We've tried to play a couple of Tempest games for this 1001 list, but I don't know why I mention that because Space Giraffe is not Tempest. It even says so in-game, look:
So while it looks a little like Tempest and plays a little like Tempest, and may even sound a little like Tempest for all I can remember of Tempest, Space Giraffe is absolutely NOT Tempest.
What is it then?
Frustration
Trippy, multicoloured, hard to follow nonsense, that's what Space Giraffe is. You pilot a ship, I guess, that doesn't look like much of a giraffe across webs that absolutely aren't Tempest-like in their nature, with enemies crawling up the lanes, shooting you before clambering up into your face.
No, Space Giraffe is more than that. You can jump, for one thing, which is useful for avoiding flowers that have grown up the web. You can bull rush across the top of the web, too, knocking enemies right out of the way to the accompanying sounds a bull mooing.
But isn't this about a giraffe? Dear reader, I haven't got a bloody clue. With left, right, shoot, bomb, and jump controls, you'd think I might have some sort of idea, but I simply do not know what is going on at any point in these screenshots, and in turn, the rest of Space Giraffe.
I can tell you that it's bright - very bright - and plays nice and quickly, but I cannot describe anything about it with any degree of certainty. The music is...? The sound effects are...? The visuals are... well, there, have a look for yourself.
Space Giraffe is, what, eclectic? Wacky? Sensory overload? Is it meant to be funny, or ironic, or an homage? From what I've read, it's supposed to be quite the thinky not-Tempest kind of game. Do you hold down the fire button and hope for the best (No) or actually work out where you need to put yourself and what you need to react to so that you can reach those high scores (if you're me, also no)?
Final Word
After half an hour maybe, I was done with Space Giraffe. I couldn't see what on Earth was going on at any point, so as far as I was concerned I was just playing an interactive art piece. I know there's a game in there somewhere, but it's so off the wall and incomprehensible to my eyes that I can't find it.
It does play like Tempest though. But it isn't Temptest. But you could play Space Giraffe if you want something very much like Tempest, no problem. Do you? I'm pretty sure I don't...
Fun Facts
The name does indeed come from a description of the player's ship. I don't see it myself, but enough people did see it that it stuck right through the development and into release.
Space Giraffe, developed by Llamasoft, first released in 2007.
Version played: PC, 2008.