In 2008, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 was the ruler (pun intended) of Xbox Live. It riffed on Asteroids aptly, mixing simple, refined shoot-em-up with a hypnotic techno frenzy. Like a three-legged pub crawl with tequila shots, it delivered in short, impelling bursts that kept you drunkenly chasing high scores through the night, or at least until your thumbs passed out. In short, it was a black hole of time in the best possible way.

After such a siesta, it’s hard to see Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions outside of what came before. Oddly enough, it’s a sometimes overlooked Geometry Wars entry, Galaxies, that brings the most enjoyable component to developer Lucid Games’ revival: a dense, challenge-based campaign. In contrast, GW3’s freshest defining quality, the third dimension, doesn’t make the same impact. If you view GW3 in the inebriated, blurry lens of GW2 it comes up a little short. Take a more sober look at it, and it’s a welcome, faithful enough return that you can still sink plenty into.