that 80s simplicity. Once a level is complete, that is, all the DNA crystals on-screen have been collected and enough combos have been made to fulfil the target number, the world you are playing on gradually ‘terraforms’. Plants appear, trees grow, terrain improves and huts are built until the final level is complete and the world becomes inhabitable for the animal again.

The title’s story sees your team of Arkonauts repair the many damaged planets of the galaxy that have been hit by a wandering black hole, with each successful restoration opening new, previously locked worlds. It’s simple stuff, but then a complex story in an arcade puzzle game is a little like placing a shark in a garden pond – it just doesn’t seem right.

While the time playing Space Ark flew by, it became almost an obsession collecting all the objects on screen before finishing a level, and while on the surface the game may appear simple, it’s easy to see the amount of depth the developers have eked out of their baby. Power-ups are introduced gradually into the game and can mean the difference between failing and completing a level, or losing a life just before you finish. Power-ups include dual guns attached to your bounce pad, and a temporary shield that protects your fruit and Arkonaut from hitting the ground. It was easy to forget about the power-ups when engaged in the game, however, but that is testament to how lively the playing area can get.

To achieve the best score you need to gain a ‘perfect’ rating. For this elusive rating you need to collect all crystals, all power-up bricks, all dropped fruit and make sure you don’t lose a life. Interestingly, specific levels cannot be replayed – instead, you need to play through the whole part of a world. Strawdog’s Simon Morris stated how the reason for this was so players needed to have a flawless run, so that they can’t simply get lucky on one level. It’s an idea that makes complete sense, as single levels can be completed sometimes in a matter of seconds. By having to complete a number of levels in a row for your high-score to count, a greater amount of skill is required. Couple this with the fact your next best friend’s score is shown to you like a carrot in front of a donkey and you’ve got a game you can keep coming back to.

Space Ark is looking towards a release this Spring, and at 800 points you’d be a fool not to at least download the demo. With tonnes of levels, characters, an abundance of colour, split-screen co-op multiplayer and an addictive gameplay mechanic that anyone who’s enjoyed Peggle or Bejeweled will warm to, Space Ark is looking like a worthy blast to the past, and quite simply, a blast.