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» 2d platformer

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Platform Hack Review: Barely Hackin’ It

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Daniel Campbell in Reviews, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | 4 Comments

Platform Hack is an XBLIG title that weighs in at a paltry 80 MSP. The game features side-scrolling environments, upgrades, platforming and an RPG-like leveling system. Platform Hack seems like an absolute mess on the surface, but offers the promise of solid gamplay. Does this simple little title have what it takes to stand up to the high standards of an Armless Octopus review? Let’s find out shall we!

Let’s get through the un-pleasantries first. This game is ugly… really ugly. Here at AO we realize that indie games are held to a different standard and usually try to take that into account. In the case of Platform Hack, however, that threshold is quickly reached and surpassed. It’s important to note that even though the art is less than stellar, it’s functional. You can always tell where your character is and where the enemies are so the issue thankfully never really hinders the gameplay.

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Indie Games Summer Uprising Day 9: Chester Review

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Mike Wall in Reviews, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | Leave a comment

any cheetahs?

The humble platformer is among my favorite game genres, pretty much ever since I hit that first question block with Mario. Strangely, in more recent times 2D platformers have become a  niche within the genre that has seen a steady amount of innovation in the indie scene due to its ease of art creation. In this field, Chester from developer Benjamin Friedrich, has stepped up to the plate, and is ready to show us its take on the genre, with a whole host of characters and a highly unique and chameleonesque visual flair.

Chester is, mechanically speaking, a platformer from stem to stern. I would say its experience is most similar to that of Super Mario Bros. with lots of precarious jumps, and little critters everywhere to ruin your day — hell there’s even a few swimming parts! But the basic mechanics aren’t where Chester developer Benjamin Friedrich decided to get creative.

Visit Two Fedoras to read the full review. 

Indie Games Summer Uprising Day 7: SpeedRunner HD

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Mike Wall in Reviews, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | Leave a comment

Speedrunner is so fast!

Speedrunner HD is one of those games where the title says pretty much everything you need to know about it. You play a character who has to run fast. There’s quite a bit more to being a good platformer than running fast however, and the team at Doubledutch Games made some interesting decisions when crafting their momentum-filled platformer.

Speedrunner is about almost as pure a platformer as you can get. There are no “power-ups,” collectables are at a minimum, and the only tool you have besides jumping is a grappling hook. It’s all about running fast, avoiding pointy things and pit falls, hitting the occasional boost panel, and reaching the goal before time runs out.

Head over to Two Fedoras to read the full review. 

Platformance: Temple Death review: Jumping through the jungle

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Mike Wall in Reviews, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | 1 Comment

don't fall!

Indiana Jones made it look so easy! Jump over the pit, swing from the vine, avoid the spikes and swipe the treasure (or the girl). Sure he had his occasional snake pit or two, but the guy always got the deed done and hardly ever suffered a scratch. The Platformance explorer, on the other hand, probably twisted his ankle stepping off the plane. This poor, bloody, spear sponge was impaled, beheaded, drowned and burnt alive countless times en route to rescuing the gorgeous Grace Belly from the savages who’d like to eat her for dinner.

He might come off as klutzy, but his frequent deaths were warranted. Platformance: Temple Death’s name is no misnomer; this game is packed with an absurd amount of ways to kill our brave adventurer, and I think it’s safe to say I found every one of them. Although I found it challenging keeping his head adhered to his neck, I still had a heck of a time with this 2D platformer, and it’s a total no brainer for any fan of retro gaming.

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TIC: Part 1 Review: Acorn-ucopia of beauty

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Michael Johnson in Reviews, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | 3 Comments

so preeety

In a land where names are derivative, our adventurer Tic stands out amongst the crowd. In a scramble to save the robot town of Copperville, Tic must take down the evil corporation called…well, EvilCorp! The robots are suffering from a terrible drought of — you guessed it, OIL! Tic must jump, glide and drill his way through Pinehill Meadow in order to stop EvilCorp from sucking up all of the oil. What Tic discovers there is an ancient race called the Molepeople who promise to reveal secrets if you collect and return their greatest resource: acorns.

If the story’s not enough to drive you nuts – see what I did there – then perhaps its impressive visuals and fresh outlook on platforming will redeem the hardwork that Red Candy Games put into their first Xbox Live Indie Game title. Your main character, Tic, is an impressive machine with the ability to soar to great heights and dig deep for treasure. You control him with the use of 2 basic controls: glide and move. You will need to master the techniques of both controls in order to find the silver acorns that are scattered throughout the levels. Silver acorns need to be collected in order to open new sections of the map and lead you to rare golden acorns.

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Akane the Kunoichi review: Old cool

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Ryan Gan in Reviews, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | 2 Comments

Two childhood friends sit on the sofa during summer vacation.

“So, how’s that videogame writing thing going?”

“Oh. Going all right, dude. I’m supposed to be doing a guest review for our pals over at Armless Octopus. They cover downloadable games.”

“Oh, yeah? What game are you reviewing?”

“Akane the Kunoichi on Xbox Live Indie Games.”

“What’s a kunoichi?” Read more

Blocks That Matter review: Blocktacular adventure

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Mike Wall in Reviews, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | 7 Comments

watch out for fire!

Mario may have been content to smash bricks with his thick skull and be on his merry way, but not the little robot in Blocks That Matter. Nosiree, that little bugger isn’t a fan of wasting all of that precious material, and his innovative ability to collect blocks and assemble them into useful structures is what makes Blocks That Matter so wildly enjoyable.

The feisty little robot, which looks eerily like a washing machine with stick-figure limbs, is on a mission to rescue its kidnapped creators. Although he’s about as threatening as C-3P0 in a mini-skirt, this puzzle-platformer doesn’t revolve as much around killing enemies as it does outwitting them and using the world around him to survive. The robot is able to collect certain types of materials by bashing them from beneath, or by grinding them up with his drill if it is directly in front of him. Collect four blocks and you can pause the game and assemble them into a structure to allow you to reach a new area in the level. It’a such a simple mechanic, but it’s an ingenious one, and the novelty doesn’t wear off through the game’s increasingly challenging levels.

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Oozi: Earth Adventure Episode 1 review: Going through the motions

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Mike Wall in News, xblig, XBLIG Reviews | 3 Comments
jump on de spider!
Back in the 90s, just about every company wanted to brand itself with a “cool” mascot, and the result was a panoply of 2D platformers of varying quality. Arguably the two most endearing are Mario and Sonic, characters whose early adventures are remembered fondly for their precision and power-ups in the case of Mario, and speed and attitude for Sonic. But, for every beloved Donkey Kong, there was a crateful of Bubsys, Aero-the Acrobats and Awesome Possums. Oozi does its best to channel the former group’s legacy and is a decent platformer, but it really lacks an identity of its own and comes off feeling a bit too derivative to be really memorable.

Oozi, a tangerine-colored alien has crash landed on a foreign planet and somehow misplaced his equipment and spaceship. It’s impossible to deny the game’s very impressive 2D artwork as the lush environments and bright world look fantastic. There’s a nice array of spiders, snails, fish and other assorted wildlife content to pace back and forth waiting for Oozi to cross their paths. But with his fishhook grimace and his lumbering trot, Oozi is about as charismatic as a wad of chewing gum stuck to your shoe. Of course a little bit of solid level design can overcome even the blandest of characters, but as I plowed through the five levels, I found the experience to be more methodical than nostalgic. It was competent, but not compelling.

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