X-Blades Review

I know this isn't technically an indie game but it was in a bundle so that is good enough, right? Anyway, X-Blades is an action adventure game in which you take control of a scantily clad anime-esc character called Ayumi. And I am not even joking she is essentially naked and all you see for the majority of the game is her arse in the middle of the screen as you hit enemies, run around and well mostly just hit some enemies. 

I had hoped that X-Blades would actually be one of those games that had gotten bad reviews but much like Ninja Blade was actually some fun to play. I was horribly wrong... X-Blades is a fairly stale adventure in which you simply press the hit button till things are dead or if that doesn't work then you use some fairly overpowered, as in kill everything around you instantly, magic. One such magical ability you gain in the first few moments of the game his Ayumi smashes the ground thusly killing everything in a fairly hefty radius around her. So one reliable strategy throughout the game is to charge up you bar by just getting hit a few times or hit something once or twice then just punch the floor till everything is dead. Not the most exuberant of strategies I will give you but X-Blades doesn't give you much choice since it insists on throwing wave after wave of enemies at you. And wait if you are thinking that you can just skip a battle and progress to the next area well now you would be sadly mistaken because until you have routed out every last little critter and nefarious goon you cannot move from where you currently are. Sigh...

The story as far as I could grasp was that Ayumi wanted this artefact. So she went to get it. A cat man told her not to touch it. She did and it went all black and gloopy and she gains glowy eyes and super powers. This goo is really a curse that makes the 'light' want to kill her so she has to find a way to break it. There are 2 endings - 1 good and 1 bad. This is dependent on the skills you take during the game. If you take dark skills you get the bad and light for good. To be honest past hitting things the story takes a back seat since it is quite unclear why a lot of this is happening.

One good thing I will say is that the music however repetitive and annoying fits well with the fight scenes and to be honest is one of the few decent parts of the game. Another area that isn't too terrible is the upgrades. There are numerous magic abilities and basic ability upgrades to unlock and collect. Not that the game makes them all that fun to find since you almost constantly pursued by an enemy of some kind.

The combat is an area where this game should shine. It has all the right components. Lots of enemies, magic abilities, guns, swords, somebody to use these things. However, it gets it all wrong. You only have the same combo of hit hit hit or shoot shoot shoot and even then there is no feedback so you don't even really know if your hard effort of pressing a button is even working. To add even further insult to injury you actually have to stop shooting to use your magic or hit something. It is all just very clunky and annoying to play.

Personally I was thoroughly disappointed with this game. I know it got pretty terrible reviews and so I shouldn't have expect much else but there are a number of games that I have enjoyed that have also not gotten great reviews, Ninja Blade for one. Overall this game needed to really pull through on the combat to make it work since beyond hitting things it pretty two dimensional. A real shame really because with its wacky 'light' 'dark' motif it could have been a hit. Ah well. Maybe Ayumi just needed to actually get dressed in the morning and that would have helped a little.

Score: 39/100

General Information

Game Name: X-Blades
Genre: Action, Adventure, Hack n' Slash
Developer: Gaijin Entertainment
Release date: February 20, 2009
Bundle: Groupees Be Mine 5
System Requirements
OS: Windows XP SP 2/Vista

Processor: Pentium 4 @ 1.5 GHz or Equivalent

Memory: 256 MB RAM

Graphics: 128 MB (ATI Radeon/nVidia GeForce 6600)

DirectX:9.0c

Hard Drive: 5 GB Free

S.P.A.Z Review Part 1

Space Pirates and Zombies also known as S.P.A.Z is a top down space combat game. It does, however, involves some 4X strategy as you progress through the galaxy. With an entire galaxy to explore can this unusual mix of genre become an arcade space opera.

In S.P.A.Z you have a hub of operations where you siphon back materials in order to build various new ship models or additions to your mothership. In addition to this you also have goons. Goons are people who's ships you have shot down and have been "persuaded" to join you. Your Goons perform a variety of roles from manning additional ships to sitting on your mothership building stuff faster for you. So getting more of them is never a bad thing. Especially when you can sell of any additional Goons for money and other resources.

At any one time you can have multiple ships flying about performing different tasks but by going on the tactical screen you can direct what each ship does. While sticking to being a top down shooter this does bring in some elements of real time strategy and really gets you to make the best of each of your ship types. On top of this you can switch control of any ship at the press of a button so you can zip around a battlefield and play as different ships at any moment. A bit help if you just finished a skirmish at one half the map and need to help at one on the other.

S.P.A.Z has an upgrade system that lets you put skill points in the certain things such as increased firepower or shields when you level up. While there is nothing dazzling about it, it does serve it's purpose and makes you want to continue to level up so you can increase your spacely prowess.

End of part 1. Part 2 coming soon.

General Information

Game Name: S.P.A.Z
Genre: Action, Adventure, Strategy
Developer: MinMax Games
Release date: 15th Aug, 2011
Bundle: Humble Bundle 6

System Requirements
Windows
OS: Windows XP or later
Processor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
Mac
OS: OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Processor: Intel 1.8 GHz
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: 512 MB VRAM
Linux
Processor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: 512 MB VRAM

Cogs Review

I know I have yet to finish all of the Humble Bundle 6 but here is a one off game from Humbe Bundle 4. Cogs is yet another puzzle game in an era rife with them. However, Cogs unlike it it's competitors gets it right by being a solid mind boggling puzzle game. In Cogs you move the different cogs of pipes around the board in order in order to accomplish whatever the puzzle has set you to do, from inflate a balloon to pump water. Cogs not only operates on a 2D plane but also bring it into the 3rd dimension. This means it almost becomes a Rubik's like puzzle at times.

The puzzles in Cogs start of with the basic and slowly build up to the devilishly difficult. Cogs uses a system basically the game as those old small squares where you move the slots around to make some kind of picture. However, it does this and makes an concept that is getting on in it's years feel very fresh and new. Each level has these pieces needing to be assembled in a specific order but where Cogs mixes it up by having you need to flip over the board and continue the puzzle on the other side or face depending upon the shape of the puzzle.

While Cogs definitely gives you your puzzle fix, if these kinds of puzzles are not for you then you would be best fit to go else where. But if you are after a moving blocks puzzle then Cogs is definitely the game for you. The limited game modes might put you off but it shouldn't since the number of different puzzles certainly kept me busy for a long while.

Score: 85/100

General Information

Game Name: Cogs
Genre: Puzzle
Developer: Lazy 8 Studios
Release date: 4th April 2009
Bundle: Humble Bundle 4

Windows:
OS: Windows XP or later
Processor: 1.5 GHz CPU or better
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Graphics: DirectX 9 compatible 64 MB graphics card with hardware transform and lighting (T&L)
Mac:
OS: OS X version Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
Processor: Intel-based processor
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Video Card: hardware support for OpenGL 2.0 or higher (Does not work with Intel GMA 950 or lower graphics processors)
Linux:
Processor: 1.5 GHz CPU or better
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Graphics: DirectX 9 compatible 64 MB graphics card with hardware transform and lighting (T&L)

Jamestown Review

Jamestown is a bullet hell game set on 17th century Mars in an alternate universe where the British colony their is contested by the Spanish and the indigenous Martians. Those words alone should make you want to pick this game up. Jamestown while a solid game when played alone really comes into it's stride when played with up to 3 other people. This is not only down the the devilishly hard difficulties but also because when you die other players can revive you by collecting a revival box. This is really helpful whether your ship is hit by a stray bullet or several thousand bullets.

Jamestown has a choice of 4 playable ships. Each have their own special attacks along with their own strengths and weaknesses. This ranges from the laser beam ship which is mostly and all rounder to a ship that fires a stream a bullets that can explode and deal massive damage. However, this ship has a flaw that the bullets alone are very weak and it required good aim to land them on targets sometimes. This is a very risky ship to play as and is admittedly the last one you unlock.

Jamestowns levels are can all be attempted both alone and with others but each follow the same pattern. They have you flying vertically across the level surviving everything thrown at you until the face some kind of end boss. These boss are a lot bigger and harder to defeat than the regular enemies and usually require some sort of specific tactic in order to beat them.In order to access further levels you have to go back and beat the previous levels on harder difficulties. This I take issue with. I would like to be able to play through the game by beating each level without having to first beat a level then beat it again on a higher difficulty. I would normally go back and attempt the harder difficulties anyway, regardless of whether the game forced me to or not. However, be forced to complete each level on higher and higher difficulties in order to just reach the next part of the game is pretty brutal and I would not be surprised if it puts other people off playing it all together since it really does stack up the difficulty.

The gameplay is slick and the soundtrack is awesome. The fact that your ships centre is the only part that can be hit in order for you to die can really be of help when dodging lots of bullets. However, Jamestown has another trick up it's sleeve for dealing with lots of bullets. This is Vaunt Mode. This mode not only creates a multiplier for increasing points gained but also creates a temporary shield that protects your ship for a few precious seconds as well as increasing your ships fire power. Vaunt can be built up by collecting gold from destroyed enemies so it is important to continuously collect this gold in order to keep Vaunt at max.

As well as the main levels of the game their are also bonus levels that have you completing specific objectives often under a time limit. Through both these bonus levels and main levels you can collect gold which can be spent to purchase addition bonus levels, new ships, and other goodies for use in the game. These are somewhat limited and past buying the additional ship types the others are fairly lackluster.

Overall I thoroughly enjoy playing Jamestown but would suggest that it is best played with others and could be improved by having the levels not be so darn hard to unlock sometimes but these are minor complaints about a game that holds true to a devilishly hard genre.

 Score: 90/100

General Information:

Game Name: Jamestown
Genre: Bullet-Hell, Action
Developer: Final Form Games
Release date: June 8th 2011
Bundle: Humble Bundle 6
Additional: Comes with soundtrack if you buy it from Humble Bundle 6
System Requirements:
Windows
OS: Windows XP or later
Processor: 2.4 GHz or better
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Video Card: Any OpenGL 2.0 graphics card with 256MB+ video RAM
Mac
OS: OS X 10.5 Leopard, or later
Processor: 2.1 Ghz or better
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Video Card: Any OpenGL 2.0 graphics card with 256MB+ video RAM
Linux
Processor: 2.4 GHz or better
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Video Card: Any OpenGL 2.0 graphics card with 256MB+ video RAM

Wizorb Review

I must firstly say, Wizorb was not what I was expecting it to be. From the little I had read and seen of it, prior to actually playing it, my expectations were that it was going to be somewhat similar to retro Zelda games. Top down action adventure games with some puzzles and dungeons. What I got instead was a brick breaking game that looks and feel like it want to be something else. As you can probably tell it didn't make a great first impression on me.

As a brick breaking game it hold true to the old formula but also adds in it's own extras. You can wander around a town and upgrade it by giving money to the townfolk. I can see that the game is harkening back to old school games like Zelda and Golden Axe Warrior (for all the MasterSystemers out there) but what you get instead is a game where you bounce a ball against some multicoloured blocks and sometimes enemies. That is if you can really call them that. So far all I have hit is little cat beings of some sort and I don't really know why I had to hit them either. Anyway back to the gameplay, in addition to bouncing the ball and you also have your magic, what with you being a wizard and all that makes sense, were A and B (if you are using an Xbox controller) either shoot a fireball or make a gust of wind to alter where the orb will go. But asside from these basic magical abilities you are left simply bouncing. When compared with Shatter the actual gameplay doesn't hold up very well. However, the bouncing is enjoyable enough and the ability to just shoot that one block you are struggling to get is really useful. Also as you progress through the game you unlock additional power-up but are always limited to having two active at a time.

Wizorb's pixel art is beautiful. I, for one, am a big fan of the retro look they have gone with. It really makes you forget that you are playing a brick-breaker and feels like you are going on a sweeping adventure across the Kingdom of Gorudo and the presentation of the Kingdom really does it justice. Also by allowing Cyrus (wizard man) to donate money to the villagers you really see Tarot (the village) come back to life in full 2D pixel glory.

The soundtrack is another aspect that looks back to days gone by through its catchy 8 bit beats. However, if you get stuck on no magic and you can't quite hit that last block the music can become an irritant instead. Most of the time though it is nice to have the change back to how it used to be.

Overall if you like brick-breakers you could do worse but you could also do better. However, with Wizorb's great world to explore it certainly gives you a different type of brick-breaker that I certainly haven't seen before. It is shame that the gameplay can get stale and that you have to beat 12 levels in a row in order to be able to save the game but it is still enjoyable all the same. Just a shame there are better alternatives to Wizorbs mash-up of the RPG (kinda) and brick-breaking genres.

 Score: 65/100

General Information:

Game Name: Wizorb
Genre: Brick-breaker
Developer: Tribute Games
Release date: 14th March 2012
Bundle: Humble Bundle 6
Additional: Comes with soundtrack if you buy it from Humble Bundle 6
System Requirements:
Windows
OS: Windox XP or later
Processor: 2.0GHz
Memory: 1GB
Mac
OS: OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or later
Processor: Intel
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: 128 MB VRAM
Linux
Processor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: 128 MB VRAM

Shatter Review

Shatter is a brick-breaking game for where up to two players can play simultaneously. This retro inspired game has brings the staples of old brick-breaking games into the modern age. It does this with a brilliant soundtrack and dynamic levels. The added factor of local co-op create even more re-playability as well.

Shatter has 7 modes of play which are: Story Mode, Endless Mode, Endless Mode Co-Op, Time Attack, Time Attack Co-Op, Bonus Mode and Boss Rush. So as you can see there is large amount of variety in what the game has to offer. This along side integrated Steam achievements will keep you coming back to just try and beat that high score.

Shatter has a main story mode where you play through a number of different levels each of which has a boss battle at the end. These are exhilarating and often very challenging twists on the brick-breaking genre. The ability to suck and blow allow for dynamic control over not only the ball but also the blocks coming towards you as well. The addition of a super attack that can be used to when the power up bar is full helps to clear a lot of incoming blocks that would otherwise end the game for you. This, along side a shield that can be used at the expense of the power bar mean that the game always has fast pace and you have multiple ways to tackle a particular situation. Also, Shatter breaks the brick-breaking mold and brings in new types of level from circular to ones that throw plenty of lose bricks your way.

Personally, my favourite part of Shatter is the co-op multiplayer. This not only adds an extra level of play with the bumpers being on different layers that switch back and forth but it also adds new tactics. For example, one player can focus on bouncing the ball and the other can focus on collecting power-ups and sucking in "ricochet bullets" that increase the games multiplier meaning for higher scores to be attained.

Shatter not only brings great modern visuals to the retro styled brick-breaking genre, it also brings a catchy soundtrack as well. The soundtrack blends superbly with the gameplay and honestly if you play the game while muted it loses much of it's charm.

 Overall the level structure and the maneuverability of the ball are what make Shatter shine. However, do not dismiss the soundtrack and neat additions such as, the bonus mode, where you keep try to keep 3 balls active for the longest amount of time, and the brilliantly designed boss battles. If somebody had told me prior to playing Shatter that boss battles would be great in a brick-breaker game I would have been more than skeptical. If you are a fan of brick-breaking games or just fancy a decent title then I would definitely recommend Shatter.

Score - 94/100 

General Information 

Game Name: Shatter
Genre: Brick-Breaker, Action
Developer: Sidhe Interactive
Release date: March 15, 2010 (PC version)
Bundle: Humble Bundle 6
Additional: Comes with soundtrack if you buy it from Humble Bundle 6
System Requirements:
WindowsOS: Windows XP or later
Processor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 512 MB
Graphics: 128 MB VRAM
MacOS: 10.6 Snow Leopard or later
Processor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 512 MB
Graphics: 128 MB VRAM
LinuxProcessor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 512 MB
Graphics: 128 MB VRAM
Libraries: glibc 2.7+

Vessel Review

Vessel is a puzzle platformer that utilises liquid. What I mean by it uses liquid is that each puzzle has you either manipulating it in someway or creating some little liquid helpers in the form of Fluros. These Fluros run and jump on the first lit up switch they see and as such you need to coerce them into jumping on the switches you want.

As you progress through the initial levels of the game it slowly shows the different types of puzzles and has a nice easy tutorial level learning curve. Includes Steam achievements.

The world of Vessel is world where the Fluros (automated liquid dudes) help humanity and make their lives easier. However, they start to go awry and chaos unfolds. This leads us to Arkwright (the guy you play as and inventor of the Fluros) having to go around visiting place to place in order to discover the origin of what is happening and try to fix the mess left behind by his inventions along the way.

The game introduces the world through a the sketches and drawing Arkwright has and kind of introduces the world. It is a little unclear what is going on to begin with but once you finish the first level you start to understand what is happening. I believe that the opening scene sets enough mystery in order to get you through the first level that again gives a sense of intrigue since you are still fairly unclear about what is happening. The story is told through a journal that Arkwright carries around with him. They are brief but substantial enough to fill in the gaps that might be missing from what you do around the world.

The game itself suggest using a controller, of some sort, over a keyboard. Having tried it out with both I can say that personally I would agree in using a controller. Mainly due to having trouble with the platforming on the keyboard, but to be honest if you don't have a controller don't be put of by Strange Loop Games suggesting you should. 

 There is a basic upgrade system for increased water tank capacity and different types of nozzle. These can obtain by collecting protoplasm. The collection of these gives additional puzzles that are often harder than the main game. However you can happily enjoy the main game without having to worry if you haven't collected them all.

In Vessel you use liquid to manipulate the environment in order to pass onto the next room. This included the Fluros but is not limited to them.

However, the platforming sections can is where the game often falls down with the jump feeling fairly wooden at times but it isn't anything game breaking. The puzzles are still enjoyable it can just be a tad frustrating when you can make a platform you know you should be able to.

The camera can zoom in or out without warning and this can often lead to you not seeing a Fluros' movements or not being able to see your own resulting in disastrous endings to a puzzle. E.g death.

Another issue is that the Fluros and physics engine is not always relable. However, this can often make the Fluros seem more sentient because it their AI doesn't always do what you would expect it adds another element to be overcome. A bit like real people aren't always going to be the same the Fluros can change. Whether you find this to be to your taste or not is really down to you. Personally while at times it can be a bit annoying it is again not exactly game breaking.

Vessel take place along a 2D plain with a 3D backdrop. This can at times mean it is hard to differentiate what you can actually interact with. However, Vessel does have a number of different environments to travel through and the puzzles evolve as you journey through the game.

Main menu has a pretty lack luster screen. Considering how nice to loading screen and the game itself is the main menu is not a great example of the games art style.  Loading screen is cool but sometimes can feel like it is loading for ages.

Vessel is a solid puzzle platformer that lasts upwards of 10 hours for main game but if you are wanting to get all the secrets and upgrade everything it can take considerably longer and if you want to get all the Steam achievements you are looking at longer still. With a nice blend of levels and differences in puzzles my only complaints are the camera can be uncooperative and the platforming lets the game down.

Score - 76/100

General Information 

Game Name: Vessel
Genre: Puzzle Platformer
Developer: Strange Loop Game
Release date: 1st March 2012
Bundle: Humble Bundle 6
Additional: Comes with soundtrack if you buy it from Humble Bundle 6
System Requirements:
Windows
OS: Windows XP or later
Processor: 2.0GHz
Memory: 2 GB
Mac
OS: 10.6 Snow Leopard or later
Processor: 2.0GHz
Memory: 2 GB
Linux
Processor: 2.0GHz
Memory: 2 GB

Please note: The finishing touches for Vessel's Mac and Linux debut are still being completed; they will be posted as they become available. (Humble Bundle 6)