Of all the alien invasion stories I’ve ever heard, Mama & Son – Clean House perhaps features the most random method of sending the evil extraterrestrials packing. Armed with a machine gun and a brush, Mama and Son take the aliens out, then sweep up the remains afterwards.

As a single-player game it’s pretty good fun, but get a friend round for some co-op action and you’re laughing. This is easily one of the best co-op games for Xbox Live Indie Games, although a little more content wouldn’t have gone amiss.

GAMEPLAY

Mama & Son – Clean House puts you in control of two separate characters. ‘Really’ (yes, that really is his name) does the killing, mowing down the aliens that spawn from portals around each level. As he kills them, ammo and debris falls all over the floor – this is where Mama comes in. She must brush all the rubbish into recycling boxes, creating more ammo for Really. Hence, a balance between killing and cleaning must be found.

Only one character needs to be controlled at any one time – the other will become AI-controlled and do a pretty decent job of it, all things considered. You can switch between the two at any time. There’s also a hardcore mode that allows you to control both characters are once. I found this far too difficult to use – however, it’s nice to see the option available and perhaps others will have better luck than me with it.

If Mama loses all her health, the game is over – simple as that. Simple, yet brilliant. Managing ammo useage against debris sweeping is really great fun, and holding the hordes back is just as entertaining. Just the right amount of baddies spawn, and you’ll be leaping all over the place gunning them down while protecting your old dear Mama.

Killing aliens earns you points, but Mama can also clean the dirt off the walls for extra points. It seems a bit pointless at first, but when you’re going for high-scores later, every wall cleaned makes all the difference, and adds another dimension to proceedings.

The only real problem with single-player is that being Really is pretty pointless, as the game will only end if Mama dies. Hence, it’s best to stick to being Mama, as your alien-dodging skills will be far better than the CPU’s.

Put an Xbox controller in a friend’s hands, and you’ll have even more fun. Each player controls either Mama or Really, and works together to keep the aliens at bay. It’s immense fun, and the game is well worth purchasing for this mode alone.

Unfortunately, Mama & Son suffers from a distinct lack of content. The main story mode won’t take you more than half an hour (an hour if you play both the single and multiplayer), then there’s a survival mode that will keep you entertained for another twenty minutes or so. Still, the game is only $1 (80 MS Points) and you’ll bag a very enjoyment hour of play from it.

STYLE

Mama & Son has a cartoony visual style to it that really looks the part. Due to the game’s brevity, the enemies aren’t exactly varied – in fact, they all look the very same – but there’s plenty of polish and everything is pleasing on the eye.

It’s definitely worth noting that the controls feel spot-on – movement is clean and navigating platforms is a breeze, both with Really and Mama.

Sound-wise, there’s not much to tell. The music wasn’t very memorable, nor were the effects.

STORY

Mama owns a cleaning company , Really owns lots of guns, and all is right with the world – that is, until aliens invade Earth. Rather than run and hide, however, the duo jump in their van and race towards the alien mothership, really to send the aliens back to where they came from.

Very silly and very much what I like to see. The last boss battle in particular is great fun, and feels like a fitting finale to your journey.

OTHER

Mama & Son – Clean House is impressive stuff, especially where the co-op play is concerned. It really could have done with more levels and modes, but for the $1 asking price, there isn’t exactly room for too much complaint.

If you’re looking for a great Xbox Live Indie Games co-op title for you and a friend to play through, you should pick this up – it’s fun, challenging and guaranteed to entertain.

BUY/TRY