Released earlier this month for both PC and Xbox Live Indie Games, Excruciating Guitar Voyage is what happens when you don’t lay off the crack, kids. Giant insects, underground guitar clubs, lots of electricity-based puzzling… and the most bizarre graphical style we’ve seen in a long while.

Through all the craziness there is a pretty decent adventure puzzler available, although the self-abuse concept never really gets up to speed and you’re left with a voyage that’s more easy than excruciating. The voice-acting (or at least sound mixing) could have done with a revamp too.

GAMEPLAY

Excruciating Guitar Voyage plays out as a simple platforming experience with morsels of puzzle and adventuring here and there. Objectives are displayed in the bottom right of the screen, and progression usually relies on figuring out how to open up a path, or searching an area for clues.

The first thirty minutes with EGV are generally entertaining. Our hero PX can purposely electrocute himself or set himself on fire to pass obstacles and solve puzzles, leading to some genuinely hilarious situations. Solutions are always pretty obvious and you most likely won’t get stuck on anything, but it’s still good fun.

The problem is that the puzzles never ramp up in difficulty after this initial introduction. Throughout the game the same basic concepts are used over and over, and eventually it does drag on a bit. The wacky elements help to keep the dullness at bay slightly, but when the credits roll, you’ll most likely be thankful for the end.

That’s not to say the entire game is simply fry yourself, solve a puzzle, burn yourself, solve a puzzle, repeat. There are exploring sections, which are fun in a certain sense, but also a little annoying as you can’t skip dialogue, and people have SO much meaningless crap to say.

Then you’ve got stealthy ‘dodge the baddies, run past the lasers’ style play. While these parts are just as basic as the rest of the game, they do a great job of breaking up the main action, and they’re not too shabby either.

Basically, there’s a certain method to playing Excruciating Guitar Voyage that will grant you maximum entertainment – as long as you go into it expecting silly puzzles and not too much depth, you’ll most likely enjoy yourself. It’s really not a bad way to spend an evening, truth be told.

STYLE

We’ve seen some mental visual styles in Xbox Live Indie Game titles, but Excruciating Guitar Voyage definitely takes the cake and smears it all over the walls. Scenery is decorated with what appears to be real photos of terrain – so for example, mountains look like pictures of rocks, and wooded areas are filled with pictures of planks. Nothing awe-inspiring, but pretty all the same.

The characters are a whole different area entirely. Body parts are not joined together, and instead flow along side each other. Each characters face is a photo of a real person – most likely the devs and their friends. It takes some getting used to, but eventually we found ourselves warming to the idea. It’s weird, but at least it’s unique!

Of course, it’s all in aid of banging a humorous edge into play, and for the most part, it does a pretty decent job. Protagonist PX sounds so laid back despite his predicaments and the constant electrocutions, and there’s plenty of personality pumped into his innocent dialogue. His co-stars aren’t so great – most of the other characters aren’t very funny at all, and some of them you can barely hear thanks to terrible voice recording.

STORY

You play as PX, your average run-of-the-mill guy… well, apart from the whole being invincible bit. In PX’s world, heavy metal music has been banned, and a curfew has been put on the land. A underground heavy metal movement called roxxor2 has started, and PX is very much interested in checking it all out.

He sets out to town to find his friend Craig, but soon ends up in some situations he probably shouldn’t be involved in. It’s not exactly a unique story, but it definitely gets the job done and keeps the game flowing smoothly. As with the gameplay, don’t think about it all too hard, and you’ll probably find yourself enjoying the whimsical tale.

OTHER

Here’s the bottom line – go into Excruciating Guitar Voyage looking for a few hours of simple puzzle platforming with some silly dialogue and even sillier situations, and you’ve got yourself a winner. Anyone looking for more depth and variation in their gaming need not apply.

Excruciating Guitar Voyage is the kind of game the word ‘good’ was invented for. It’s not great, but it’s not bad either – it’s just right there in the middle. Grab a copy for either PC ($3) or Xbox Live Indie Games (240 MS Points aka $3).

PC version / Xbox version

The iPhone has proved itself to be the perfect vessel for a management game, allowing for portable diving in and out. Game Dev Story isn’t just any iPhone management game, though – it’s quite easily the most addictive we’ve ever played.

Taking charge of a game development team, your job is to create the greatest games company possible while competing with some hilariously familiar brands. It’s seemingly simple gaming, yet there’s so much depth involved that you’ll have lost around a dozen hours to the game before you finally come up for air.

GAMEPLAY

The main bulk of Game Dev Story involves doing the same actions over and over, but receiving better results each time. Initially you’re presented with a small office, and left to hire several fresh, budding game devs for your company. Your first batch of games will be dire, but this only motivates you to do better, and as you accumulate fans and more skilled workers, the money will start rolling in.

Everything is controlled via a simple menu system, from where you can train your staff, advertise your company, check your latest company stats or start a new game project. It only takes a few minutes to settle into your new job, and the simplicity of it helps oodles in making the experience stupidly addictive.

Starting a project involves choosing the type of game you want to create, and setting a budget based on how much time you spend developing the game. Your staff will then automatically set to work building your masterpiece, as it goes through the alpha and beta stages of development. You’ll need staff with a variety of skills to make sure everything in your game is up to scratch.

Now and again you’ll also need to take on contract work. This provides your team with quick cash, and boosts your technical points, allowing you to level your staff up and create even more interesting games. Working out which contract work to take on is a game in itself, as each will have a set period of time in which it must be completed. Fail to turn in your work on time, and it will all have been for nothing.

Here’s the thing, though – while it’s all so simple to play, there’s also a underlying depth that must be explored. Special boosts allow you to create even better games, and games expos, magazine articles and awards shows allow you to build up hype for your latest venture. Creating a successful business isn’t difficult at all, but evolving into an incredible force takes a little extra doing. This means that, while it’s casual enough that anyone can have a crack, the more hardcore players will find so much more to be getting on with.

Amazingly, a prior knowledge of gaming over the last 20 years helps considerably. Every event, console, game and company in Game Dev Story is based on real-life – you’ve got Intendro with the Super IES, then Sonny pops up and develops the hugely successful PlayStatus series. Later in the game Microx appears, launching the Microx 480 console. Hilariously, even the game names are familar, with one or two letters changed around here and there.

Hence, when the NeonGeon console appears, it’s safe to stick with the IES instead. It’s such clever stuff, since it gives you the impression that you’re actually a real development company playing through the 90′s and into the millennium. All these points combined mean that Game Dev Story is quite easily the most enjoyable game we’ve played on the iPhone in a long while.

STYLE

Want to know how to pump a serious amount of personality into your game? Simple – just watch how Game Dev Story effortlessly and constantly makes you smile. Your staff will chatter away via speech bubbles, perhaps telling another staff member ‘Good job!’ or saying ‘Morning!’ as they come in well rested. They’ll also occasionally approach your desk to offer ideas on how to make your latest game even better.

Whenever a staff member gets on a roll, they will literally be on fire - it’s such an awesome visual effect that gives a real sense of urgency and power in your game developing skills. It’s as if there is a real office on your iPhone screen that is bustling away, and the effect is very powerful indeed.

The simplicity of the interface and controls means that graphically it feels so tidy. The various options never appear cluttered or thrown together – every has a purpose, and is laid out in the most perfect way imaginable, with gorgeous pixel-art style environments and characters.

STORY

Starting in the early 90′s, you play the director of a new game development company that is hopefully set for the big time. After giving the team a name and hiring your staff, your job is to create the best games possible and be the largest developer around within 20 years.

In a way, Game Dev Story gives the impression that you are creating your own story. You’re never specifically told what to do next – you can develop any type of game for any available console, and even ship your own branded console later into the game.

On my first playthrough I stuck to fantasy RPGs, and hence found that most of my fans were young males. Yet my next company went more for shooters, and this time around I picked up a much broader audience. There’s just so much to see and do, and creating your own journey is what spurs your enjoyment on.

OTHER

You shouldn’t even think twice about grabbing yourself a copy of Game Dev Story – it’s easily the best iPhone game released this year, and will keep you entertained for hours on end.

I’d say more, but in all honesty I need to get back and create some more games. Fifteen hours in, and I’m still well and truly addicted. Head over to the App Store and prepare to lose a good portion of your life to game development.

Game Dev Story on iTunes

This is the one we’ve been waiting for. Forget your Fables and your Fallouts – 2010 was always going to be about an indie game called Super Meat Boy. Inspired by a combination of the best early Mario games and recent platformers doing it all completely wrong, Team Meat has taken it upon itself to resurrect our childhood memories, albeit with extra meaty blood to go.

We have no delusions when you say that not only is Super Meat Boy now the best game available on both Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare, but it’s also the best game we’ve played this year. There is no better feeling than flinging your meat one way then then other, grinding him up via saws, lasers and spike pits, and grinning like a mental the entire time. You must own this game, and you will play it into the early hours of the morning.

GAMEPLAY

Super Meat Boy is a hard-as-nails platformer than wants to make you feel like a god. You take control of Meat Boy and assorted indie celebrity friends as they run, jump, bounce off walls and try not to end up in a blender. Not that you’ll succeed, mind – in Super Meat Boy, it’s not about the winning – it’s about how many times you died to get there.

You won’t die due to fiddly controls, however – no, these are perhaps the most refined and perfect controls you have used in a video game in a very long time. Meat Boy feels so slick to manage, and he moves exactly how you’d hope. You’ll initially be surprised as just how perfect it feels, and soon afterwards be using this element to its full advantage.

The reason you’ll be dying so much is that Super Meat Boy is très difficult. Every level is out to get you, and require precision jumps and perfect timing. Yet even as you die multiple times, frustration simply never sets in – this is thanks to quick respawns and smallish levels that can potentially take only a few seconds to complete. You’ll find yourself eating away a whole hour on a single level, simply because you want to perfect your time to a tee.

This is Super Meat Boy‘s greatest trick – the level design is so utterly superb, that you won’t be able to stop playing.  From saw placement to platform positioning to special elements added later on, nearly every single level is a classic that will potentially be talked about for years to come.

That’s a lot to talk about, too – quite staggeringly, Super Meat Boy features over 300 levels. You’ve got the regular levels (the ‘Light World’), then there’s a special evil version of each regular level (‘Dark World’). Finally you’ve got four warp zones in each world to find that lead to retro-style Meat Boy levels, and twenty bandages to discover in each world which unlock new characters.

The dark levels in particular are a stroke of genius. Each dark level is the result of taking a light world level and making it into an absolute bastard. Seeing each regular level in its new form is entertaining enough, but then trying to actually complete them all is a whole different ballgame. The fantastic thing is that playing these dark levels isn’t essential – you can complete the game without touching a single one. No, these levels are for the masochists among us – for those who want to go the extra mile.

Once you’ve finally completed a level after dying multiple times, a replay is shown featuring every single one of your deaths running at the same time through the level. It’s such a fitting reward for beating a particularly challenging level – our only gripe is that, while you can save replays, you can’t then do anything with them, be it send them to a friend or upload them to Youtube.

But you know what? That is our single, miniscule issue with the entire game. We could sit here all day, trying to think of other areas that could be improved on or elements that need fixing but, well, we’d be here far longer than a day. Simply put, if you don’t enjoy Super Meat Boy, there is something seriously wrong with you.

STYLE

It’s impossible to understand exactly how slick Super Meat Boy is without seeing it in action. Meat Boy leaves trails of meaty blood on everything he touches, including walls, saws and spikes, and it’s a lovely effect. Each world starts with an intro inspired by an old game or movie – usually from the 90′s – and trying to guess where each one is from is a game in itself.

The levels look gorgeous, and settings are so incredibly varied. One world sees you diving around wooded areas, with cute rabbits and foxes accidentally running into blenders. Then it’s off to the Salt Factory – which is every bit as hilarious as it sounds.

And that soundtrack… oh man. Danny Baranowsky has created what is now my favourite game soundtrack of the year (sorry Souleye, your VVVVVV soundtrack was amazing, but this is even better!). The jingles will stick in your head and never let go – it’s all very reminiscent of the days of the SNES when you’d be singing the music long after you’d completed the game. The music for ‘The Hospital’ world in particular will probably stay with me forever.

STORY

Super Meat Boy‘s story is told via dialogue-less cutscenes. One day Meat Boy and his girlfriend Bandage Girl are walking through the forest, when Dr. Fetus shows up and kidnaps Bandage Girl. Meat Boy sets off on a journey to get her back, and finds himself in a variety of strange and twisted predicaments.

It’s pretty impressive that the entire story is told through animation and gesture, with no voices or text to speak of. It’s all pretty vague and extremely silly, yet at the same time there’s a sense of epicness surrounding Meat Boy and co.

OTHER

Super Meat Boy is our new favourite game and it will soon be your new favourite game too. With spot-on controls, over fifteen hours of content (and beyond, depending on how mental you are) and packing the most fun you’ve had with a video game in a good while, it should really be declared a crime not to pick this up.

You’ve got no excuse when it comes to platform, either – the game will be available on October 20th for both Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, and will be released in November for PC. Make sure you get in on the action – you don’t want Dr. Fetus flicking you off.

Archeology, eh? Excavation sites, dusting rocks, going on digs in the hope of finding something buried deep in the land… no, that’s not the life for Diamond Dan. He’s in it for the exotic locations, dangerous trap-filled chambers and oodles of treasure, and you’re coming along for the ride.

Diamond Dan is tagged as a ‘casual’ game on its Steam page, but honestly it feels anything but casual. Take a breath for one second and Dan is a goner, skewered on spikes or crushed by falling rocks. It’s remarkably exciting stuff, although the one-hit-deaths and constant restarting of levels may put some gamers off.

GAMEPLAY

Dan runs, jumps, falls, clings and smashes his way through over twenty levels full of blocks, diamonds and traps. The idea is to grab as much treasure as you can, all the while moving towards the bottom of the level. Once you’re at the base of the dungeon, you need to grab the scroll at the bottom, then leave via the temple door and rake in the booty.

Dan navigates the maze by pushing blocks out of the way and creating gaps for moving through. Random surrounding blocks will also occasionally move out of his way, providing a different path each time you play the level. There are tons of directions to head in and different amounts of treasure each way, so working out the best path to the finish is entertaining stuff and adds tons of replay value to the game.

You’ve got a combo meter in the corner than decides how many points you bag for each gem or pile of coins found. Your combo increases every time you set off a trap – hence, the idea is to purposely set off traps, then quickly get out of the way. Running along a row of trapdoors or diving out of the way of a falling block is brilliant stuff, and gives a real sense of urgency and tension.

Strangely, Dan will die instantly if caught by a trap and you’ll have to start from the very beginning. In a way this makes perfect sense, as setting off traps is a huge risk, yet completely worth it for the points – yet at the same time, it maybe would have been nice to have an Easy mode available, that allowed you to get hit a couple of times.

This one-hit kills nature of the game also means that Diamond Dan is incredibly challenging, especially on later levels. This will go down different depending on how hard you like your games – I personally found it just a tad too difficult, as you need to stay one-hundred percent focused the entire time to make sure random blocks don’t tall on you, or spikes don’t come out of a wall and catch you. It’s particularly stressful when you’re right at the end of a level, and get hit by something that comes out of the blue.

That’s not to say that the difficulty put me off playing – after being knocked out, Dan is throwing straight back into the action again, with barely any loading time. This helps to numb the feeling of punishment, and gives the game a great ‘just one more go’ element. Each level can technically be completed in around one minute, so it doesn’t take too long to get back to where you were up to.

Apart from Dan, you’ll also be able to select another character Ann after you’ve playing several levels. Ann adds a whole new dimension to the game, as she can break blocks instead of pushing them. I’d argue that Ann’s method of play is even more frantic that Dan’s, as you attempt to break a wall down to dodge a trap instead of running away. Brilliant stuff.

STYLE

For a game full of similar-looking blocks and browny-grey walls, Diamond Dan is really quite beautiful. The level of polish is staggering, and helps give the gameplay a pleasantly smooth feel. The lighting effects in particular are really well designed, allowing you to see the area around your character but fading to black the further you look.

The interface is perhaps the most fantastic element, though. The menus are built around the idea that you are an explorer tagging along with Dan, and you’re presenting with a table in a tent, with each different option acting as an item on the table. For example, choosing levels is set out via a map and diary. It’s all very clever, and really puts so many of the menu systems we see in indie and casual titles to shame.

STORY

Dan has been dragged along on an archeology dig by his uncle, who is a huge fan of dusting rocks and being generally slow and boring. Dan can’t stand this approach, so one night he sneaks into the dig and does some adventuring of his own. He comes across a scroll that leads him to another hidden tomb, and so his adventures begin.

Dan’s story is told via a diary that keeps track of his movements. Since levels can sometimes be tackled in whichever order you choose, this recording of your efforts can be really interesting, as you’re technically making it happen depending on how you make Dan go about his business. As with the slick interface, this is a genuinely lovely idea, and adds so much personality to Dan and his journey.

OTHER

Diamond Dan is challenging stuff, but ultimately rewarding and very satisfying indeed. If you’re looking for a more casual, sit-back-and-relax title, this is not it – you’ll need quick reactions and plenty of adrenaline to make it through this adventure. However, those after a thrilling rush down under should definitely apply on the dotted line.

With several hour’s worth of play and tons of achievements to unlock, Diamond Dan is an essential indie purchase that will have you both cursing and smiling at the same time. Make sure you at least check out the demo for this gorgeous piece of indie gaming.

BUY/TRY

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

Up until the point at which I booted Blockey up on Xbox Live Indie Games, my initial thoughts were ‘What kind of name is that?!’. I envisioned some type of tedious match-3 game that would bore me within an inch of my life. Instead I got a game of Ice Hockey… with blocks! OK, so still not a great name, but at least it makes sense.

Blockey may appear too simple in execution, but taken as a 4-player button-mashing romp, this is an absolute hoot. You’ll most likely have sucked all the available fun out of it within a couple of hours, but for 80 MS Points ($1) you’re guaranteed to have a fun night in with friends.

GAMEPLAY

Your basic Ice Hockey rules are in place – take control of the puck, drive it down the ice and slam it into the opponent’s goal. You’ve got a pass button, a shoot button and a tackle button, and that’s pretty much it. Rather than go for a more complex take on the sport, Blockey keeps it plain and simple, and really comes up trumps for it – anybody can pick up a controller and be scoring within minutes.

It takes a little while to fully appreciate the play on offer, however, as it can initially feel a little frustrating. While there is a tackle button, players can also grab the puck by simply moving into the currently active character, hence there’s plenty of ‘to me, to you’ action involved. Shooting is also pretty difficult, as the aiming is more precise than you’d imagine.

Once it all comes together, however, there’s plenty of fun to be had. Taking on the AI-controlled teams is pretty challenging stuff, and I found I could only just beat the Easy mode. Yet it’s multiplayer where the real fun lies – 2 local players can take on a AI team, or up to 4 players can battle it out 2v2. The fast-paced nature of the game suits a party situation well, and it’s really hilarious and enjoyable stuff.

Unfortunately, there isn’t exactly much content. Besides choosing your number of players and hitting go, there are several different teams to choose from (which simply reskins your players with different shirts) and a crazy bear that utters random nonsense. A league mode of sorts would have been a nice addition, plus the ability to add more than 3 players to your team.

And how about this for a missed opportunity – there are no fights in Blockey. I know what you’re thinking: An Ice Hockey game with no fighting? Surely this can’t be true! Yet it is, and you’d have thought it would have been easy to throw in too and compliment the rest of the button-bashing pretty well.

STYLE

Hey, here’s where the ‘Block’ bit of the name comes in! Everything in game is made up of squares, from the confetti that falls at the end of the game to the characters themselves. There are some very clever ideas too, like a rectangular version of the rotating siren light when somebody scores, and spinning blocks at the start of each match to signify spotlights moving around the ice.

Unfortunately, the game’s interface isn’t so pleasant. Blockey uses an awfully overused font all over the place, and it gives the game a bit of an amateur feel. The menus look just as boring, from the main options to the player select screen.

The music isn’t too bad – I found myself humming the title screen guitar ditty, so it must be good! (or really bad, depending on how you see my musical tastes).

STORY

No story going, would you believe. Yes… I guess you would believe. I believe.

OTHER

Blockey isn’t going to pick up too many fans, as you really need to spend a good 30 minutes with it to fully appreciate what’s on offer and, well, the demo isn’t that long! Still, you should give Blockey a go – for $1, you’re getting a fun little Ice Hockey bonanza that will have you and your friends punching each other in the shoulder.

BUY/TRY

I’ll admit, I’m warming to avatar games on Xbox Live Indie Games slightly. Avaglide was excellent, Juggle! implemented avatars in a moderately interesting way, and Avatar Racedrome wasn’t complete garbage. Avatar Kung-fu is up next, ready to test my somewhat undecided thoughts on the combination of Xbox avatars and gaming.

The game aims for one of those ‘simple to play, difficult to master’ angles, and partially hits the target with button-bashing taking you part of the way, but quick reactions needed to reach the end. Unfortunately, the action is not without its problems – namely shallow attacks, unexplained combos and a lack of checkpoints.

GAMEPLAY

Avatar Kung-fu is a side-scrolling beat em up featuring Xbox avatars are the heroes and villains. You can select your own avatar, then kick and punch your way through reams of baddies. Unlike your usual fighter, however, there are only two attacks – punch and kick – and other than jumping or crouching while using these attacks, there are no special combination moves to pull off.

So far not off to a great start, with rather shallow fighting action on the cards. Even the action available isn’t too interesting either – a single punch or kick will take down an enemy, so it’s simply a case of bashing buttons until everything is dead.

Or is it? Avatar Kung-fu appears devoid of any enjoyment whatsoever, until you get a little further in and begin to notice certain elements. Jump-kick an enemy, and a multiplier will appear in the top corner of the screen. Crouch-punch a baddie and the combo will increase. Get hit, and you’ll lose it – simple as that. With the inclusion of knife-throwers partway through the first level, however, things get a little interesting, as you attempt to jump and duck as you’re bombarded.

What appeared to be an extremely shallow game originally now feels less so – although it’s still not exactly of Street Fighter proportions. It’s incredibly challenging too, and finishing the game will take you a fair while, adding to the single mode’s life. Extra modes would have been nice, though – perhaps a survival mode, or even a multiplayer co-op add-on.

One fatal flaw threatens to have you one-starring this bad boy in the Marketplace, though – the lack of checkpoints. Die during the (rather long) levels, and you’ll be sent all the way back to the start. Not only that, but you’ll also have to wait a very annoying, unskippable cutscene to boot. If checkpoints had been part of the mix, we’d be able to recommend Avatar Kung-fu far more easily – but as it is, the majority of players will most likely become frustrated and give up.

STYLE

Avatar Kung-fu doesn’t look bad at all. The backgrounds repeat over and over as you walk along each level, but the settings are fairly pleasing and give the game a beat-em-up vibe. The avatars fit well in the scenes too – and this is coming from someone who hates Xbox avatars with a passion.

The interface could do with a little work, although it’s nice to see character stats that don’t cover the action. In the music department, you’ve got average tracks with average thwack noises every time your character extends a body part. Does the job, but nothing too interesting.

STORY

Your friend has been kidnapped! You were stood around together, laughing at nothing in particular, when this guy in a skull mask came over and punched your lights out, before nabbing your friend and running off.

Of course, he had no idea that you were a Kung-fu master! Or maybe he did, since he sends hundreds of his associates to finish you off. Either way, it’s a nice touch that you can choose the avatar for both your main character and your kidnapped friend – puts a little personality into play, you could argue.

OTHER

Avatar Kung-fu is an above average fighter, but only if you can stand the lack of checkpoints and don’t mind having to repeat a huge portion of the game every time you die.

If you’re expecting a fighter on the same level as the Streets of Rage series, this is most definitely not what you’re looking forward. If, however, you’re after a game of quick reflexes and high scoreboard topping, you should at least give the demo a download.

BUY/TRY

I’m not a huge fan of destroying hopes and dreams, which is why talking about Adventures in the Lost Castle is going to be rather difficult. It’s the first indie game from Piotr Ciupinski of Little Snail Studios, and well, it’s just not very good.

That’s not to say it’s terrible – there are a fair few elements of the game to enjoy – it’s just that the cons far outweigh the pros. Lost Castle tries to be a retro platformer with updated graphics, and in certain respects pulls it off. Elsewhere it’s a bit ugly, it handles like a shopping trolley on the roof of a train, and there’s not really much fun to be had.

GAMEPLAY

Adventures in the Lost Castle takes the retro platforming concept and throw some “2.5D visuals” in – i.e. travelling along a 2D plane in a 3D world. The game is set in a castle, with platforms to navigate, lava to avoid and baddies to dodge. It’s incredibly tough stuff, harking back to when games actually used to be difficult.

The premise is perfectly reasonable, and the level design is definitely suitable to the type of atmosphere Piotr is hoping to provide. Ghosts and other creepy beasties roam the castle, and a single touch will end your life. If you loved the challenge that this sort of game used to throw your way, then the level of difficulty here may well be your cup of tea.

Then again, a plethora of issues will probably put you right back off. While the level design is pretty decent, the design elsewhere is not so. First off, the keyboard buttons are all over the place. The game wants you to use Ctrl, Alt and Space which – let’s be honest – is a disaster waiting to happen and a desktop waiting to be switched to. Then you’ve randomly got to press B to drop bomb. Rest assured, your hands will not thank you for this. This is a game in dire need of an options menu.

The feel of the protagonist’s movement isn’t brilliant either. He slips and slides around the place, and a simple action such as turning around can see you slipping off an edge and into some lava. While we’re all very much aware that dying during a game isn’t usually much fun, I’m pretty sure Lost Castle has given me a phobia of dying – a single touch to anything will force you to watch either a lengthy death animation or a very underwhelming one, then plonk you right back at the start of the level.

It’s not just the walking either – jumping also feels utterly odd, and it’s easy to mistime a landing, overshoot and end up in the lava. Of course, you could argue that the controls are also in aid of feeling retro – be come on now, surely we’ve moved past that.

Overall, the game simply does not feel much fun at all. The majority of my deaths felt unfair and completely out of my control, and felt me frustrated and unwilling to continue onward.

STYLE

Adventures in the Lost Castle isn’t exactly a looker. Both in screenshots and in motion, everything is very blocky and rigid – but not in a ‘wow this looks so retro’ sort of way, more a ‘this game needs more curves’ angle. The animations aren’t bad, but don’t do enough to plaster over the cracks.

There are also plenty of graphical oddities going on. In the screenshots on the Little Snail Studio site, the entire scene is visible – yet when I played, the sides of the screen were cut off in both windowed and full screen, meaning I could only see half of the lives images and part of my score. I’ve no idea why this would happen, but it’s definitely an issue.

Then you’ve got the strange interface to deal with. The title screen demands you click on buttons, yet the rest of the game is controlled via the keyboard. And how about loading screens that aren’t loading screens at all! The game exclaims ‘Level 1 Loading…’ and never progresses… until I hit enter to instantly load the level. In fact, the second the ‘Loading…’ image appears, you can hit enter to go straight into the game… so what’s the point of a loading screen then!

Sound-wise, Lost Castle is yet again an oddity. You’ve got strange, spooky noises and the faint whisperings of a soundtrack, but it’s as if someone has turned the volume knob down. I was hoping for at least a few nice ditties to drill into my head, but came away not being able to remember a single note of what I heard.

STORY

No story is provided… and honestly, this game desperately needs one! Who is this strange, yellow guy with an aardvark-style nose? Why he is collecting gems in a castle? We need answers!

OTHER

Adventures in the Lost Castle gives off that retro feeling in videos and screenshots, but actually playing the game is a different matter entirely. When all is said and done, there’s not much fun to be had here. It’s challenging, yes – but in a more ‘I want to pull my hair out’ style way than a ‘I want to beat this game’ way.

If you think you can look past the horrible controls and ugly setting, however, then you won’t exactly have to fork out much – the Lost Castle site allows you to name your price for the game, although it must be a minimum of one dollar. There’s also a demo coming soon for those who would like to see if they can stand it.

Adventures in the Lost Castle (available for PC)

The concept behind Vexis is what I like to called ‘That Zelda Puzzle’, mainly because when I think about sliding blocks around a maze and trying to push them into the correct finishing place, it always reminds me of the Temple of Ice (or whatever it was called) from Ocarina of Time. Not that Legend of Zelda is the only game to ever use this type of puzzle, but definitely the most memorable – at least for me.

The prospect of an entire game made up of 33 of these puzzles is a little, well… underwhelming to say the least. It’s rather surprising, then, that I did in fact quite enjoy myself with Vexis – well, at least for a short while. The whole package is nicely presented, and feels pretty smooth to play. It may not be at all memorable, but hey, you’ll get a good hour’s worth of solid puzzling for your buck.

GAMEPLAY

Vexis presents you with a series of grids filled with square coloured blocks. Each grid will also contain a white block and a black hole. Your task is to rotate the grid by 90 degrees either way, forcing the white block around the maze and into the hole.

The white block will always obey the laws of gravity, so if you spin the board and Mr. Whitey has nothing to stand on, he’ll fall down until he hits something. This simple premise leads to some interesting puzzling, although once you’ve worked out the pattern and how it all works, it’s possible to simply work backwards from the hole and find the correct path.

This won’t work for the entire game, however, as special blocks begin to appear later on, including blocks that fade away and reappear every now and again. At this point, it becomes a case of finding the correct path, then rushing along quickly before the floor disappears from underneath! There may only be 33 levels, but they become pretty challenging towards the end, and will really test your noggin to the extreme.

The time scale while playing Vexis can feel pretty odd. You’ll finish up a level and look at the clock to find that it took you far less time than you’d assumed. See, even though the puzzles are quite tame, the action is in fact pretty fast-paced, as you throw the grid back and forth and watch the white block slide around. It’s not exactly heart-in-your-mouth action, but it’s no stroll in the park either.

My only real gripe with Vexis is that it doesn’t let you skip levels. If you get stuck on a certain, more difficult level, then you can’t progress any further until you’ve figured it out. It would have been nice to have the option to skip to the next level and leave one or two out here and there at least. As it is, if you get stuck halfway through the game, you’ll most likely just give up and not see the rest of the levels, which is a shame.

STYLE

For such a simple puzzle concept, Vexis looks surprisingly slick. The menus and interface in particular are nicely polished, while the grid is fairly interesting to look at… well, as interesting as a grid can look like anyway.

The rotation effects and sliding motions are also well done, adding plenty to the rush of solving the puzzle in as quick as time as possible. There isn’t any noticeable delay between hitting the trigger and watching the grid spin, which could potentially have been a game-killer for this type of concept.

The music isn’t so hot. You’ve got one track on repeat for the entire play, which begins to seriously grate after a short while. On the flipside, there is no music at all playing on the title screen. So let’s say Vexis gets a B+ for art design, and a ‘See Me’ for sound.

STORY

It’s a simple puzzle game involving spinning grids and blocks, and as such – quite understandably – has no story.

OTHER

Vexis entertained me far more than I thought it would. The moving blocks around a grid game mechanic is getting rather old now, and it’s not going to knock your socks off, but for a solid hour of gaming, Vexis can provide.

Of course, if you’re not entirely convinced that a rotating maze puzzler will be up your alley, just give the demo a download and try it out for yourself.

[Try/Buy]

With so many indie gaming related events going on throughout the year in the US, like the Independent Games Festival and PAX, I sometimes get pretty jealous over here in the UK. So thank the heavens for the Indie Games Arcade, a yearly event that’s part of the huge Eurogamer Expo in London.

I was down at the event at the weekend and played my way through the 11 games on display. The atmosphere is buzzing around the indie section, and I talked to plenty of people who told me that the Arcade was their favourite part of the whole show. At a time when mainstream gaming is looking rather grey, brown and/or shooty, indie games can feel like quite the breath of fresh air, especially to those who don’t play them often.

So without further ado, here’s my round-up of the games on show.

Gemini Rue

Originally known as Boryokudan Rue, Joshua Nuernberger’s point-and-click adventure was recently renamed Gemini Rue. I like to think that it was because I couldn’t say the original name, let alone spell it, and Joshua somehow heard my thoughts and decided to help me out.

Gemini Rue is set in a futuristic, film-noir setting, and you control Azriel Odin, a police officer on the way to extract a crime ring defector. The story also jumps to a mysterious man known as Delta-Six every now and again, and eventually the two protagonists’ stories become entwinned.

There’s some lovely storytelling, and when I played through the game a few months ago I was hooked from start to finish. Apart from the adventuring, there are shoot-out sections in which your main character can in fact die, adding a little tension to the mix. Being an adventure game, there wasn’t such a crowd around the game at the Arcade, as it’s not exactly an experience you can pick up an dive right into. Still, definitely a game to watch out for in the coming months.

DIYGamer past coverage of Gemini Rue

Fractal

From the guys who brought us Auditorium comes Fractal, a sweet little puzzler which is far more slow-paced and tactical that it first appears. Players push hexagons around a grid, creating ‘blooms’ and watching things go boom all over the place.

It all looks so gorgeous, and as with Auditorium, music plays a huge part – as you string together more combos of blooms, more layers will be added to the track currently playing until there is a smooth melody playing in full. Not that you’ll be picking up huge combos later on, as the action gets very difficult as different colours and hexagon types are added.

Surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be much interest for the game at the Arcade – you’d think that a puzzler like this would attract the punters, but this appears not to be the case. Perhaps the game looks too much like a match-3 type of puzzler, and a genre that the usual hardcore gamer who would attend this type of event would usually steer clear of. Whatever the reason, you should definitely check it out.

Past DIYGamer coverage of Fractal

Frozen Synapse

The Mode 7 team had a nice little trick up its sleeve with its Indie Games Arcade offering – with four computers set up, players were able to play Frozen Synapse against each other and get the full ‘online’ multiplayer feeling via LAN.

For those not in the know, Frozen Synapse is a turn-based tactical, top-down team shooter, in which players give their troops orders, hit the go button, and watch the action unfold. With a single-player currently in the works, the game is shaping up to be something very special indeed.

Frozen Synapse was so popular at the Expo that part-way through the weekend, the team managed to acquire an extra computer and was able to drag even more wanderers into the fray to try out its game. Very popular, and with good reason.

Revenge of the Titans

Puppy Games has been working on Revenge of the Titans for quite some time, so it’s great to see it getting the recognition it deserves. It’s a real-time strategy, tower defence mash-up with striking visuals, tons of upgrades and lots of evil-looking aliens.

There’s plenty of depth bundled in there, and throughout play you’ll come up with your own special strategies for taking out each type of baddie. Using your collected cash to upgrade your defenses is the key, and you’ll have to survive many an onslaughter to come out victorious.

With a fair bit to learn about the mechanics of the game and how everything works, it’s understandable that a lot of gamers were checking the title out, giving it a few clicks, then walking about bemused. Not to worry, though – once it’s released, we’re bound to see the game’s popularity rise.

Tiny and Big

Tiny and Big was definitely one of the biggest surprises for me – not because I didn’t like the look of the game, but because I hadn’t really heard much about it before checking it out. You take control of Tiny, a rock-cutting robot, on his quest to get his underpants back from a childish guy called Big.

Set in a 3D world, you can aim next to a rock, hold down the right mouse button, drag across a rock, let go – then watch Tiny laser the rock exactly along your line. The rock will then break in half, potentially allowing you to pull it into place and use it as an extra platform. It’s a really neat mechanic and works wonderfully.

Punters on the show floor appeared to be loving it to, and the majority of people I talked to said they’d definitely be interested in checking out the full release when it’s available. Score one for Black Pants Game Studio!

Scoregasm

You can’t miss a game with a name like that! Scoregasm was easily the most pick-up-and-play-able game at the Indie Games Arcade, being a twin-stick shooter and all. This isn’t just any arena shooter though – it’s one of the most mental I’ve seen in a long while.

This is due to two factors: 1) the bullet hell sections which see you hammering the special shield button to bash away as many enemy missiles as possible, and 2) the insane level design on certain stages. Shaving a beard off a face? Being shot at by cabbages? Helping lead a mouse around a mouse! Why yes please, I will have some of that, thank you very much!

If you’re into twin-stick shooters, this will be for you. If you can’t wait, there’s the option to pre-order the game and get the beta right now. Go go go!

Nidhogg

I enjoyed every game on show… but Nidhogg was easily my favourite. Two player only – at least at the moment – Nidhogg sees two friends facing it off in a fencing match. Strike your opponent down with your sword, then run off in the correct direction quickly before they respawn. Whichever player manages to push the action all the way to one particular side of the action wins.

The key factor is that there’s just so much depth to it. Players can run and slide on their knees, through the legs of their opponent and continue on their way. You can even throw your sword at your opponent, although this will leave you with no weapon – unless you grab a fallen one off the floor, that is. I could go on, but it’s pretty much impossible to fully explain this game – you really need to play it to understand just how amazing it is.

Don’t believe me? Well, the game was handed Rock Paper Shotgun’s indie game of the show award, and the game had constant streams of people around it who all desperately wanted a go, so you’ll need to argue with them too! Can’t wait to see this one released.

Skulls of the Shogun
Another game that completely swept me off my feet, as I hadn’t heard much about it beforehand. Skulls of the Shogun is a turn-based strategy game with some very interesting ideas on the menu, and lots of skeletons to boot.

Players use their turn to move their skeleton army around, haunting areas for rice and attacking the enemy for skulls. Eat enough skulls and you’ll turn into a demon, causing far more damage and earning big bonuses. Use your rice to build even more units, then kill the enemy general to win the game. It’s a bit like Advance Wars, but with more freedom of movement.

Very cool stuff, and you could see players really getting into it on the show floor. I fought an epic, half-an-hour long battle which ended with my general facing off against the enemy general, and losing by a slight margin. Looking forward to this one immensely.

B.U.T.T.O.N.
We’ve covered B.U.T.T.O.N. before here at DIYGamer, but there’s no better place to check it out in full glory than an expo floor. The game pits four players against each other in a button-bashing, elbow-smashing stand off.

Four players step away from the screen, then read the instructions and follow them. They can be anything from ‘do not press your button’ to ‘press your button 14 times before anyone else’. Commence with all four players rushing to the controllers and hammering away at both their own and their opponents! It’s utterly mental stuff, although I wouldn’t like to guess how many controls have been broken through playing the game!

At one point, I watched Mark Morris and Chris Delay of Introversion pushing and grabbing at each other and they both desperately tried to hammer the buttons on each other’s controllers. As I’m sure you can guess, it was rather hilarious. For this reason alone, I cannot wait to see the final version of B.U.T.T.O.N. released to the masses.

Swimming Under Clouds
Swimming Under Clouds was perhaps the game I was most interesting in seeing at the Expo, as I knew barely anything about it, except that it looked very lovely indeed. The game puts you in control of a fish who is situated in a bubble of water, and you need to help him reach the end of each level while making sure he doesn’t lose his watery shield.

While rolling around, there are platforms to roll onto and jumps to make. Momentum is the key, and spraying water can also be used to make jumps – although this will use up some of the water shield. Touching spikes will also reduce your water, and if you lose too much the fish will die.

Swimming Under Clouds feels great to play, and received a warm response from players at the Expo. Yet another game to look forward to from this year’s indie batch!

Hohokum
Last but by no means least, Hohokum from Honeyslug and Richard Hogg is quite a way from being ready for release – possibly a year or two away, in fact – yet it’s already looking the part with some very interesting ideas on display.

Players take control of a strange, flying worm-like creature in a colourful world that is under attack by unknown nasties. You cannot be hurt, and must use this invincibility to safe the little people of the world by allowing them to hop on your back and ride to a safe drop-off zone. Saving as many people as possible in the world is the aim, and you’ll need to dodge around the baddies as you fly your little guys to their destinations.

The build available at the Expo was a very early one, but was already full of vibrant colours and brimming with personality. It’ll be interesting to see how Hohokum progresses over the next year, and hopefully we’ll be able to bag a preview build again sometime into development.

So there you have it – the 11 finalists in full, and what a bunch they are. Not a single disappointment in the pack, with every single one providing plenty of entertainment, and all worth penning into your ‘must check out’ games list. Roll on Indie Games Arcade 2011!