Misunderstood, flawed, but beautifully wrought game that, if it clicks, can become extremely addicting.
One of the most oft-heard criticisms of the game is that it can be difficult to see the action clearly. It is this area more than anything else that really turns some people off the game. Important to keep in mind is that Space Giraffe is very much an artistic vision from the ungulate loving folk at Llamasoft. They made a conscious design decision to confuse and confound the player with their psychedelic visuals. Space Giraffe goes out of it's way in fact to do so. A big part of the game is learning how to interpret what you are seeing in a productive way. This was a bold decision and I feel really explains a lot of the polarity in the reviews of the game.
Also, the game seems to punish those who expect a conventional tempest clone in various and subtle ways. As an example, in Tempest you rarely if ever want the enemies to reach the rim of the level whereas in Space Giraffe it is very beneficial for you to let them do so. Key to Space Giraffe is the Geometry Wars-esque concept of the score multiplier. Your scores will always be low if you play it by Tempest methods of gameplay. By letting the baddies come to the rim and 'jumping' off the rim you activate a powerup that lets you 'bully' the enemies sending them flying off. This then raises your score multiplier and is one of the key ways to achieve those high scores.
As an end note, if you're coming to Space Giraffe expecting the some old tempest then don't bother. You won't like. Likewise, if intense visuals are something you don't like then steer clear. However, if you appreciate truly old school gameplay and can appreciate the bizarre and intimidating visual palette Minter so loves then this game comes highly recommend.