In 2183 humanity discovers an energy source that facilitates travel into new regions of space. Gigantic mother ships collect the newly discovered fuel from the distant energy fields and transport it to Earth. When the fleet is destroyed in an alien attack, the player sets out on a perilous journey home in a small harvester. In Ion Assault, instead of conventional weapons, players use the free energy particles that are abundant in space to fend off swarms of aliens. The particles are bundled and the player is able to shoot them at asteroids and enemy ships. The particles are not destroyed in this process, but are redistributed in space, ready to be magnetically attracted again and re-used. Their random distribution makes for dynamic gameplay and calls for a more strategic approach.

Ion Assault offers four scenarios with gorgeous, detailed visuals, each with different types of opponents, bosses and background themes. In the course of the campaign players get to upgrade their spaceships and will, in turn, be able to affect power-ups that enable things such as an increase in ship speed, or an enlarged collected particles radius. Thanks to special power-ups, such as the ability to create temporary black holes, even large numbers of opponents can be dealt with. Players also get to show off their skills in various multi-player modes, and compare their scores to those of the world's best Ion Assault pilots through online high score lists.

An automatic update will add the high score "survival" mode and an alternative control setup to the first German-made arcade game for the Xbox 360.

The new controls enable the player to handle targeting directly: Using the right stick, the player is now able to align the spaceship immediately, instead of rotating it around its axis as before. This is much easier for fans of similar games, while veterans of Ion Assault can continue to use the classic controls in both the campaign and multiplayer modes.

The newly added survival mode demands faster reactions and more stamina than the campaign. The player is confronted with more and more increasingly dangerous enemies within a certain time limit. When destroyed, enemies drop Score Orbs which not only yield points, but also valuable extra seconds, making them essential for anyone aspiring to beat the high score.

In the new mode, the ion particles the player uses to fire at enemy spacecraft do not have to be collected as they are in the campaign. The particles are automatically bundled from the beginning, and can be fired in a focused beam. The constant ion flow allows the player to concentrate fully on evasion and targeting. Thrill-seekers looking to set a new high score will find the new game mode a fast, intense experience. Moreover, Ion Assault pilots all over the world get to compare their Achievements in the "Survival" rankings. Players can also choose to explore the trial version of the new game mode first. 

Visually, the developer Coreplay continues to make the most of Ion Assault's spectacular particle effect system in the survival mode: The particles' colors and the lighting change depending on the enemies who appear, creating a visually dynamic world.

Features:

• Wield thousands of Ion Particles.
• Blast 30 different enemies using a variety of patterns to attack.
• Travel through 4 sectors, each guarded by a huge boss!
• Beat the game on your own or with the help of a friend in coop!
• Beat your friends locally or via Xbox LIVE in the unique versus-mode that offers its own gameplay mechanics!
• Conquer the leaderboard by mastering the innovative multiplier-based scoring mechanic.