Sydney’s NNooo recently announced a new IP for the Wiiware service releasing in the second half of 2011. The story for the first chapter in retro arcade title escapeVektor is that Vektor has been imprisoned inside the Wii’s CPU. It must escape the CPU using the abilities it hacks. As the game progresses, old code and memories are unlocked which reveal more about Vektor’s past. This chapter will be the first in a series of escapeVektor games which will follow the adventures of Vektor inside the player’s Wii. There are 30 levels to the CPU each contained within 5 different worlds, filled with different enemies and obstacles.

The wiimote controls look delightfully simple: the directional pad controls movement, button 1 boosts, and button 2 detonates. Nnooo’s blog takes care to explain each button’s function. Boosting is somewhat easier to explain. Vektor builds boost by claiming new line sections, completing a line, and fully bordering a cell. Vektor uses boost to escape enemies and complete levels faster; completing a level faster yields a higher score.

The detonation ability builds when Vektor borders all the sides of a cell.The ability releases a shock wave that destroys enemies caught in its blast, and any fully bordered cells will be filled. Parts of this sound like an old arcade game called Qix.

Detonation should be used sparingly if players are going for a high score. The more cells filled at one time, the higher the score. However, if players border all the cells in a level without detonating, they will get a very high score.

If high scores aren’t enough to entice gamers, escapeVektor incorporates a medal and badge system, as well. The badges are a clever way to counteract Wii’s lack of achievement or trophy support. The game also has several modes: normal, eraser, and timed mode.

Will this be the next Bit.Trip-like WiiWare sensation? Probably. The game looks like it has been dipped in some zesty retro sauce; every element of this game looks covered with creativity and intrigue.

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