The Indie Game Magazine » review

Saira Review

Nate Edwards — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:04:08 +0000

Nifflas, the creator of indie platformer titles Knytt, Kyntt Stories, and Within a Deep Forest, has finally started charging money for his latest title (also a platformer), Saira. The eponymous main character, Saira, is trying to repair her teleporter in order to reach her former partner and find out what has happened to the rest of humanity, who have all disappeared. Parts of the teleporter are spread across different planets and satellites, where you face various platforming challenges combined with puzzles and minigames. Though the majority of the game is about platforming, there are only a handful of explicit and difficult challenges in that department. The platforming necessary to get from puzzle to puzzle is pretty mild and simple. Terminals throughout the game contain the puzzles or minigames, presented on a small window within the game. While some of these are self-contained puzzles, some require you to use clues in the environment elsewhere in the level. A camera within the game can take pictures of the game world, so you don’t have to take paper notes in real life. The puzzles do their job of keeping the gameplay from getting repetitive, but the main platforming gameplay mechanic is actually under-represented in the end. The puzzles are sometimes compelling enough to stand on their own, but sometimes feel tacked on and too much like work. Nifflas’ other games are often commended for being relaxing and letting you explore, but it’s more difficult when puzzles provide constant chokepoints for you to overcome. But when you are given platforming challenges in Saira, most of that fluidity and purely fun gameplay come across just as it was in Knytt. That’s not to say it isn’t frustrating at times when the momentum doesn’t work out perfectly, but the challenges are pretty well-tuned in general. The game provides an over-world (over-galaxy?) that allows you to choose between various levels to play, depending on if your space vehicle’s battery will let you reach them. Trips between stars take a small amount of time, and you’re allowed to listen to about six different “radio stations” in-game while you wait, or play a pretty entertaining modification of pinball. This choice between levels provides a little more sense of freedom and atmosphere, making a really nice addition. In the graphics department, many in the indie gaming community have expressed their preference for the very simple (but beautiful) pixel art in Knytt over the mixture of photography with hand and computer-drawn animation in Saira. With their preference aside, the worlds

PixelJunk Shooter Review

Mike — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:46:04 +0000

PixelJunk Shooter’s one major fault is that it is over too soon and leaves you wanting more. The game is as simple and addictive as they come; you control a small subterranean rescue ship on a mission down into the depths of a strange mining planet. The plot is simple and takes place in the future. Humans have done their

Osmos Review

meg — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:53:42 +0000

In Hemisphere Games’ Osmos, you play as a hungry organism in a primordial soup of other growing and drifting orbs. Smaller organisms are absorbed by bigger ones when they touch, so it’s either absorb or be absorbed in this blob-eat-blob world. Gameplay: In order to move quickly enough to catch smaller blobs and avoid the bigger blogs, you’ll need to expel more matter, becoming smaller and making the Osmos world more dangerous. But drifting aimlessly into the path of larger, predatory orbs has its own challenges. For most of the game, Osmos is relaxing and beautiful with an enjoyably slow pace. There’s time to enjoy the swirling orbs and delicate soundtrack, all the elements I enjoyed in Music Catch and other ambient art games. But there’s still a goal, even if it’s the simple mellow goal to become the biggest, so there’s still a sense of challenge and accomplishment. The basic game challenge is finding a balance between expelling enough mass to move at the desired speed, without expelling so much mass that you become small, easy prey. Later levels add twists on this basic eat-or-be-eaten, with various success. Some levels include intelligent orbs to either chase or escape, or gravity forces that change the paths of the orbs. I did want some additions to the basic, enjoyable become the biggest challenge, but I wasn’t altogether pleased with some of the later levels. Certain levels require so much patience that it began to feel more like a tedious work assignment than a game. Sure, the right mouse button can slow down or speed up time, but either way there’s such a lot of waiting for orbs to collide. There’s an odd contrast between the relaxed music and floating orbs of Osmos, and the stress of some of the challenging levels. Graphics: In the blobiverse, bigger blobs consume smaller blobs. Red blobs are bigger than you, and blue blobs are your size or smaller, which is visually simple and stunning. Other colors and patterns appear in later levels, and it’s hard not to zone out watching the dance of the Osmos. Later on, I had trouble spotting the black antimatter blobs on the black background, which may well be the point, but it didn’t add to the enjoyment of the game. Overall, Osmos has great style… the branching menu tree of available levels seemed to resemble molecular structure, for another touch of artistic science. Even the name evokes cosmos and osmosis, adding to the scifi feel. Music: The music in Osmos really is wonderful. This relaxing ambient blend is somehow more that background music, without ever dominating the game. The musical pieces come from a variety of different artists, creating a varied but cohesive soundtrack. Lasting Appeal: Osmos comes so close, but ultimately just misses the mark. Intensively challenging levels ruin the mellow mood, but too many become the biggest levels seem repetitive. A near-perfect short game becomes an underwhelming longer game. The first couple levels have excellent replay value, since there’s something addictive about mellow beauty of drifting orbs. I imagine I’ll pick this game up again from time to time, for the relaxed playstyle, delicate soundtrack and sparkling orbs, but I also imagine becoming annoyed with the later levels all over again.

Pros:

Great replay value, delicate soundtrack, enjoyable slow pace at the start

Cons:

Challenge can ruin the mellow mood, levels become repetitive

Rating:

81%

XNA MotorHEAT Mini-Review

Mike — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:58:26 +0000

MotorHeat by Milkstone Studios is a well made Xbox Live Indie Game that lacks that extra coat of paint which would have made it a must buy. The 3D graphics lack detail, but the game packs some serious speed and looks good in motion. The game is also instantly

Machinarium Review

Zak — Mon, 31 May 2010 10:32:25 +0000

As far as point and click adventures go, Machinarium by Amanita Design is a perfect 10 in my book; you can’t get much better. The artwork, puzzles and sound devices create a unique steam punk world to click through on your quest to save Robot city. As for the

Jetsom Sam Mini-Review

Colt — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:53:52 +0000

Jetsom Sam is an iPhone game developed by Plasmaworks, a company cranking out titles ranging from strategy to combo-based action. In elementary sidescroller with an elementary look, you play as Sam, who’s goal is to rescue Kay from invading Aliens, and sometimes Robots.The cartoon look is unfortunately vacant of exaggeration that the medium would permit. I think this deign choice is merely due to Plasmaworks pushing the game out more quickly and cheaper rather than any IPhone graphical limitation. Jetsom Sam employs the Rocket Knight Adventures mechanic of zipping across the screen via rocket boots and bopping Aliens on the cranium. Environments include a city, a volcano, and the invading enemy’s ship. You control Sam by tapping the screen on the area you wish to fly, and Sam will boost there to the best of his ability. I say this because Jetsom Sam adheres to gravity and a strict physics engine; Sam flies in straight lines only and, thanks to constant momentum, lands more in the general vicinity than the exact bulls-eye. This leads to pounding on the screen more than necessary, grabbing coins scattered around the level. The coins, to my knowledge, are superfluous. Maybe there are certain level requirements of a set number, but I did reach such a level. Viewing the game is not an entirely lost endeavor; the character animation is fluid, with Sam spinning head over heels as he rockets around the map. This adds some characterization that is sorely needed. Even a small scene of Sam, our unlikely hero, donning these rocket boots and blasting off, nervous but determined. This is all set to a pulse of Bucky O Hare space age discovery tunes, and the whirring of carnival laser zaps and blasts. Fortunately the sound effects slow an already choppy game, so that’s more incentive to play on mute.

Level design is comprised of a constant background and a foreground of changing obstacles. The first level, City, has buildings that hinder Sam’s progress, billboards with cute advertisements, and speeding cars. Modes of play include Survival, in which the camera pans right with Sam staying ahead of it, and kill X amount of enemies. There is also an endless mode. I’m sure that’s cool. There is no real narrative tying any of this together, only a terse tutorial: “Fight the Aliens” and “Use [your] rocket boots to save Kay.” It’s difficult to be glib about Jetsom Sam. It’s not so much intentionally lazy, boring and tiresome, but this is moot since the result is the same. Jetsom Sam just has minimal personality, and it feels like Plasmaworks

AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! — A Reckless Disregard for Gravity Review

Ben Hayhoe — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:57:37 +0000

I can offer only one piece of advice to you. Stay clear of tall buildings for at least a week after playing “AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A reckless disregard for gravity.” You WILL have the urge to climb to the top and leap to an oh so bloody death. I’ve said my piece. Now do

Critter Crunch Review

Mike Gnade — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:51:25 +0000

Critter Crunch is a stellar PSN puzzle game with enchanting music and graphics. I dare anyone to find as highly polished and addictive game at the $6.99 price point. Cabybara games has made Critter Crunch impossible not to recommend. Critter Crunch is an interesting twist on match-3 and similar puzzle games. It’s a much more polished version of Capybara’s 2007 iPhone game of the same name. It may appear cutesy and seem to rely on simple color matching, but the game is much deeper. Critter Crunch is a humorous tale of Biggs and the strange ecological system that he lives in. Biggs eats crystals and barfs rainbows (literally), but all of this is really a humorous spin on the innovative “food chain” gameplay found at the core of Critter Crunch. The player controls the rotund Biggs with the D-pad or Left Stick and uses his long tongue (the X button) to move critters around on the vines above. Just like nature, larger critters eat smaller ones. If a critter is overfed, it explodes into a crystal which Biggs can eat. There is a humorous national geographic type documentary that tries to explain the ecosystem of the game. This goofy narrative actually gives the game more charm. You see on the island of Krunchatoa, Biggs is at the top of the food chain. Creatures hang on vines above him and he overfeeds them and darts to collect the crystals and powerups critters drop. These tasty crystals fill Biggs hunger bar. The goal is to fill this hunger bar before the creatures mosey their way down the vines to Biggs. The gameplay has all the elements that make a great puzzle game. The game is simple to pick up and play but has a ton of smaller features and slight variations that keep things interesting and provide a great deal of depth. The game centers on the food chain mechanic, but there are also color matching elements which help you setup big chain reactions and combos. The adventure mode does an excellent job of introducing new gameplay wrinkles such as “Power Foods” and Poisoned Critters. Power foods include things like watermelons that let Biggs spit seeds to destroy critters above or Garlic which allows him to repel critters back up their vines. The graphics of Critter Crunch are stunning. The hand-drawn 2D graphics are bright, colorful and have excellent animations. Everything pops really well off of the soft muted watercolor backgrounds. With the game’s excellent and anime-inspired character design, watching Critter Crunch has as much appeal as an episode of Pokemon (ok, let’s be honest… more appeal). In a Cute & Cuddly Pageant, Biggs could even steal Pikachu’s crown. The visuals are coupled with great music and sound effects, but the big shocker of the whole package is the price. At only $6.99, Critter Crunch is an absolute steal. With the stellar graphics, core gameplay, and features, Capybara games could easily justify a $15-$20 price tag. The game’s adventure mode is littered with optional challenge and puzzle stages, not to mention the multiplayer offerings. Critter Crunch will give any puzzle fan hours upon hours to enjoy with Biggs and company. All of these features add up to make Critter Crunch one of the best values on PSN.

Pros:

Fantastic Art, Interesting new spin on Match 3, Incredible Price/Value

Cons:

rainbow barf is weird

Rating:

93%

Lugaru Review

Andrew Groen — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:08:02 +0000

Lugaru: The Rabbit’s Foot is nothing if not an aesthetically odd game. It’s strangely anthropomorphic rabbit-like characters come dangerously close to earning this game the nickname “Battle Furries.” Freaky art design aside, Lugaru is a surprisingly intense action game that features a fighting system that is surprisingly deep and remarkably

Continuity…

Michael Gnade — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:45:20 +0000

Continuity is a rather different… very different puzzle game. I have never played or saw anything like it. You must do two things each level. One, you must get a key and make your way to the door. But before you do that you have to arrange the level yourself