Top-down shooters have been with us since the early arcade days, and still survive today through re-releases of the classics available on today’s digital distribution clients, as well as, of course, new takes on the genre from indie developers. Now, new indie developers Cribzero brings you their inaugural retail release, EchoSpace, a unique top-down shooter that substitutes the common blaster often used for a continually sustained laser beam. This laser beam provides a couple of additional features beyond destroying your enemies, but the real question remains: does it make the game fun?

To answer the question simply: yes, but it is not, of course, simply the fact that you have a laser that makes the game interesting. The design and uses for the laser weapon, and how it is connected to your ship, go a long way to making the game a very unique experience. The connection between your ship and the end of the laser make an adjustable line, one that you can and must utilize in varying ways in order to survive the onslaught of enemies that await you in this challenging title.

The basic controls for the game incorporate the left analog stick for movement of your ship, while the right analog stick is used for moving the end point of the laser. Where you place your laser is of utmost importance, as it is used for both destroying your enemies (with its attack power stronger the closer it is to your ship), as well as healing your ship of damages (if you place the laser on top of your ship). Also, though, survival in the game hinges largely upon the warp feature your ship possess, which allows you to jump to whatever point of the screen the end of your laser is currently located at.

This warp feature, however, must take a second to recharge after each use, and so it is important that it be used strategically to escape sticky situations. Fortunately, outside of your basic laser and the warp feature, you have also a bomb weapon at your disposal, linked also to the end point of your laser beam. Particularly effective against groups of enemies and bosses, its use and strength is contingent upon first building up its charge by defeating enemies.

From a more critical standpoint, some of the choices regarding visual design are a bit perplexing. Most confusing is why the player’s ship is simply a symbol, while all the enemies’ ships are fully designed and rendered out. While overall this is not that big of an issue, it does sometimes create confusion regarding which glowing orb is your ship and which is your laser. Completion of the game is a somewhat perplexing affair due to an odd ‘You Win’ message, featuring a drawing of a happy cloud with a rainbow coming out of it, which feels out of place among the overall space theme that the game presents you with.

Overall, though, the game is fun and challenging affair, throwing tons of enemies at you, with cleverly designed enemy group formations and boss fights. However, with only a total of four stages to play through, the game is very short, with only limited replayability. For only 80 Microsoft Points, though, it’s certainly worth taking a look at if you want a fresh and original take on the classic top-down shooter.

The game is available now for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. More information about the developers can be found by visiting Cribzero’s website.