Lighthouse Games Studio’s Avatar Onslaught may not be as highly rated as their Avatar Cannon, but it’s certainly much more promising than many of the other avatar-oriented games on the XBLIG platform. Avatar Onslaught has a more purposeful use for said avatars, and it especially makes good use of your personal avatar.

In straight up Nazi Zombies (Call of Duty: World at War reference that, by now, any avid gamer should be able to understand) fashion, Avatar Onslaught pits you against an army of avatars with only water balloons at your disposal. Of course, you’ll also have barriers between you and the avatar horde, and these barriers need to be repaired as your enemies throw water balloons of their own at you.

The two best things about Avatar Onslaught are its HD graphics — which actually work very well in producing a Nazi Zombie-like atmosphere via grayed colors and barbed wire — and its leveling system. After each round that the avatar horde attacks, you’ll be treated to an upgrade in any of the five following categories of your choice: running speed, balloon speed, rate of fire, reload speed, and ammo. Up to five upgrades can be obtained in each category and — trust me on this one — you’re going to need the higher levels of abilities if you want to make it through wave 4 and after.

I guess for a dollar, Avatar Onslaught is enough. If you’re interested, the 5-minute trial is probably best at revealing your feelings towards the game. Chances are, you may come to the same conclusion as me: it’s a game that really isn’t all that fun, having borrowed its mechanics from AAA titles who managed to pull it off much better. Indeed, the look of Avatar Onslaught is what may attract gamers to the game, but the gameplay will eventually turn them off. At its heart, Avatar Onslaught seems repetitive and simplified.

Despite its shortcomings, Avatar Onslaught manages to pull off an epic soundtrack in addition to its surprisingly atmospheric visuals. But would I, as a gamer, buy Avatar Onslaught? Probably not. There seem to be many more interesting indie titles on the platform, and I’m already looking to move on.

[Try/Buy from XBLIG.]

[This is not a review. This is a first impressions piece based on less than an hour of gameplay.]

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