Developer ApathyWorks has brought us a new addition to the tried and true formula of cute things and violence, Cute Things Dying Violently. Combining puzzle-like levels with a sensitive launching mechanism to produce a potential bloodbath. Unfortunately, the point of the game is to save the creatures, not maul them.
Contrary to the title, I did not find the little creatures all that cute. Kittens or puppies would probably have been a better, yet less creative, way to embody “cute”. They tend to repeat the same phrases over and over, which in turn gives you a little more joy when you send them flying into a saw blade. Like I said before though, the idea is to save these creatures. Each level appeared to have an amount of creatures that you needed to save to allow you to pass it; but saving all of the creatures that it asks you for gives you a gold star (yay).
This game is not as easy as it sounds. Levels go from simple to hard in a gently easing slope. The creatures need to end up safe and sound in an elevator car, which takes them into the sky. We never find out their fates, but I like to thing that perhaps they died a less violent death than their comrades. At first there will be few obstacles to deter you from completing your task, but as you continue the booby traps will start to appear. Saw blades (a personal favorite) as well as spikes lead the way in death making. Further in to the levels you will also have to work with colored buttons, springs, and fans. Colored buttons can be one use, or constant pressure buttons which require a creature or item to be placed on it. Even further in and you will have to work with electricity and fire.
That is not saying the game is not forgiving to unfortunate sacrifices. One level designated an unlucky creature to be flung into a button, never to return, in order to save his friends. Most levels are not that forgiving, and the want to complete the level with a gold star will have you replaying the levels to get it perfect. The “aim and shoot” mechanism of the game is very sensitive. The circle on screen allows you to aim, while the right thumb stick must be used and released to allow the creature to fling in the direction you want. An arrow inside the aiming circle both changes size and color to indicate the power of the shot. This comes in handy often, as a shot of the wrong intensity can have you flinging creatures over the wall or having them falling short of clearing a spike bed.
This game is very entertaining, and has a large number of levels that can take a while especially if you want to get a “perfect”. While the controls can be a little trying sometimes, they add more challenge to the game which is always a plus. I wish the creatures were more cute, because then maybe I would have wanted to save them (Cute Things Dying Violently “Kitten Edition”?). This is forgive able though, as it is a lot of fun to purposely kill them. Check out Cute Things Dying Violently on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
[Images via: Microsoft]
