Xbox Indie Game Recap: We’re Baaaaaack!

You know what sucks: the 360′s wireless adapter. Mine cut out on me a few weeks ago and started working again this week, so here I am returning to my beloved recaps. The games that were missed while I was out of action will get dealt with, don’t you worry about that, but this week it’s all about the fifteen games released over the last seven days. So grab your indie gear and let’s get down to business.

I think I’ll also mention that we at NG went stomping around Eurogamer Expo this weekend. While everyone else went to play the shiny big budget games I hung around in the Indie Arcade section. I got to check out loads of delightfully pretentious crap and some actual great games. There’ll be a post going up about both those categories later in the week.

Equitunes
See Games – 80MSP

We start with some fast paced logic puzzling. The basic aim is to insert between one to four ‘beats’ into empty red cells so that each connecting green cell contains the same amount. So if a green cell with three beats is bordered with two red cells containing one beat and two beats then the cell is balanced. The skill comes from shuffling lines of cells around in order to balance all the cells before more cells are added, cluttering up the grid and making it harder to balance anything. The pace is nice and quick, there are around 15 seconds between cell additions and there’s also a 90-second time trial mode for quick score-attack fixes. Surprisingly this kind of speed logic works rather well, however the actual rules and intricacies of the game aren’t very well explained in the tutorial.

Ganbare Natsuki San
DK Alpla – 80MSP

Alpla have gotten a reputation for cute little games that revolve around solid gimmicks. This is no exception. Your swimsuited little character has a grappling hook which you can use to swing around the levels collecting items. There are critical flaws with this game. The hook doesn’t always grab onto the part of the level you want, making mid-air grabs is extremely difficult to do without getting right next to the wall you’re grabbing, effectively eliminating the swing. This just doesn’t have the charm I’ve come to expect from Alpla. Disappointing.

Drinkards
The Unallied – 400MSP

It’s a drinking game, a drinking game with the gall and nerve to charge 400 points as well. It’s yet another program that just tells you what to drink and when to drink it. Surely we’re at the point where it’s just nice to drink with our friends without loads of freaking rules.

Primary Attack
Steve Roe – 80MSP

You had me at hex grid. Yeah it’s board game time. Place coloured hexes on the grid to score while stealing and defending opponent’s hexes by mixing them with your colour. So for example, a red hex placed next to a blue hex will turn the blue hex purple. The basic theory is extremely sound and I had a lot of fun with the huge level of planning ahead the game demands. If you like your strategy games then I recommend this.

Pass the Pad
Shuboarder – 80MSP

This is a word game played in the hot potato format. Basically you’re given a word fragment (such as TR) and then a rule (word cannot end with TR) then told to shout words out and pass the pad to other people in the room. It’s a decent idea, but there’s no reason for this to be on here when it could just as easily be replicated with a pen and paper.

omg cats game@#$
RickyWh – 240MSP

Ugh, including cats in a game does not make it a good game. This is yet another example of the steady hand maze game, only with cats blocking the path you have to guide your dot around. This isn’t freaking fun and it’s barely a freaking game.

Guns Loaded
Chise – 240 Points

You know why side scrolling shooters don’t have regenerating health? That’s right, because it makes them insultingly easy. That’s what this game is, only along with the usual XNA shooter flaws of dull enemy design and boring gameplay.

Link Attack
Wizlon – 80MSP

Soviet designs and inspirational proverbs cannot really save a poor game, but they can make it look pretty damn cool. Link Attack is a puzzle game based around linking together groups of same coloured blocks. The basic idea is sound, but once you’ve cleared the larger groups you’re left waiting for the screen to fill up again so you can clear more. With a faster pace this could be a better game, as it is however it’s not worth the time.

Frequency
Ianthraxx – 240MSP

This is a very good looking run and gun platformer. The animation of the robot character are smooth and the colour-based shooting works far better here than I’ve ever seen it used before. That is until you realise that the colour you’re shooting has no extra impact on the enemy you’re shooting at. Similarly there’s the absorbing mechanic where enemies and objects in the world can be drained of their colour to refill your ammo and health. This is a decent idea, but most objects will give you such a tiny refill that you’ll run out of ammo for all your colours far too quickly.

Then there are control issues, ducking and dodging is done with the right stick. While dodging works fine like this I couldn’t get used to ducking with the right stick, many times I went to duck with the left stick a got a load of laser in the face. This is another disappointment given the effort that’s clearly gone into it.

Beat Hazard
ShadowRage – 400MSP

This is from the same person who made The Visualiser a few weeks ago and has the same basic idea. It’s a visualiser with a nice little generic twin stick shooter laid over the top. A twin stick shooter where enemies blend into the background, enemies look like powerups and the whole thing makes your eyes bleed. There’s also no visible link between the music and the action either.

T-KARA
Mexond – 80MSP

More puzzle now, this time with abysmally long loading times, no tutorial and no actual indication of what the hell you’re supposed to be doing. As it happens you’re supposed to be moving blocks around on sliders (so sliding left moves all blocks on that row left) in order to make a picture. This basic concept is fine, but having no way of knowing that from the very beginning loses it all marks it would’ve gotten for a decent premise.

Mr Beatloop
floatstarpx – 240MSP

Music making tools have been around quite a lot on XBLIG, reaching something of an explosion a few months back. This is the first to be released since that explosion and takes the form of a basic beat loop creator. Put little samples down on the grid and the timeline plays them as it passes over. Simple and inoffensive, but the inability to export loops makes this just as pointless as all the other music creators.

SFG Soccer
Stir Fry Games – 400MSP

Sports games are sorely under-represented on here, College Lacrosse 2010 (currently stuck in peer review limbo) was going to be the first proper sports game but it’s been beaten by this. Realism is not to be found here, this is pure arcade five-a-side football. Exhibition and practice modes are joined by a surprisingly deep career season mode. Here you create your own team and take them through the season improving stats and turning them into an unstoppable footballing machine. The short halves, simple controls and fast pace make this one of the most fun sports games I’ve ever played. Highly recommended.

Tiger Storm
Omer – 240MSP

Where many twin stick shooters are far too dull and easy, Tiger Storm has gone the complete opposite direction and is horrifically hard. Enemies have pinpoint accuracy and will seemingly always hit you. You have a large life bar but that is swiftly drained. It looks very nice though, just a shame that’s the only thing going for it.

They Came From The Ground
Malgorithms – 80MSP

It’s Slime Volleyball, jumping around to knock a ball over a line signifying a net. It’s boring, the AI opponents are damn near perfect and the whole thing is unimaginative and rubbish.

Game of the week is easily SFG Soccer, I love this kind of arcade sports game and having a team creation and full career included is a massive bonus.

If you’ve been struck by game-creating inspiration then check out XNA Creator’s Club or Kodu Game Lab for tools and advice for making that dream a reality. If you’re a developer who wants a bit more exposure for your game then you can advertise on the site by clicking the Project Wonderful links below any of the site ads or send us a review token for your game.