Web Wars

Web Wars is the strangest and, at the same time, the most visually memorable game in the entire Vectrex library. The player controls a ship inside a giant web that stretches into the depth of the screen, moving forward and backward along its strands. The goal isn't just shooting — the core mechanic is colliding with space creatures that appear within the net. Each creature has its own point value, and while some are worth grabbing, others try to destroy the player. This creates a peculiar rhythm where shooting alternates with bold dives and retreats back to the safer part of the web.

Technically, it's a showcase piece. The web is drawn as a perspective tunnel of thin lines that rotates with the player's movement, and the creatures are detailed silhouettes — birds, fish, insects, and other shapes that have nothing to do with outer space, which is exactly why the game feels like a feverish dream. The cartridge came with a colored overlay that gave the scene a striking tint and further amplified the psychedelic impression. The sound is loud, raw, and nervous, fitting perfectly with the overall visual style.

Opinions were divided at the time: some reviewers praised the game as the most striking demonstration of what the vector display could do, while others criticized it for having thin gameplay beneath the flashy surface that grows repetitive quickly. Both assessments still hold up today. Web Wars plays out quickly and is more likely to surprise you than to hold your attention for long evenings. Still, it's one of the first things worth showing to someone who has never seen this console, because nothing quite like it existed on any other system of the era. The game's visual inventiveness also shows well where the vector display could have headed given more time: instead of yet another ship duel, the authors dove into a bizarre bestiary and a space that moves and changes shape. That's part of why Web Wars still shows up on every list of the strangest games of the eighties.