Review: Mutant Mudds

Game: Mutant Mudds System: Nintendo eShop (3DS) Developer: Renegade Kid Publisher: Renegade Kid Cost: $8.99

Being a small developer is no easy feat, especially when original IPs are involved. In the case of Renegade Kid, they had a particularly difficult time bringing Mutant Mudds into existence; originally a 3D platformer on the DS, the game was rejected by publishers and failed to garner enough attention for a DSiWare release. However, Renegade Kid revamped Mutant Mudds’ idea and has made it into a refreshing 2D platformer on the Nintendo eShop. Thankfully, I can say the game was well worth the wait, even if it changed its looks along the way.

Mutant Mudds stars Max and his grandmother who, while playing video games, witness a meteor crash onto the planet, creating a myriad of monstrous beings called the Mutant Mudds. Equipped with the smarts to outdo the Mudds, Max takes hold of his water cannon and agua-powered jetpack in his quest to find the Water Sprites, the only things that can truly cleanse every Mudd from the world!

The first thing you will notice is the game’s retro-styled graphics. It might look like a classic game, but it is as new as they come. Max, Grannie, and the world around them are all designed to appear like a window into the past, although Max and Grannie do lack the extra details of the Mudds themselves. Regardless, the animations are smooth, and the framerate remains equally so for the majority of the experience. The depth present through the 3DS screen is vibrant and intense, and I only had crosstalk issues during one red-hued environment. To match the game’s delightful graphic style is the game’s soundtrack; Troupe Gammage produced every bit-based song with a level of energy that matches the popping visuals in-game. Together, the visuals and audio create a delightful aesthetic to encompass the game.

That Sprite looks close, but poor Max is so far away.

Mutant Mudds is a traditional platformer with a little bit of a 3D twist. In each of the game’s levels, players guide Max through numerous obstacles and enemies in order to reach the Water Sprite at the end. With his water cannon, Max can shoot and dissolve Mudds in his way, and he can use his jetpack for an extra boost across gaps. You will have to be careful, though, as there are no healing items nor power-ups within the levels, meaning those three hit-points are all you get. Assisted by a number of insta-death spikes and pits, the Mudds become increasingly difficult and numerous with each passing level. While the game remains easy at first, soon single mistakes lead you to an inevitable defeat. There is a problem with being too careful, too; each level has a four-minute time limit, ensuring that you are on the move at all times!

The twist in all of this, however, is the usage of depth to create layers of platforms for Max to travel across. By standing and jumping on particular platforms, you can leap toward or away from the screen, entering another area of the level. Furthermore, certain obstacles and enemies make usage of depth, sliding out to attack or swinging into the foreground with an ominous “swoosh.” In later levels, Max can be blown to the front of the level by mischievous clouds; you better be careful when you pass by them, especially when there are nothing but spikes on the front layer. It is this depth that turns the already solid game into an even better one.

Fireballs, spikeballs, and eyeballs, oh my!

The game is not just about collecting the Water Sprites at the end of each level, though. You also have 100 golden diamonds to collect, too. Collecting diamonds can allow Grannie to give you power-ups, such as a stronger water cannon or a vertical boost, which can not only help you complete the levels more easily but can also lead you to the game’s many sub levels. These sub levels, stylized like a Game Boy or Virtual Boy game (named G-Zone and V-Zone, respectively) have their own Water Sprites to find, effectively doubling the amount of levels to complete. The sub levels are a grade higher in difficulty compared to the main levels, providing more traps and plenty more spikes among the swarm of Mudds present in each. There are no diamonds in the sub levels, but the time limit still remains.

Looking at the game as a whole, there are twenty main levels with a sub level in each, totaling 40 Water Sprites to collect. In order to access the last world, you need to complete each of the four worlds before it, and even then, you need to collect all the diamonds in specific worlds in order to unlock the fifth world’s levels. Certain players might find collecting that many diamonds per level to be boring and distracting. Thankfully, once you have completed a level, the diamonds you have collected are permanently yours, so you can focus on finishing a level, even if you missed a couple diamonds along the way. And for those willing to fight through the last world for all of the diamonds, there is a nice surprise waiting for you.

Some elements will literally blow you (or Max) away!

Mutant Mudds is a darn good adventure, but there are a few dings in its armor. Perhaps the difficulty can be a little over the top further in, what with no actual healing items of the sort. In some cases, I would kill myself if I did not make it through a point without fail. Furthermore, some later levels like to make moments which are do-or-die, and for me, I found death to be much more common. It is a good thing the game has no lives to speak of, but some levels probably could have been a tad shorter or have checkpoints. Thus is the fate of a retro-styled game; we get the aesthetics and the difficulty!

The game’s simplicity works for the most part, but near the end it occasionally calls out for more. The game seems a little too simple early on, but as the levels progress and new ideas are introduced, the game hits its stride. Just as the game begins to accelerate with new ideas and concepts, it slows back, opting to include all obstacles near the end rather than going beyond the game’s main mechanics. I was somewhat disappointed that the game lacked any real boss battles or radical twists in the gameplay to surprise players further in the game. In spite of this, the game does pull through with its simple yet challenging game design for the three-to-five hours you will spend completing it (and that is if you are particularly good at collecting all those diamonds on the first run-through).

CONCLUSION

Mutant Mudds exemplifies everything that the eShop should contain: small, simple, but altogether delightful and entertaining experiences for players to enjoy for a fraction of a full-retail price. The difficulty fits its charming retro style, and its level variety and hidden depth make the game a full package deal. Renegade Kid could have gone further with the concept and added boss fights or something to spice up the game at times, but even without them, the basic gameplay is altogether solid and welcoming to the majority of gamers out there. Just do not expect a cakewalk all the way through.

Mutant Mudds is a simple but charming game which makes use of its concepts as far as it can, providing a fun, if sometimes a little frustrating, experience for all to enjoy. This game is a perfect fit for the eShop, and we cannot wait to see more.

PROS:
+ Wonderful retro-styled music and graphics, also making great use of 3D.
+ Multitude of worlds and levels expand the game’s length beyond what is expected.
+ Solid mechanics and fast-paced levels make for a smooth and charming adventure.

CONS:
- Difficulty can be a problem for certain players, without items or checkpoints.
- Collecting all of the diamonds might turn off certain players from full completion.
- Some boss fights or expanded mechanics changes might have helped build game up at the end.

-YES-


*Downloadable titles are currently being rated on a three-scale: Yes, No, and Maybe. As a Yes title, this game is highly recommended to those familiar with the genre and also generally recommended to most everyone.

Review: Cut the Rope (DSiWare)

Game: Cut the Rope System: DSiWare Developer: ZeptoLab, Absolution Games Publisher: Chillingo Cost: 500 DSi Points / $4.99

There are a myriad of games which have graced the App Store with the intention of being the next big pick-up-and-play game, following Angry Birds. One of those games, ZeptoLabs’s Cut the Rope, fit greatly into that genre with a cute monster and plenty of puzzle-driven candy deliveries. Now, a full year after the original game’s iOS release, Absolution Games and Chillingo have come to bring Cut the Rope onto the DSiWare service, but is it a sweet treat or a sour tart?

Cut the Rope is a deceptively basic puzzle game in which you receive a large box, inside of which lives a small green monster named Om Nom. Thankfully this monster lacks a taste for human; on the contrary, he has but one desire: CANDY! The main focus of the game is, therefore, to send circular candies to Om Nom’s gaping maw. This is easier said than done, however, as you have no direct control over the candy, only the objects that surround it inside the box.

Being called Cut the Rope, it is obvious what the most influential aspect of the game is. In order to cause the candies to head toward the hungry monster, you need to cut ropes in such a way so as to send the candy in the right direction. Of course, that is not the only action players get, nor is every rope treated the same way. Over the course of the game, you get to encounter hooks which grab onto falling candy, while at the same time there are ropes that have to be cut quickly, lest equally hungry spiders steal the candy for themselves. Players also have the ability to pop candy-lifting bubbles or push balloons to blow air in a given direction. By the time the interactivity begins to feel less interesting, a new element is introduced to keep things fresh and curious.

It's cute, it's in a box, and it's hungry!

In particular, major new elements are introduced with the start of each of the game’s five boxes, each representing twenty five levels a piece and totaling 125 for the full game. Starting from the basic Cardboard Box, new major elements are brought in with each box, whether they are moving rope-centers in the Foil Box or gravity-changing buttons in the Cosmic Box. In order to unlock the latter four boxes, however, you need to collect as many stars from the levels as possible. Each level contains three stars that must collide with the candy to be collected, but in most cases, they put the candy in much greater danger rather than simply going to Om Nom. The major challenge in Cut the Rope, therefore, rests in getting as many stars as possible in order to unlock more worlds and ultimately complete the game. Getting all three stars and clearing a level in one go may take some time, but when you do, you cannot help but feel proud for you and your candy-loving friend.

The aesthetics of Cut the Rope are altogether charming, and Om Nom has a lot to do with that. His animations are cute, and his saddened whimpers at each failure only bring you to work that much harder to get him that candy. The music fits the playful nature of the game, but the soundtrack is so short that it becomes tiresome by the third or fourth box.

The game features a number of boxes each with their own special elements.

Now, all of the game sounds delightful, and it very much should. However, the game does have a list of problems, mostly stemming from the fact that this version, unlike the one on Android and the App Store, suffers from its platform. The DSi resolution is much smaller than that of the other platforms, and as a result, the graphics look muddled. To make matters worse, certain cuts and movements are not read as accurately as they could, causing occasionally frustrating moments in which the game wants to do something else and ends up with broken candy. The music and sound effects are compressed heavily, and the framerate occasionally drags with a number of rope-heavy levels, not as much as in the eShop trailer, mind, but still enough to be a damper on the experience.

Most will "flip" over the game, but it can be better elsewhere.

The other major concern with being a DSiWare release is that this version will most likely remain unchanged. Buying this five-dollar version of Cut the Rope would be the same as if you bought the other versions as of late 2010. Since then, those versions have gotten four more boxes, almost double the content this game provides. The chances of any update to this edition of the game is close to zero, although having the extra four worlds put in another DSiWare or 3DS download game could happen. Otherwise, Cut the Rope on DSiWare is literally half a game compared to other platforms. Not to mention that it uses no unique DSi elements such as the camera or dual screen to its advantage.

Those major issues aside, the game is a fitting addition to the DSiWare library and should be a fun experience, one way or another. It just does not have the same level of content as its other editions, which can certainly put a damper on the whole purchase.

Conclusion

Cut the Rope is a fun and unique puzzle experience, with plenty of ideas to keep the game from wearing thin, a cute character design, and an altogether welcome environment for gamers of all ages. The DSiWare version does suffer from the venue, though. The lower resolution hurts the contents and sometimes yields problems in-game, and the size requirements reduce the sound quality. Considering that this version will most likely not add the other worlds developed over time and does not make any attempt to differentiate itself on the DSi compared to the other versions, this game can only be seen as a basic port of an older version of Cut the Rope.

Those who have other mobile platforms might be better off getting Cut the Rope there, with more levels, better presentation, and for a lower price. However, if you would prefer gaming on your DSi or cannot get it elsewhere, I recommend you give Om Nom more than just a single glance.

PROS:
+ Charming character and game design
+ Continually innovating game elements fends off fatigue
+ Deceptively simple puzzles with variable difficulties for star collection

CONS:
- Just over half the levels of the other game editions
- Lower resolution hurts graphics and impacts gameplay
- No additional features to make it stand out compared to cheaper versions

-Maybe-


*Downloadable games are rated on a scale of No, Maybe, and Yes. Maybe denotes a game which is welcome for particular gamers but has a number of flaws or has elements which keeps it from being wholly recommendable to all gamers.

Review: Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL

Game: Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL System: Xbox 360 / Playstation 3 / Wii Developer: Papaya Studio (Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales, Ben10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction) Publisher: Crave Games Price: $39.99 on Xbox 360 / Playstation 3 $29.99 on Wii

Over the years, Cartoon Network has become the home of dozens of cartoon franchises that span across a variety of audiences and styles. A number of people might have even wondered, “which character would win in an all-out brawl?” Well, thanks to Papaya Studio’s Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion, people could figure it out for themselves, choosing CN characters to duke it out! However, when it was originally released on Nintendo 3DS, the content felt unfinished and the ideas unrealized; the uneven graphics, poor sound quality, and dodgy performance hurt it quite a bit. Now, a few months later, Papaya Studio has released a console version, titled Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL. After playing the first release and finding it disappointing, I was concerned that the console version would end up the same way. Luckily, I was mistaken. Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL is both larger and better than its 3DS counterpart by far. More characters, more levels, more modes, more action, and best of all, more polish! While it still has its flaws to keep it from being a punch time explosion for everyone, the XL version is a much better and more recommendable game.

VIDEO REVIEW

At its core, Punch Time Explosion XL is a fighting game, but not just any fighting game. It is, without a doubt, based directly on Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros Brawl, but instead of Nintendo franchises, it has Cartoon Network characters, including the Power Puff Girls, Ben Tennyson, and Flapjack. Besides the original eighteen playable characters, XL adds eight new fighters such as Johnny Bravo and the Scotsman which can be obtained by unlocking them via the in-game store. While the selection of characters is much better in XL, some cartoon franchises are neglected or not represented at all. There are plenty of CN hits such as Samurai Jack, Chowder, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and Ben 10. However, older franchises such as Ed, Edd, n Eddy and Courage the Cowardly Dog as well as more recent and popular shows such as Adventure Time are surprisingly absent while Ben 10: Alien Force gets a large push. The uneven distribution of characters is apparent in the game’s level count, as well.

From children with transformation abilities to the darkest evils around, this game
sure has varied characters.

When comparing the 3DS stages to XL’s environments, the 3DS feels still and lacking while XL is exploding with more action. Both the returning stages as well as five new stages now offer a wide variety of activity, from breakaway floors to massive koi fish attacks and massive robot-induced destruction. When you introduce these stages to four-player battles, the game lives up to its name.

The goal of each fight is to knock your opponents off the screen with your character’s special attacks. Not only does each character have their own special moves, but they also have a unique Punch Time Explosion, a super powerful attack which can only be activated after collecting power cubes dropped by opponents. Thankfully, the Punch Time Explosions are not tediously long and jarring like those on the 3DS but instead appear quicker and are more integrated into the match. Besides your character’s move set, there are also weapons that can be picked up, including a teddy bear launcher and Assist Cubes which can summon another character to ‘assist’ the summoner. These Assist Attacks vary greatly from one another, from Gwen Tennyson’s psychic shields to Captain Stickybeard’s canon attack. A new element in XL is the Synergy Attack in which your character joins with the assist character to perform a special super move. They are very similar to the PTEs but are harder to come by and help add an extra level of chaos to the game.

Does Johnny Bravo want to brawl or just dance? Could go either way!

The actual game performance has been tweaked for the better. Thanks to the extended development time, the hit detection feels more spot-on than in the original version, and the game moves smoother more often than in the 3DS game. Despite these tweaks, XL’s computer AI is still one-noted and frustrating on the harder settings. When playing a team match or free-for-all match with computers, I found they would only come after me instead of going after each other and very rarely changed their strategies. For this reason, playing the game by yourself does not feel that engaging, but once you add a friend or three, the game’s enjoyment is increased dramatically. Unfortunately, these friends will need to be with you; the game lacks an online multiplayer mode.

The game content is broken up into two modes: Story Mode and Battle Mode. The Story Mode brings all the Cartoon Network worlds together and tries its best to explain how they came together in the first place. While the narrator is watching Cartoon Network, chaos begins to spread across the various shows as the cartoons' villains begin to invade other worlds. Ben Tennyson quickly heads out to stop them and, with some help from Dexter, gathers all the heroes together in order to save their worlds. Level-wise, the Story Mode is more or less the same as in the 3DS edition. Players must run and jump through multiple Cartoon Network worlds, which tend to lead up to battle arenas against one of the game’s villains or large enemy hordes. Thanks to the extra development time, the platforming segments feel less floaty, and the game improves the tutorial elements of the game. To break up all the combat and platforming, some stages have the occasional mini-game, ranging from first-person shooter segments to mine cart rides. While a few have been fixed up from their 3DS counterparts, others feel out of place and uninteresting. One example is FPS sections, which feel especially difficult to aim. The level design starts great, but as I progressed, I found the worlds and layout designs to become less interesting. While playing the story mode by yourself might get boring, XL allows for co-op play up to four players, which makes the story mode far more enjoyable. In fact, we highly recommend cooperative play for the best experience.

Man, getting to school is more dangerous than I thought!

The game’s other mode is Battle Mode, which has been given more options that were lacking in the handheld version. These include PTE Mode, where the winner collects the most energy orbs, Drone Mode, where the winner deals the most damage to the enemies on-stage, and Arcade Mode, in which you challenge character after character without any platforming or mini-game sections found in the Story Mode. While playing through the story and battle modes, you collect in-game points that can be used to purchase XL’s new characters and levels, alternate costumes for all characters, and video clips from the cartoons in HD quality. With plenty of nostalgia-soaked unlockables, the game does have a good sense of replayability, if you are interested in Cartoon Network’s lore.

Punch Time Explosion XL’s graphics and sound have been given a bit of an enhancement. The game’s textures, models, and backdrops all look more detailed in a higher resolution, and the musical tracks and sound effects are a lot crisper than before. The models are smoother and more animated, and bump-mapping and bloom -lighting improve the environments.

Despite all the fine-tuning and smoothing out XL has gone through, the game has an issue with inconsistent presentation. Transitions from cutscenes to gameplay and onward are rough at times, as the game tries to load the next area. Cutting to the main menu after a single match in Battle Mode seems off, and hearing the menu theme pop up after every level or match became annoying as I progressed. There were a few moments in which animations became jumpy, and sound effects were also inconsistent in volume. Also for voices, only the announcer spoke in full sentences, while the others gave small grunts or phrases instead of what they were actually saying. Hearing “I am Dexter, boy genius,” when he is clearly not introducing himself feels out of place. Not all voices are original and are sometimes poorly replaced, though the XL version has more original voices this time around. While the graphics and audio have benefited from the extra development time, the overall presentation of the game is still inconsistent and should have been smoothed out a little more before launch.

Conclusion

When compared to XL, Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion for the 3DS feels like a beta. Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL feels more like the complete version with more characters, levels, and modes. However, if you have played the 3DS version, you will find a nearly identical story mode and gameplay experience here. What really sets XL apart from the 3DS game is the overall improved quality it got from a longer development time. Better graphics, sound, and physics all make this game a more enjoyable experience than on the handheld. Also adding cartoon clips and costumes can extend replayability and bring more nostalgia to fans. Despite these improvements, there are still some glaring presentational inconsistencies that make this game feel unpolished compared to the greats. If you enjoy any of the cartoons represented in the game, you will more likely than not find this to be a pleasant gaming experience. However, if you are not a fan of the cartoons used in the game, this game is an average fighter based off Super Smash Bros. that can be played on any console for a budget price. Also, play it with someone or you will be missing out on the best of it.

PROS
+ Crazy, action-filled stages for fun multi-player
+ Plenty of references to represented Cartoon Network franchises
+ An added variety of modes and unlockables

CONS
- An uneven representation of franchises, with some being completely non-existent
- Inconsistent presentation quality
- Computer AI feels unfair for single-player matches

CNPTEXL is a fun, action-packed multiplayer brawler with a decent selection of Cartoon Network characters, but its lack of certain popular franchises, inconsistent presentation, and meh single-player experiences limit the game to fans of the series and those willing to give it a try. Those with HD platforms looking for a Smash Brothers equivalent will find a decent one here.

3/5 (3.5/5 for multiplayer)


Disclaimer: This game was provided to us to review by the company.

Review: Platformance: Castle Pain

Game Title: Platformance: Castle Pain Developer: Magiko Gaming Platform: Xbox Live Indie Games Price: 80 MS Points ($1)

After playing so many large, 70-hour epics, one can get tired of drawn-out journeys and perhaps take pleasure in short, condensed experiences that are equally entertaining. Magiko Gaming demonstrates the condensed adventure with Platformance: Castle Pain, perhaps the beginning of a series of short-but-sweet platforming adventures for Xbox Live Indie Games. The ultimate question is whether or not the comparatively minuscule game time can match up against longer games currently available.

Platformance: Castle Pain is an adventure that takes place on a single screen. Players control a little sword-wielding knight who must save the princess located within a castle on the opposite side of the world. In order to get to her, though, the knight is forced to encounter a number of deadly traps, including bats, birds, and an evil spirit. There are no power-ups, save points, shops, or other things. There is only platforming toward a princess to save.

This is the game. That pixel near the bottom left is you.

The adventure begins by selecting a difficulty level, and the knight starts immediately at the far bottom left corner of the world. You will be quick to notice that Castle Pain is filled with torches which act like checkpoints, and you will need them, as you will die plenty of times against particular traps and creatures. Without health, one hit will send you to a swiftly-built grave. Thankfully, you have no lives, so death appears to do nothing but slow you down and add another tick to the “Death Counter” at the end of each adventure. There is still a way to truly die in Platformance, however. A Game Over appears once an evil ghost, awoken at a given point, makes contact with the knight. Do not assume that the ghost remains stuck at a single point along the adventure; the ghost will follow you throughout the entire adventure until either it gets you or you get the princess.

Here the ghost begins its chase!

Graphically, the game utilizes a pixel art style, and the main theme’s chiptune melody further echoes a faux-retro style. A couple of the sprites, such as the ghost, seem to lack detail for their relative size to the knight, but the background is vibrant and quite varied throughout the adventure. From dark caverns to a large, monster-filled moat, the environments are nicely done, even if they are so short that they only exist on the game’s path for a few seconds. Overall, it is a nice, retro experience that does a good enough job to accept.

The retro experience is uniquely short, however. There is short, and then there is Platformance short. On Easy difficulties, players will probably complete an adventure in less than ten minutes, though first-time players might take a bit longer at significant parts. Even so, the harder difficulties will most likely take more time than a game trial can offer. The Master difficulty especially will take multiple playthroughs for many gamers to endure.

Speaking of difficulties, the game does not play around once you progress to the harder modes. Enemy patterns change into more maniacal, faster movements. More traps are applied with each difficulty level, and the number of creatures also increases dramatically. To make matters worse, the Ghost moves faster along its path, resulting in a more tense adventure, especially with all the game’s additional traps.

If he fails the jump, it's okay. Knights have a habit of re-spawning.

Once the knight finds the princess, the game shows you how many times you died and how long the adventure took to complete. The game also provides a crown depending on how you performed: Bronze for completing it, Silver for dying less than thirty times and Gold for not dying at all. The scores seem entirely meaningless, however, once you realize that the game lacks a leaderboard or any save feature whatsoever. The game is fun for multiple playthroughs, but for a game as arcade-focused as this one, a leaderboard, even offline, seems pivotal.

The game has other shortcomings in the otherwise fun adventure. When the knight collides with the ceiling, he clips harder than he should, and while I have not personally had this experience, other reviews have noticed that the knight’s momentum is too much when jumping onto platforms. The steam clouds and cloud platform are the glitchiest parts of the game, and frankly should not have been released in that state. These issues do not damage the game beyond repair, but the game does lose a bit of its luster for having them.

CONCLUSION

Platformance: Castle Pain is short and, yet, delightful for a game concept. The graphics and atmosphere are catchy and unique in a world of Avatar games. The difficulties do add to the experience, but the lack of any means to save or show off previous runs through the adventure leave the game to be less of an entertaining product. If Castle Pain is the first of what will be a series of Platformance titles, I wholeheartedly recommend leaderboards (which may have already been confirmed) and a little more meat to the adventures in order to make the series even better than it currently is.

While the game is missing some expected features, Platformance: Castle Pain offers a unique, retro platforming adventure which is recommended to those on the lookout for a super-quick and altogether charming journey.

[NOTE: The game is also available on Windows Phone 7 with added content including leaderboards. This review is specifically tied to the XBLIG release.]

Disclaimer: As with all Xbox Live Indie Games, this game is not rated by any official electronic entertainment board but is rated by peers before release and given specific ratings on sexual content, violence, and other mature content. Furthermore, all Xbox Live Indie games require an Internet connection to Xbox Live in order to play the games.

Review: Limbo

Game Title: Limbo Developer: Playdead Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Platform: Xbox Live Arcade Price: 1200 MP ($15) Released: July 21, 2010 (Summer of Arcade)

“Unsure of his sister’s fate, a boy enters the unknown.” Certain of Limbo’s amazing atmosphere and frustrating puzzles, I start my review. After almost six years in limbo, Limbo has finally been released on XBLA as part of Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade 2010. Promising nightmare-ish visuals and challenging puzzle-platforming, does Limbo take players to paradise or does it leave them suffering in gaming limbo?

“Unsure of his sister’s fate, a boy enters the unknown.” That line bears repeating because that is the only description the developer, Playdead, gives the players about Limbo’s story. No text, no dialogue, and no explanation. Everything you encounter, whether it is horrifying monsters, deadly traps, and surreal environments, is yours to interrupt. Even the game’s ending left me wondering, “What just happened?” Similar to Braid, another platfromer on XBLA, the story is in the hands of the player, whether that’s good thing or not is all up to the player’s imagination.

Venturing to the unknown...

Instead of developing an in-depth story, Playdead focused on giving Limbo an engaging atmosphere. Even though the environments are limited to black and white tones, the faded objects in the distance, simplistic forms, and video reel-like filters create an appearance unlike anything on the market. This game’s style is a perfect blend of 2D and 3D graphics to the point where they are indistinguishable. Limbo’s 2D design is so convincing that sometimes I forgot that it had 3D graphics. As for the locations themselves, Limbo is made up of eerie forests, damp caverns, and twisted factories, each giving off a chilling uneasiness and a constant fear that where you stand is not safe. The forest areas feel savage and the machines areas feel cold and emotionless. These emotions are even reflected by the creatures you encounter. Spiders want to eat you, people want to kill you, and brain worms… well… they want to do something bad to you. What Playdead does well in Limbo is create a world where not just the inhabitants want to kill you but the very landscape itself is eager to end your life. In Limbo, the world is the out to get you.

Despite the artistic atmosphere, it disappointed me how the second, mechanical half of the game became empty and less engaging when compared to the forests and tunnels offered in the first half. It felt as though the developer had spent so much time working on the first half, which was filled with devious tricks and monsters, that the later half became comprised of simple physics-based puzzles that one can find in just about any other puzzle-platformer. While there is nothing wrong with that, I just expected more from the game after the amazing first half.

While mechanical is cool and all, the forest was scarier.

Limbo has a limited musical score, which is both eerie and adreline-inducing. Though musical pieces are restricted in use to certain events, they really enhance the game’s sense of danger. If only they were used more often. The sound effects also work well, making the world sound both real and surreal at the same time. There are different sounds for walking on grass or metal as well as very specific, gruesome sound effects for the boy’s various deaths. Since the music is limited, prepare to listen to these eerie sound effects through out the majority of your play-time.

Moving from the atmosphere to the game itself, the game’s formula is pretty simple: walk, jump, move object, or pull lever. You cannot attack any of Limbo’s monsters and you don’t get any more skills as the game progresses. What you start with is what you get. Plain and simple. It is the world around you which changes. Plain and scary.

Contrasting the game’s open story, the gameplay itself leaves little room for interpretation. Every puzzle placed before you usually has one correct solution or requires some precision to overcome. Any other path will lead to death. A very horrific death I might add. In fact, the deaths in this game are so gruesome that there is a warning at the title screen and an option to block out the gruesome depictions, if you can’t stand it. And you will die. A lot.

While dieing at a challenging puzzle is okay the first few times, dieing at the same puzzle over and over again can be frustrating. What frustrated me more was that most of my deaths came not from misunderstanding the puzzle but from the game’s poor jumping mechanic, or should I say hopping mechanic. No matter how much I prepped, practiced, and performed my jumps, I never felt comfortable making them. This may have been done to increase the game’s tension, but as a puzzle-platformer, I felt it was a poor choice. This boy is definitely not Mario.

Climb faster, darn you! FASTERFASTERAAAGHH!

Another disappointment is the game’s length. The game’s first playthrough can take between 3 and 4 hours to complete, and that’s with all of the deaths and mistakes you will make along the way. However, once you’ve played through once, the length is much shorter, and for a game that costs 1200 Microsoft Points, I’d expect something longer or with more substance.

The game tries to create replay value with its hidden achievements. Throughout the game are hidden eggs that when squished increase the game’s completion percentage. Besides that, the game offers little reason to try again. Even Limbo’s leader board seems pointless since all of the records are completion percentages. No number of deaths. No competition time. No nothing. This was a wasted resource that could have increased Limbo’s replay value significantly.

Conclusion

Limbo has an amazingly eerie atmosphere that makes it stand out from other puzzle-platformers. Very few games have you question your safety quite like Limbo does as it manages to create a sense of danger even at moments of peace. Beyond the atmosphere, Limbo’s trial and error gameplay is okay at first but once you die several times due to faulty jumps, you will start to get frustrated at the game’s physics engine. With a worthless leaderboard system and lack of other modes, Limbo’s experience is one note, and given the game’s price point, the game should have offered more content. Limbo is a game that pulls you into a unique experience but fails to keep you there for very long.

Try it before you buy it.

Review: Speed

Game Title: Speed Developer: Team 6 Game Studios (Glacier 2, Pacific Liberator) Publisher: ZOO Games Platform: Wii Price: $20

Racing games are a dime a dozen on Wii, and unfortunately the value of a majority of them are about the same. With the release of Mario Kart Wii and the Wii Wheel, a plethora of racing games have come out, and Speed from Team 6 Game Studios is just one of the many racing games out this year alone. Offering a focus on speed and a special Wii Wheel Controller Shell, does this game fire off in front of the others, or does it sprint forward only to crash and burn?

When purchasing the game, you can obtain it with or without a controller shell, and I happened to receive a copy with a controller shell. The game does not come in a case, in this bundle, and that immediately makes me concerned for the long-term storage of the game disc itself. The wheel, upon immediate inspection, appears to be made of fairly cheap plastic, but as I used it, it compared to the Wii Wheel accessory more than expected. It has rubber stoppers to keep the controller secure, and instead of having a unique button to push the B trigger, the shell has a hole allowing for easy access. There is even a hole on the side to allow the IR pointer to be used while the controller is inside the shell. Overall, if you do not already have a Wii Wheel, this is a decent substitute.

Enough of the hardware and onto the software. Speed is a racing game in which players drive exceptionally fast vehicles along selected tracks for the amusement of fans nobody really sees. Each racer chosen is part of a special Team, ranging from Team Fire to Team Forest to Team Sky and even Team Pink, as if girls did not fit into the other team names. According to the game’s booklet, these teams vary in racing strategies, and what the game itself does not tell you is that your teammates actually want you to LOSE! Do not think that the same color means friendly, when it comes to Speed. Either way, the basic concept of Speed is, well, speed, and crashing cars together for Burnout-like explosions.

The presentation is, in one word, basic. The font is extremely standard, and the menu seems mostly pointer driven rather than by buttons, which is odd as the game menu could move faster that way. The artwork for each Team is just a recolor of the next, still images without any more information than the name at the top. When it all comes together, the presentation is expected for a team of only six people, though after a few games, one should expect a progression in menu quality.

Graphically it looks nice, if a bit blurry.

The game’s graphics are not as basic but do fumble in more than a few ways. The vehicles are well-modeled, and it seems Team 6 Game Studios wants you to notice. The camera is located low on the ground to provide a more speed-centric vibe from each race, but as a result, there are instances where the backgrounds are completely blocked off by the barriers that surround the race tracks. If you can see over the barriers and other obstructions, you might see some good environments, but even so, they are muddled with a Vaseline filter to add to the blur effects of fast racing. Perhaps if the filter was toned down a notch, the backgrounds would be more delightful for people to see, but as it stands, the blur causes some tracks to feel similar rather than unique. The atmosphere is filled with techno beats along the way, and while the menu seems to have no idea what song to play, the music for the game is acceptable and, at times, catchy.

As Speed comes with the Wheel attachment, naturally it is easy to assume what the controls are for it. Players hold the Wii Remote, shell or not, on its side and turn the controller like a wheel in order to make turns. One button accelerates, and another uses the brakes. This control scheme appears to be ideal for racers, though all it takes for the game to collapse is poor motion control response.

This is Speed, not Burnout.

Unfortunately, Speed does not follow through with motion controls, and it runs into the pitfalls of most Wii racers with the wheel control scheme. While competing racers can be competitive, the turns themselves are the main foes of the game. Driving to each turn at super-fast speeds is as deadly as running into other cars, though it is humorous to see the Burnout-like explosions take place in the latter situation. Over the course of my playtime, turning the controller would not respond when I moved too fast, when I moved too slow, or at any other random interval. Making a perfect turn like the ones the computers will make is most likely impossible, and what makes the turns even more annoying is that the last level of the game contains two sharp turns at the very end of the track, just about ensuring your failure after a long race.

The opponents in Speed like to play mind games, as their competitiveness varies sharply from one moment to the next. When facing the other racers in the fray, explosions and collisions happen often, and the multi-car pileup usually results in a number of computers flying on ahead. If you are ahead of the swarm, they accelerate extremely fast and will collide with your backside as you attempt to make turns; making a longer-than-necessary turn will lose you about three places, on average. However, if you are in last place, you will find that the entire lineup of opponents is waiting on the final stretch for you to pass. It happened to me multiple times, so it was not a fluke, by the way. However, it doesn’t seem to happen at the last level, where the competition is as it’s fiercest. Note that the game provides two difficulties, but the second is not available until each level is individually cleared.

Good luck on that final stretch.

There is multiplayer for two people, but rather than have some form of unique versus mode, the game throws both players into the single-player grand pries. The game also has a Time Attack mode, but in order to unlock these, you have to beat the track’s single-player event. This second mode is actually useful for those willing to practice without the odd computer AI; without much of a way to share your scores, the Time Attack mode is strictly a local bragging right.

CONCLUSION

While attempting to diversify itself from the multitude of generic racing titles on the Wii, Speed stumbles at certain aspects that keep the game away from a high recommendation. The graphics are covered with too much blur to experience, but the music is fitting to the speedy gameplay. The control varies in stability, making pivotal turns hard to make, thus resulting in multiple losses for otherwise competent players. The computer racers are schizophrenic, ranging from pushovers to a swarm of the Stig. The cheaper price tag does make the game easier to swallow, and when the game actually works, it is enjoyable. However, the above reasons keep me from recommending it.

Unlike the drug, Speed is not entirely addictive; like the drug, it is not recommended.

CRITIQUE

Team 6 Game Studios has made racers before, and a number have not been too highly reviewed. I believe the team is headed in a good direction, if it tries to get more assistance at key spots. Personally, the level design is not a problem, but the control recognition needs to be worked on a bit more. Perhaps one more person should be hired to benefit AI differentiation or add to the presentation of future projects, as well.

Review: Jett Rocket

Game Title: Jett Rocket Developer: Shin’en Multimedia (Nanostray, Fun! Fun! Minigolf, Art of Balance) Platform: WiiWare Price: 1000 Wii Points ($10)

In the past generation, platformers have for the most part disappeared from the mainstream in favor of first and third-person shooters, but the Wii is starting to appear to be the place for 3D platformers to shine. Shin’en Multimedia has not only brought a unique 3D platformer to the WIi but also brought it through WiiWare. With the size limitations inherent to WiiWare, does Jett Rocket even compare to the retail games currently available?

Jett Rocket stars who else but Jett Rocket, the protector of the planet from all evil that resides in space. In his swift introduction, he is attacked by the PPP, a group of evil robots bent on polluting the world. We do not really see the pollution around in the worlds, but their metallic existence in the otherwise naturalistic worlds is bad enough. Either way, the game’s plot is paper thin, but we don’t care about that. It’s the game that counts.

Wait, this is a WiiWare title?

From a basic viewpoint, Jett Rocket is every bit as much of a 3D platformer as any. In each level, players have but one apparent goal: to destroy the generator located at the end of the level. In order to get there, you’ll have to climb platforms, natural or otherwise, move electrical panels or other devices, and occasionally destroy the invading robot forces along the way. What you might not realize early on is that in order to get into the later worlds in the game, you must also spend your time in each level collecting energy cells which are scattered throughout the world. This gives the game a bit more exploration and lengthens the game up, but on occasion it hints of a “collect-a-thon.”

Attacking enemies in this game is waggle-based. By shaking the Remote, Jett dash attacks forward, and in the air, he dives to the ground or toward a locked-on target. Motion waggle is also needed for throwing bombs and moving certain platform lifts. On occasion, the game might miss a waggle motion, but it works for the most part. Most of the enemies are pushovers, anyways, so a mistake in motion sensing will not kill Jett that easily.

Some levels are extremely enemy-dense, so expect to shake that Remote a lot!

Jett has another special trick up his sleeve: his jetpack. The jetpack is a chargeable ability which allows players to slightly increase the height of their jumps or lengthen their time in the air. This FLUDD-like jump-assistor adds more platforming situations than it dissolves, though it seems the jetpack could have been a little less of a gas guzzler. A number of times I found myself having to walk back to a charge station far away only to make a mistake and retry it all over again. However, the frustration was outweighed by the satisfaction earned when exploring the levels with the jetpack.

The game also gives Jett a number of vehicles to use in order to traverse the worlds. Early on, there is a level that has no platforming, only a jetski segment, but thankfully the other vehicles are integrated into the levels rather than entire stages. The controls of some of the vehicles range from decent to cumbersome, and glitches tend to arrive mostly when these vehicles are in use, as well. For example, in one level, a hoverboard vehicle rotates too sharply, and the camera cannot keep up. It is a shame, because they do add a little bit more to the game than just running around with a jetpack.

There are plenty of objects to control beyond Jett, but not necessarily as fun.

Now, you can hear all the complaints I have made and think the game is fairly unwieldy or something like that, but the game is actually quite fun. The graphics are extremely well-polished to the point that some retail games are shaking in their polygonal boots, and the game’s framerate is a solid 60 frames per second. The music is also a delight to hear and is surprisingly diverse considering the size requirements for WiiWare titles. As for the gameplay itself, running around the levels and facing platform puzzle elements may feel like they came from Mario Galaxy on occasion, but I found that to be more a pro than a con.

Jett Rocket’s flaws that stuck out the most, however, were the game’s overall length and the lack of checkpoints. The game is fairly short. It took me about four hours to complete the adventure the first time through, but if players want to get 100% completion, they will have to complete a collection of achievements over the course of the game. Even so, the adventure is not a retail game’s length. When it comes to checkpoints, there are none, save the three instances before fighting bosses. In the later two worlds, some levels run quite long, but healing is hard to come by. If you die, you have to collect the cells and such all over again, from the beginning of the level. It would have been good to have at least a checkpoint system at the later levels, but the game is nice enough that repeating a level a couple times will not tire players much.

CONCLUSION

Jett Rocket can best be described as the first half (or third) of a great 3D platformer for the Wii. Its graphics are comparable to many retail titles for the Wii, and its music is also a pleasure to hear. The game is a bit short, but it is acceptable for the price. The game’s exploration and atmosphere make it more than a generic adventure, and it has enough content to stand out among the rest.

For $10, Jett Rocket establishes a genre unattained on WiiWare, and at the same time, it offers a comparable 3D platforming experience to games many times its price. Recommended.


Disclaimer: WiiWare titles are downloadable on Wiis through the Wii Shop Channel using Wii Points. Wii Points are obtained through either Nintendo Points Cards or Credit Card usage. A Wii downloading the game must be capable of connecting to the Internet in order to purchase and download the game.

Review: SharpShooter

Game Title: SharpShooter Developer: yyrgames (Snake360, Falling) Platform: XBLIG Price: 80 MS Points ($1)

With the Wii’s IR pointer and Playstation 3’s Guncon 3 and Move controllers, Xbox 360 seems to have a hole in its lineup for arcade shooters. Thankfully, yyrgames has tried to fill this space with SharpShooter, a one-dollar xbox live title where shooting is fast, frentic, and zombie-free.

SharpShooter is comparable to old Arcade Shooters such as Point Blank. However, this game does not make use of any gun peripheral. In fact, it uses the dual-sticks of the Xbox 360 controller. The reticule is moved relative to the position of the stick; rather than pointing a direction to move the reticule, its position is relative to the position of the stick. This will take some time to learn, and even then, the controls make moving around the screen and aiming in a straight line hard to do.

Four seconds to shoot at least six targets. Best get moving!

In SharpShooter, players go through one of twenty super-fast mini-games in which they must aim a reticule around the screen and shoot at targets moving in a short period of time. These events may require shooting at shrinking targets, shooting targets in numerical order, shooting a single target with a single bullet, or shooting a selection of targets to equal a fixed number. Once time is up, the score is collected, and the next event is selected. Repeat until the game is over.

A game of SharpShooter varies in length between one difficulty and the next, and there are a lot of them! The game has five different difficulties; the higher the difficulty level, the more mini-games you have to play. Not only that, but the game allows players to select between the left and the right side of the screen, or both at the same time for more ambidextrous shooters. This gives a lot of modes for players to choose from and adds to the game’s variety.

After each game is completed, the score is tallied up and a ranking is given. At this point, players can choose to receive an internet ranking code, which can be uploaded onto yyrgames’ website for online leaderboards. On the flip side, the game does not provide long-term offline leaderboards, which can be a bother for families playing the game back and forth, but families can still compete via the online leaderboards instead. It is a little sad that the game could not have in-game leaderboards, but if this is how Indie Games have to go around it, then so be it!

On top of the single player experience, SharpShooter provides a versus mode, adding a layer of multiplayer to the arcade shooting experience, even if the actual mode is thin in comparison to the main game experience. To top the experience off, players can go into the Extra mode and enjoy the benefits of a controller massage, the best of Xbox Live Indie Games, right? For a single dollar, there is certainly enough content to choose from.

Even the simplest of challenges become extremely difficult later on!

Of course, content amount is nothing if the content itself is not fun. From a presentation standpoint, the game is basic, maybe too basic. The graphics are not something to consider when playing this game; compared to the likes of more professional arcade shooters, this game is like a freeware title on Flash. The majority of the game takes place shooting at basic targets, which can be annoying, as the game does not provide more points for Bull’s-eyes. However, despite these drawbacks, the presentation is very consistent throughout. Music does add to the frantic nature of the game itself, and for how short the games are, the music is surprisingly catchy, if not a little simplistic. If techno beats are not you’re thing, you probably won’t find the game audibly pleasing.

It seems this player's shooting is right on target.

Despite the basic visual content, the game is fun. It provides the basic gameplay of an arcade shooter, and once controls are learned, players should find themselves shooting at targets rapidly. Unfortunately, the controls might never be as second nature for some as others. Between the leaderboards and the quick pick-up-and-play mentality the game bestows, it is hard to put down when you start. When I traversed into the higher difficulties, however, the game got occasionally frustrating, especially when mental math was necessary. Thankfully, the game seems to take more pride in getting scores over actually winning, like a true arcade shooter.

CONCLUSION

SharpShooter helps fill a hole left open for the Xbox 360, but it does not fill it without fault. The game provides many difficulties, multiple modes in those difficulties, and even a competent multiplayer mode. It even provides a massage mode to sweeten the deal. The usage of leaderboards without Xbox Live is interesting, but the lack of lasting offline leaderboards leaves me confused. Controls are very loose at first, but the game is extremely competent once control is mastered. Of course, that is if you are capable of mastering them.

Lots of modes and content for one dollar. If you can look past the simplistic design and initial control wall, the game is definitely worthy of a purchase.

Disclaimer: As with all Xbox Live Indie Games, this game is not rated by any official electronic entertainment board but is rated by peers before release and given specific ratings on sexual content, violence, and other mature content. Furthermore, all Xbox Live Indie games require an Internet connection to Xbox Live in order to play the games.

Review: Polywobble

Game Title: Polywobble Developer: Hank (Hank Hufnagel) Platform: XBLIG Price: 80 MS Points ($1)

Xbox Live Indie Games are a unique set. The myriad of titles can astound many gamers, much like the App Store. Continuing with that comparison, it is easy to split the game library into groups: from the small coming-of-age developer to professional software companies. Polywobble happens to sit in a unique group of its own: a game originally produced in 2002 upgraded to include geometrical educational aspects in 2010.

I don't think I learned about this in high school Geometry

Polywobble is a first-person adventure game, but this adventure is not the normal affair. Players are given the task to find five specific polyhedra three times a piece in each of the game’s four worlds. Along the way, players will need to dodge enemies and gather keys to unlock new paths to the polygons, adding a sense of exploration to the small worlds. Once these polyhedra have been hit three times, the player must find a way to where they have gathered, usually by finding a “launching pad” at the level’s end. At these gatherings, players must then attach name and polyhedron together ten times in a row. Toss in a collection of absurdly complex polyhedra at the end of each level, and that’s Polywobble as a whole.

The game’s four worlds consist of an ant-filled canyon, a dark cave covered with deadly, lurching flowers, a forest-surrounded mountain area, and a robot-infested city. These enemies are all invincible, and you are quite the opposite. A single collision with any threat will cause you to be thrown back to the starting point of the level, which can be frustrating after a while. Thankfully, the game provides you with tips which explain enemy patterns and the locations of keys; there is even an option to remove threats, if they become too much of a nuisance. The developer certainly assured that the game could be completed by anyone.

Not your ordinary garden

Other than the four main levels, there is the Poly Garden, where players can wander and examine each collected polyhedron in the game. More surprising than that, the game also provides three lectures on the polyhedra in the garden: five minutes for the Platonic Solids, five minutes for the Archimedean Solids, and three minutes highlighting some of the more complex polyhedra. Those tired of the main game can take part in one of three quizzes to name each of these three sets of shapes. Completing the quizzes unlock new modes in the Garden, but nothing extremely substantial. The third quiz does provide for a way for players to make a trophy using a polyhedra, but it will take some time before I get some of these names memorized. Even the creator is somewhat scared of it, himself! (Ed: We have since beaten the third quiz, and the trophy is neat, if you are willing to assemble it yourself.)

Not sure why the killflowers have polyhedra pictures on the walls...

Polywobble was originally developed on DarkBASIC under the name Plateau World, which is available for free at www.hufsoft.com/darkbasic/, and honestly, it still looks like a game made in DarkBASIC today. The graphics are very geometric, but this is to be expected, as the game’s main assets are polyhedral. The game does come off as a terribly lacking game, graphics wise, so players expecting anything close to resembling modern graphic models will be sorely disappointed. Furthermore, the game is a bit glitchy, too, as I found myself catching on objects, getting stuck to the walls, going through polygons, et cetera. It is polished enough to play through, but it is not a highly-produced title by any means.

The sound is very basic, too. Some of the levels have a hint of music at the basic midi level, whereas other levels are just looped sound effects. Hank’s lectures are a nice twist and add some liveliness to the game’s soundtrack, but the sound is too basic for many to even remember, let alone enjoy.

The game is a short one. After completing the four levels, you have the three quizzes and lectures, but even considering those, the game can be played in entirety within a two-hour span. You can replay the levels to get a faster time, but if you are not interested in polyhedra, you might find the game more boring than entertaining.

Those curious to try should not worry. Thankfully the trial is fairly robust. You can play the first level in its entirety and explore the remaining levels for a short while. That trial will certainly tell you whether or not the game is right for you.

CONCLUSION

I will be honest: I like Polywobble, though that is probably my math nerd talking. Polywobble is a game I recommend to those interested in a simple adventure title with a focus on learning more about polyhedra. Those expecting extremely deep and game-dense experiences from this title might be less than interested. From a mathematic and learning perspective, it is a decent game. From a purely-gaming perspective, though, it is a short, uneven, and basic game.

Try it out! You never know; you might just get as interested in polyhedra as Hank.


Disclaimer: As with all Xbox Live Indie Games, this game is not rated by any official electronic entertainment board but is rated by peers before release and given specific ratings on sexual content, violence, and other mature content. Furthermore, all Xbox Live Indie games require an Internet connection to Xbox Live in order to play the games.

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