The Munich developer Coreplay offers arcade fans a spectacular display of action: As the only survivor of an alien assault, the player boards a spaceship and embarks on a dangerous voyage back to Earth. Ion Assault takes pilots on a journey through graphically detailed and differently themed scenarios, each destined to captivate players with their individual enemies, boss characters, and atmospheric soundtrack.

Instead of using conventional weapons, players employ energy particles floating in space to ward off the alien assault. Focused into a single shot, these particles, with physically correct behavior, destroy asteroids and enemy spacecraft. They then spread out through space, ready to be collected once more. This makes for dynamic gameplay that challenges players to search for the highest concentrations of particles throughout the levels. In addition, temporary power-ups – such as a shield or a black hole that sets the particles rotating and destroys enemies – help to prevail in the most dangerous of situations.

An online highscore table allows scorers to compare results with Ion Assault players around the globe. Moreover, daring arcade pilots get to enjoy different multiplayer modes. In cooperative mode, two players share the available energy particles and, if they work together, fire them to one another in order to trap enemies between them. In versus mode, the game works differently: Four players try to protect their space stations from attack, while the fifth sends automated drones to his or her opponents' bases.