When I started playing Asteroid Quarry for my review I made sure to remind myself that this was a cheap $1 game. Asteroid Quarry is a Wii U eShop game published by Hero Work Studios. Similar to Asteroids or Space Wars, Asteroid Quarry involves destroying a certain number of asteroids before moving on the the next quota. To make the game more challenging the player will have to avoid space pirates that pursue the player in an unrelenting fashion. I found the space pirates extra challenging because as soon as their visible on the screen they come straight for you, and they have more than enough life to outlast even the most agile player. This makes playing the game extra difficult. The enemies take forever to die, and have no problem pounding the player. Even trying to out-run the pirates can be a challenge. Their speed is very close to the players, making mining the games asteroids (or getting to the quota) very difficult. One space station located in the middle of the level serves as the players only hope to destroy a pack of pirate ships pursuing him/her. Once in range the player friendly space station sends volleys of missile shots at any incoming enemies, giving the player at least one sanctuary of sorts. Another thing I found limited was in the quota of asteroids I was made to destroy. The game requires the player to mine 50 asteroids. After doing this, which is much more difficult than it sounds the game will reload and require the player to mine another 50. Basically you repeat the same quota over and over again. With no changes to the formula Asteroid Quarry has limited replay value.
The controls work fairly well, with my only complaint being that they are slightly to touchy. The game only supports the Wii U Gamepad, and features no multiplayer component.
If your dying for a game that’s similar to Asteroids or Space Wars maybe Asteroid Quarry is for you. The game is only a $1, and features enough challenge to keep you entertained for a quick session. The problems that plaque Asteroid Quarry may break the game for some. But for a $1 it may be worth a try.
