One of the most glaring problems in the Xbox Live Indie Marketplace games is the visual style. I’ve dabbled a little in game development myself and I believe more often than not programmers don’t make good artists. However, every once in awhile you can find a gem and that’s exactly what you’ll find in TIC: Part 1 from RedCandy Games. The backgrounds are really a feast for the eyes and I’m incredibly surprised it wasn’t a full Xbox Live Arcade game.
You play as the titular TIC, a curious robot out to rid a once-peaceful world from the nefarious EvilCorp, a group of resource-hungry robots from another planet. The game is platforming at its finest as TIC tries to make his way from objective to objective, displayed in the upper left of the screen. TIC immediately has a hover capability at his disposal, but it’s limited by an energy meter that forces him to either land after short flights or refuel by collecting red acorns. Oftentimes landing isn’t an option and you must time your flights and directions just right to make it to the next recharge or landing spot. There are of course a number of enemies attempting to get in your way and make life difficult. However the game is fun and never frustrating which is about the highest praise you can give a game, particularly a platformer.
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