During the month of July, two indie titans battled it out to claim the Indie Kombat crown. Farbs (of Captain Forever fame) and Rob Fearon (Squid Yes, Not So Octopus) swapped game graphics, with both combatants given the task of creating a game using a combination of the opponent’s and his own stylings.

The results appeared online today – Farbs released the awesomely titled Fish Squid Time Machine on Xbox Live Indie Games, while Rob subjected the internet to the equally brilliant title Fish Fish Bang Bang. Gamers now have the opportunity to play each game and vote on which is the best over at Indie Kombat.

Rather than review each game separately, we decided to judge the games against each other, with a winner at the end. Prepare yourself for our dual-review of Fish Squid Time Machine and Fish Fish Bang Bang.

GAMEPLAY

The first category is rather a toughy, since both games are fantastic fun. Farbs’ Fish Squid Time Machine plays very similar to his previous release Fishie Fishie Fifty – it’s a one button game in which you control a fish who is swimming around a pond eating other fish. He’ll swim in an anti-clockwise direction unless you hold your button, at which point he’ll move clockwise.

Eating smaller fish will cause him to fire them off as bullets. As you eat fish and move around, the backdrop begins to get a little weird, and from behind the action, you’ll see Squid Yes, Not So Octopus emerge. It soon becomes apparent that this FQTM is a combination of Fishie Fishie Fifty and SYNSO, which both games being played simultaneously, one on top of the other.

Your fish cannot eat bigger fish, and must instead shoot little fish at them. It’s a wonderful idea, and great fun to play. Multiple players can get in on the action, making the whole thing even more mental. That’s really the best word to describe it – mental. Utterly, utterly mental. There really isn’t much to it, yet I found myself losing an hour to the absurdity of it all.

Rob’s Fish Fish Bang Bang is an entirely different beast. Your fish is situated in the middle of the screen, constantly spinning on the spot and blasting SYNSO pixel bullets at the incoming baddie fishies. Another one-button game, pressing your button will make your fish spin in the opposite direction.

The method for grabbing the biggest score is to let the fish get as close as possible to you before blasting them. Every time an enemy manages to get to you, your multiplier will go down, so keeping them back is key. While it can be intense blasting action, technically you’re in little danger – in fact, the game was created so that you can purposely leave the controls and your fish will continue to kill everything on his own.

Really great stuff, which I simply could not pull myself away from. The enemies get quicker and larger in number, and will really test your reflexes. Trying to get as high a score as possible will also appeal to a great many players.

The question remains – which game is the most fun? By a fish’s whisker, Fish Squid Time Machine takes the lead – the action is a little more exciting in Farbs’ effort, and the challenge FQTM provides is very addictive indeed.

Fish Squid Time Machine 1 – 0 Fish Fish Bang Bang

STYLE

Both games have such a unique look and feel, which is pretty incredible when you consider that they both utilize the same graphics! Fish Squid Time Machine is awe-inspiringly clever, in that it plays both sets of graphics one on top of the other, with the SYNSO world seeping through the cracks of FFF.

It’s definitely something special, and works like magic. Collect smaller fish quick enough, and you many even catch a glimpse of a farmyard animal pelting by. The soundtrack and electronic voice-over are just as insane – I’m pretty sure at one point I heard the voice declaring ‘Testicle’ as I cleared the screen. It’s not a question of ‘Why?’ but rather a question of ‘Why not?’.

Farbs may have the WTF effect on display, but Fish Fish Bang Bang brings the beauty. As with Rob’s past work, FFBB is staggeringly gorgeous, with bright colours exploding all over the place and neon lights keeping the screen wide awake. Hilarious anecdotes scroll along the bottom of the screen – usually fish-related – while levels begin and end with silly signs and slogans.

The action is accompanied by a fantastic set of sound effects and foot-stomping music which give the whole thing such an explosive atmosphere. Maybe I’m just in love with flashing lights and laser beams, but Rob’s screen-exploding antics took my heart, and inevitably allowed Fish Fish Bang Bang to take this round.

Fish Squid Time Machine 1 – 1 Fish Fish Bang Bang

STORY

Fish Squid Time Machine tells the story of Fishie, who accidentally steps in some time goo and ends up stuck between two time periods – the recent graphical stylings of Fishie Fishie Fifty, and the ‘old’ retro looks behind SYNSO. Fishie decides to fend off enemies in order to return to the current time.

Fish Fish Bang Bang doesn’t feature any story as such, although the scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen tells plenty of interesting facts, jokes and stories which I found myself genuinely laughing outloud at – for example: “My dog’s got no nose. How does he smell? Like a fish!”

Both tickled my fancy, but in the end Farbs edges to victory. Will Fishie ever return home? I certainly hope not – there’s too much fun to be had in the current situation.

Fish Squid Time Machine 2 – 1 Fish Fish Bang Bang

OTHER

In general, I found that Fish Fish Bang Bang was far more accessible than Fish Squid Time Machine. Rob’s blaster is a lot easier to pick up and play, with the general idea falling into place within seconds. FSTM, on the other time, took a few goes to understand what exactly I was supposed to be doing. It’s especially confusing if you’ve played the original Fishie Fishie Fifty before.

I also felt more inclined to try for higher scores in Fish Fish Bang Bang. The mullet-plier and bowfin bonus add a depth to proceedings that Fish Squid Time Machine fails to achieve. With all this in mind, FFBB is awarded an extra ‘Other’ point.

Fish Squid Time Machine 2 – 2 Fish Fish Bang Bang

FINAL RESULTS

It’s a tie! Yes I know, we’re spoilsports and all that, but honestly – both these games are worth playing. They both get to the heart of what gaming should always be about – having a stupid amount of fun at the expense of fish.

You should give both creations your attention. They can be downloaded via links on the Indie Kombat site – and make sure you vote for your favourite!