Classic mode is a special feature in Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
Classic mode is a compilation of 6 game modes from previous installments. Each of these modes are for the most part identical to their original incarnations.
Aside from Retro Evolved, these modes feature none of the power-ups that you would normally find in Adventure Mode. This objectively makes Classic mode the purest way to play the original game modes.
Features[]
In Classic mode there are 6 game modes that have all been designed to be played identically to how they appeared in previous games, any differences between games are minor but will of course still be listed.
The playing field is rectangular in all 6 modes and there are no power-ups of any kind except for the ones featured in the game mode Retro Evolved.
All 6 game modes are very different, so in order to really understand how one mode works and what sets it apart from the other modes, you should read its respective page in its entirety.
Deadline[]
- "Score as many points as you can before time runs out"
- —Description from Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
Deadline is a mode that made its debut in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.
The objective of Deadline is to destroy as many enemies as possible and survive for exactly 3 minutes, collecting Geoms, and reaching a higher score.
Lives are infinite and the player starts with 3 Bombs, there is no way to acquire new bombs in this mode so use them wisely.
Enemies spawn randomly and spawn more frequently and in higher numbers depending on two factors, how many enemies that are destroyed by the player, and how long the player survives. Dying decreases the amount of enemies that spawn, so in order to reach a high score the player needs to survive as long as possible.
King[]
- "One life. No guns outside king zones"
- —Description from Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
King is a mode that made its debut in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.
In King, the player starts with one life and no bombs, scattered around the map are so called King zones, these zones are the only place where the player is able to shoot from.
Enemies and Geoms can not enter the the King zones, but the player needs to venture outside periodically, not just in order to collect Geoms, but also since King zones despawn after 5 seconds of use. Being caught in the open is very dangerous, so it's always necessary to clear a path towards another zone in order to survive as long as possible.
Evolved[]
- "Score as many points as you can with three lives"
- —Description from Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
Evolved is a mode originally introduced in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.
It was later revamped in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 to accommodate the new score multiplier system, which involves collecting Geoms. The original mode is now colloquially known as Retro Evolved.
The player starts the game with 3 lives and 3 Bombs, and the player can gain new lives and bombs by scoring at specific intervals. Enemies spawn randomly and at random intervals, ranging from 1 to 5 seconds, depending on how many are on-screen presently.
Enemies will also periodically spawn in waves, there are two ways in which they can do this, they can either spawn in large droves in all 4 corners of the map, or they can spawn in a circle around the player, be vigilant.
Pacifism[]
- "One life. No guns. Trigger gates to kill enemies"
- —Description from Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
In Pacifism the player is completely unable to shoot, instead the player is tasked with leading enemies through Gates in order to destroy them.
Only one life is given to the player, and no bombs are present. The objective is fairly straightforward, dodge and destroy the enemy until you are completely surrounded.
The only enemies that spawn are Grunts, these are slow moving, blue enemies that are quite easy to dodge initially, but in higher numbers they take up more and more space. In order to stay alive, the player must constantly fly through gates in order to destroy as many enemies as possible.
Keep in mind that flying through gates in quick succession increase the score obtained dramatically, but the player must still employ tactical thinking in order to decide which gates are necessary to survive, since space becomes a much bigger issue later in the game.
Waves[]
- "Score as many points as you can with one life"
- —Description from Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
Waves is a mode first introduced as a mini-game in Project Gotham Racing 4, the mini-game itself is generally referred to as Geometry Wars: Waves.
It was later included in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 and of course makes its latest appearance in Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
The player starts out with only one life, and no bombs. Basic enemies spawn randomly across the map.
The main feature of this mode are rapidly spawning lines of Darts. These enemies spawn either horizontally or vertically and go in a straight line in the direction they are facing. At first they cover roughly half of the wall they spawn from, but later in the game they start covering the whole side. The frequency at which these waves spawn increases constantly, and they will eventually spawn from all sides simultaneously.
Retro Evolved[]
- "Score as many points as you can with three lives"
- —Description from Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
Retro Evolved is a mode introduced in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved where it was originally known as Evolved.
Due to significant overhauls in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, the mode was split into two different modes. The new version of this mode is currently known as Evolved and the original was rebranded into Retro Evolved, essentially they are two very different game modes.
The player starts the game with 3 lives and 3 Bombs, and the player will gain a new life every 75,000 points scored, and 1 bomb every 100,000 points scored.
The multiplier is increased by simply destroying enemies and scoring without dying, because of this there are no Geoms to collect. The multiplier is reset to 1x every time the player loses a life.
After scoring 10,000 points, the player will receive one of two types of weapon upgrades, increasing firepower dramatically, whichever of the two upgrades that are active will switch at regular intervals.
Enemy spawns are virtually the same as Evolved, they spawn randomly and at random intervals, ranging from 1 to 5 seconds, depending on how many are on-screen presently. Enemies will also periodically spawn in waves, there are two ways in which they can do this, they can either spawn in large droves in all 4 corners of the map, or they can spawn in a circle around the player.