Teslapunk is a retro style arcade with a distinctive visual style. The game, a variant of the vertical scroller spaceship shooter that were one of the mainstays of 80's arcades, has two different game play modes: arcade (set over three levels) and survival (endless game play). In both cases you control you ship by moving your finger across the screen, seeking to destroy enemy ships, while dodging bullets and obstacles.

What stands out most is how the game's music (80s melodies with an eclectic mix of genres), graphics (collaged from vintage photographs and illustrations), and storyline (play as Nikola Tesla against crime lord Dr. Mabuse) combine to create a mesmerising experience that is half art work and half entertainment.

The signature power-up of Teslapunk is the Voltage Boost (two finger tap on the screen), which can be used to cancel enemy bullets and is the route to getting multipliers in order to achieve the highest possible score. This electricity inspired power-up leads us to talk about the game's back story...

Thorsten Fleisch, the game's developer, describes Teslapunk as being his video game, a diversion from his usual occupation of making experimental films. The original inspiration for the game came out of one his films, Energie, which features the capture of high-voltage-discharges. With this in mind, it is not unfair to describe Teslapunk as one of the outputs from a transmedia project, an example of how inspiration can come from the most unexpected places.

Windows Phone Store description:

 A Shoot-Em-Up with two different playing modes. In arcade you play through different levels, dodging bullets, killing enemies with your laser and occasionally canceling bullets with a feature called Voltage Burst. Canceling bullets raises the multiplier and thus the score. But beware, it also raises the difficulty. Epic boss battles await you. In survival you have to fight endless attack waves, collecting coins and power ups on your way. You can equip and level up your ship to be more effective. 

Help Nikola Tesla defeat Dr. Mabuse who tries to conquer the world. His directive: Establish an empire of crime. Now who would want that? Certainly not our inventor friend whom you have to assist. Only Tesla's Death-Ray can stop Mabuse's evil forces and you are the one to use it. Ain't that something. Fight your way through three levels of bullet infused attacks by Mabuse's henchmen in arcade mode or defeat waves of Mabuse's retro-futuristic spaceships in survival mode. Whatever you do, don't die!

Teslapunk is a free download from the Windows Phone Store. However, there is a freemium element to the game. Each game requires one credit. Credits can be bought from within the app, but 25 are included to get you started, and up to 5 credits will regenerate over time, meaning that you are required to pay to play.

Here is the video trailer for the game:

Teslapunk - Release Trailer from Thorsten Fleisch on Vimeo.