And were back with Day 2 of INDIESCAPE here on Mash Those Buttons. We have painstakingly sifted through the seemingly endless waves of titles that spam the virtual shelves of the Xbox Indie Games Marketplace and pulled out 5 more fantastic titles for your gaming enjoyment. Awesome right? Yeah, we’re cool like that.
With platform and puzzle titles becoming more and more popular as time progresses, DTA Entertainment has created a very unique mix of the two in Urban Space Squirrels. Guiding a robotic space squirrel ordinarily would be weird enough, but this one has bombs. Yes, you read that right. As crazy as the concept sounds, it actually works; very, very well.
The player must guide their squirrel out of harm’s way and to the exit of each level utilizing their explosive bombs to open doors, sling-shot themselves over obstacles, or fly across danger zones. The controls take a little getting used to, but after the tutorial zone, the player will have a firm understanding of them. The game’s simple yet mind-bending puzzle-platforming, multiple unlockable abilities, and impressive level count are sure to grab most gamer’s attention. If you’re looking for a platformer that’s smart, slickly-animated, fast-paced, and fun, this one is definitely for you.
All this talk of platformers and such undoubtedly has many of you hoping for some adventure and RPG titles. Well, look no further than Soul Caster I and II. From developer Magical Time Bean comes a classically pixel-styled medieval adventure RPG series where the player must save the world from an impending doom by using their powers as a mystical wizard to summon the fallen heroes of the past to ultimately defeat the dark minions across the land.
Taking cues from classic tower-defense games, Soul Caster‘s battle system allows the player to summon (and banish) up to 5 heroes in the playing field to attack for them, as the player cannot directly attack enemies themselves. This creates a unique mix of gameplay elements to create a truly memorable experience, as the player quickly races to summon the heroes of old and travel across the land fighting off — sometimes seemingly endless — hordes of evil enemies. The visual style is reminiscent of the classic gaming era, so it may not be for some, but the gameplay is fantastically polished and definitely worth any adventure gaming fan’s time.
Now, ordinarily, when I hear Arkanoid in a description of a new title I walk in the opposite direction. Yet in the case of Ninja Senki’s Wizorb, I’m not going anywhere. It takes a classic game concept long lost amidst piles of horrible Arkanoid clones and does something truly amazing: it makes a great game.
Set within a world inspired by the styles set forth by classic titles like Legend of Zelda and Soul Blazer, the player takes control of a helpful wizard named Cyrus. Using his elemental magic and mystical abilities (like his magical wizorb and mystic staff), the player must destroy the roaming derelict minions and confront the evil presence that now dwells within the lands of Gorudo; all the while rebuilding the destroyed town of Clover. In the end, Wizorb takes cues from both paddle-and-ball style games and classic shooters, and mixes them with aspects of rebuilding a destroyed world; reminiscent of Dark Cloud. It’s fun, quirky, and definitely off the beaten path in a very, very, good way.
Being “off the beaten path” is the standard over at Zeboyd Games; and their newest title, Cthulhu Saves the World is no exception to that rule. The lord of insanity, the great Cthulhu, has lost all of his powers and, ironically, the only way to regain his lost godhood is by becoming a “true” hero and accomplishing heroic deeds. The quirky, and oftentimes hilarious, story keeps the pace of the game moving along beautifully without feeling too forced. Old-school RPG fans will feel completely at home with this one. From its pixel graphics style to its classic Earthbound-esque battle system, Cthulhu Saves the World is a fantastic game for RPG fans everywhere.
Sometimes it’s just about the simple fun found within a game, and MediaTonic has harnessed that concept beautifully. Their quirky and unusually-titled platform racer Monsters Probably Stole My Princess sports not only a beautifully animated and goofy art style, but a fun and unique story as well. The player must guide the Count as he races after the monsters he believes totally or perhaps “probably” stole his princess from him.
The concept is quite simple, yet contains great depth. Essentially, the player must race up the many towers after the various monsters the Count suspects of kidnapping his princess before the monsters in question can escape him. Consecutive platform landings add to the player’s overall combo meter on their way up the tower adding to their score and increasing their power. Before reaching the top of each tower, the Count must defeat each monster or possibly lose his princess. And, of course, for all you medal/trophy/achievement fans out there, this one has quite the list of unlockables, which will have you challenging your high scores over and over again.
And with that, it’s time to end another day of sweet indie gaming. As always, we hope you have seen a few new titles that pique your interest and get you playing. But don’t worry, there’s still more to come. Day 2 of INDIESCAPE may be over, but Day 3 is literally right around the corner.
Seriously, we’re talking tomorrow.
(Titles Covered Today)
Urban Space Squirrels: DTA Entertainment
Soul Caster I & II: Magical Time Bean
Wizorb: Ninja Senki
Cthulhu Saves the World: Zeboyd Games
Monsters(Probably)Stole My Princess: MediaTonic
[Images via respective developers]
