Now Playing: Osmos (PC)

I would gladly have posted about Osmos when I originally bought and downloaded it last year but I hit a snafu that neither I, nor Microsoft, had anticipated. Released late in December on Microsoft’s Games for Windows Live client, Osmos has been around for a while on Steam but it wasn’t until the prospect of Xbox Live Achievements that I was ready to pony up the $5 bargain price.

Like I said, though, I ran into a pretty detrimental problem. Turns out no one tested the game on Windows 7 Release Candidate which has this tiny snag where it doesn’t render any on-screen text. So no menus, no tutorials, no progress bar and, essentially, no game. But now that I’ve upgraded to a full-on Win7 release and reinstalled the Games for Windows stuff I was finally able to check it out and it’s quite a beautiful (and frustrating) experience.

You play as a mote, a microscopic bacteria-like organism that looks not a little bit like a Moon Jellyfish. Your goal across 47 levels is to maneuver around the screen and grow big enough to either absorb a certain percentage of rival bacteria or specific microbial foes. No matter the mode you always move around the same way, by blasting off little bits of yourself to propel your mote forward. The brilliant and challenging twist is that those little bits go bounding around the screen and can be absorbed by other bacteria to grow bigger while you shrink down. The more skittish and frequent your movements, the greater the chance you’ll bulk up something around you that can then absorb you.

At first sight I expected Osmos to play like Geometry Wars; it definitely looks the part with dark backgrounds and loads of glowy critters moving around. But as I played and failed, failed, failed, it finally dawned on me that this is more of a physics-y puzzle/strategy game. Delicate, calculated movements are required and — more and more — the focus is on using your propulsion stream to subtly effect the inertia and size of other bacteria. Thankfully, restarting is as simple as hitting Alt+R, a macro I found myself slapping mere seconds into some stages. All this “action” is accompanied by a perfectly fitting downtempo soundtrack that may not be infectious but definitely makes Osmos an experience and not just a clever Flash game.

I’m not quite in the mood for a game this deliberate and calculating (I did unlock slow-down and speed-up commands to move things along, which helps) so it may be a game I pop into every now and then until that puzzle bug bites. Regardless of Xbox Live or Steam Achievements, Osmos is worth a look-see and there’s even a free demo to be had at the official site.

Done Playing: P.B. Winterbottom Demo (XBLA)

I didn’t unceremoniously delete the trial of The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom because of its presentation. The game hits the silent picture/mustachioed adventurer note without missing a beat. It’s got the film grain effect, selective color that makes even the most subtle pies pop out and fittingly styled music.

No, what killed it for me was the gameplay. I was flabergasted when I first saw the tech demo of the game… around 2004. What looked like migraine-inducing, time-warping gameplay that would surely never be rivaled has since been tweaked and iterated on almost endlessly. While The Odd Gentlemen continued working on P.B. Winterbottom’s good looks I played so many Flash games and Indie titles that pretty much did the same things as to be more than a little burnt out by 2010. I just don’t think there’s much more for me to get out of manipulating clones of myself, tweaking time, and trying to outsmart clocks; the timed switch stuff is especially annoying.

This isn’t a slam directed solely at P.B. Winterbottom, I was just as passé on Cloning Clyde, Time Donkey and many others. If you have no idea what those other games are then I’d definitely say start with good sir Winterbottom and if you’re still hungry for more, work your way back. It’s a good game, I’m just gonna hold out for more 3D titles that tweak the space/time like Blinx, oh, and I guess Prince of Persia too.

Really Done Playing: Tobe’s Vertical Adventure (XBLA)

I originally posted after I played the trial of Tobe’s Vertical Adventure that I loved the look of the game but that the D-pad exclusive controls were infuriating thanks to the Xbox 360 controller. Soon after I was contacted by the game’s creator who let me know that — due to like-minded response — analog control would soon be patched into the Indie Games release. Excited about finally enjoying the game (and after a detour through Mass Effect 1 and 2) I finally bought the game and jumped back in.

Analog control is definitely in place now but it only confirms that it’s not just the command inputs that made the game frustrating. There’s something about the way Tobe handles in this game that stands at odds with every other platformer you may have played. Bouncing off of enemies, jumping from a hanging position, even doing a run-and-jump feels stiff and frequently unresponsive. I’ve struggled through half a dozen stages expecting to adjust to the gameplay. While it was only mildly annoying when there wasn’t a timer and impending doom chasing me, every stage forces you to rush back out as the path changes before your eyes. If I hadn’t wasted all my lives on the way down, I surely did coming back up and then you have to repeat the entire stage all over again.

I’m sorry Rayteoactive. I really love the visual style, the music, and even the concept of Tobe’s Vertical Adventure. It’s the control I am incapable of coming to terms with. I’m still hopeful that one day I’ll finish the game and get that download code for the soundtrack, but things are on indefinite hold until I get another masochistic retro platformer urge.

Done Playing: VVVVVV (Web)

Speaking of punishing old school gameplay refried like a batch of beans and made all the more potent, I recently played the demo of current Indie darling, VVVVVV. Its got pixels, single-screen rooms, requires absurd timing and just as much twitchy reflex as puzzle-solving gray matter. Where it gets the modern trimmings is with its hook — you don’t jump, you have one button that instantly changes gravity — and its checkpoint system.

So you can’t get too upset because while you’re punching your keyboard and your brain is melting out of your left nostril the most you’re typically set back is one screen’s width. No life counter to worry about. No continues. It’s only Game Over when you give up. That said, I had my fill from the demo when a series of moving platforms over a spike pit (and spike ceiling) proved just as daunting with gravity pulling in one direction as the other. I love what the game does and especially how it looks but I have no desire to punish my brain any further.

I did, however, buy the soundtrack by SoulEye, PPPPPP. It’s just as retro as you might expect from looking at the game and is as diverse in mood and atmosphere as it is loud and chiptuned. Like Shatter’s soundtrack it’s just as important  as the visuals for setting the mood. You can check out both the game (here) and the music (here) for nothing but a few minutes of your time.

What do you think of VVVVVV and PPPPPP? Is it totally your thing or, like me, did it squash your cognitive logic like a microwaved M&M?

NOT Done Playing Tobe’s Vertical Adventure (XBLA) ?

UPDATE January 18th: Rayteoactive commented on this post but I wanted to make this as clear as possible: an update to the game is coming to add analog control! Read below to see why that’s a bigger deal than it might initially sound and check out their official post for more on.

Amidst the wash of poor first-person shooters, puzzle game knock-offs and endless multiplayer twin-stick shooters, there’s a growing selection of Xbox 360 Indie Games that pluck at my heartstrings. Arkedo‘s entire lineup, Pixel Man, Dark, several of DK Alpha‘s titles, and the classic Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp all lovingly call up the days of 2D from the 8 and 16-bit eras. Pixels, parallax, power-ups and a little bit of chiptune synth. It’s like coffee with an old friend, or at least that’s what old people say.

The latest — and most affective — example of this glorious style on the Indie Games Channel is Tobe’s Vertical Adventure. Half platforming, half puzzling, you play as Tobe who’s dragged away from his Xbox on a globe-trotting, treasure-seeking adventure full of gems, chickens and chests. You can run, wall jump, slide, climb and use items to explore these gorgeous 2D worlds but after a little “active reload” styled minigame to open each level’s treasure chest you’ll have only a few minutes to make it back out before impending doom catches up with you. I’m not sure if there’s a story element from the trial I played but each level rumbles to pieces and creates new paths to navigate as you ascend to safety, complete with Kid Icarus style run-off-the-left-reappear-on-the-right gameplay.

I have to admit, as much as I loved what I saw of the game from the demo (especially touches like the way waterfalls drop right off the level and little elements exist out of bounds) I won’t be buying Tobe’s Vertical Adventure right now. The timed escapes were already a bummer as I’d rather explore and hunt for high score but coupled with the D-pad-exclusive controls things just got too frustrating for me. As odd as analog control is for a retro-styled 2D game, the Xbox D-pad is atrocious to use for just about anything and especially for precision platforming. I love what Rayteoactive has done to create an entirely unique and beautiful 2D platform/puzzler, it’s just not quite to my personal liking. By all means, though, if you ever enjoyed a game that came on a cartridge, you too should at least check out the free demo.

Bonus free video from the official site of the game which you should also check out for the amazing faux-Genesis boxart!

Done Playing: Iji (PC)

I finished playing Iji about a day after my previous post went up and just now got back to it for a second playthrough. Unfortunately, the time vs. reward ratio for hunting down secrets and trying not to kill enemies is a little too extreme for me. Hours disappear and one tiny little screw up means a complete restart. The unlockable maps are indispensable in secret hunting and the option to play single stages is handy but the replay value is clearly aimed at the hardcore.

There’s loads to do afterwards but the majority of the game can be experienced in just a few day’s time. Like Braid, Iji is an experience whose value lies in its engrossing world and compelling gameplay. I had originally likened it to Out of this World but I realize now that the similarities end at their visual style. Iji is an action /platform game but it manages to set itself apart from everything I’ve ever played. This is thanks to its strategic approach to enemy encounters and its array of weapons and skills.

It may be 2D but every inch of these levels presents a new way to deal with an enemy. You can use blast damage from other enemies or nearby turrets to take out opponents, you can reflect their attacks back at them, or you can avoid combat altogether. Or, ya know, you can use one of eight weapons to destroy anyone in your path. Experimenting with weapons and “cracking” them via a minigame to find their alternate forms is just one of the many surprising subtleties of Iji.

Of course, you can’t crack hardly anything without improving your cracking ability; one of seven skills that you’ll find yourself painstakingly pondering over when you finally get another upgrade point. You can quickly build up points by killing enemies and grabbing their Nanofield (long story, think of it like their souls) but the game is so expertly designed that you can collect most without having to personally kill anyone.

The story and dialog tries to get you to think about the enemies attacking you but the message never quite hits home until the end of the game. By that point I’d killed hundreds of aliens and figured I’d do better the second time through. Which brings me back to the start. Iji is an action game by design and sparing the lives of as many aliens as possible takes a surprising amount of time, strategy, and consideration. I’d like to think that one day I’ll load it up again and explore my compassionate side. Until then I’ll always keep a free 35 megs of space on my hard drive and a warm spot in my heart for the amazing and unforgettable experience of Iji. Thank you Daniel Remar.