By now much of the gaming world has experienced all of the wonder that the Portal series has brought to the industry. Developer David Johnson of Smudged Cat Games takes inspiration from those fun physics-based puzzles and quite literally turns them on their heads. SPOILER ALERT: Taking on the role of a scientist stuck trying to escape his own lab, players unlock additional guns that allow them to change their character’s size, repeatedly travel back and forth between time, and change the orientation of the game world. The first and last of those guns are fairly intuitive once experimented with a couple of times. On the flip side, the time travel gun really takes some getting used to. The same people who skip through EULAs and never read the fine print are the ones that are going to run into trouble.  With all of its nuances, time travel in Gateways is not the easiest concept to wrap one’s mind around. It took me reading the multi-page help menu explanation before it finally clicked. The application of this one gun alone probably make it worthy of its own game. When combined with the abilities of the other guns, there’s really an amazing amount of reality-bending power at the player’s disposal.

The game is structured in a Metroidvania style, with new powers and abilities helping the player open previously impassable doors. One of the niceties in Gateways is that shortcuts can be opened up within the lab that allow the player to quickly travel back to the earlier areas almost in a hub-like design. At times though, it’s easy to feel lost if you don’t know about the existence of the overworld map. I’d played through a good portion of the game before realizing it was there, which would have saved me a lot of time. Having that map at my disposal definitely changed my overall opinion of the game. Backtracking can get a little tedious, especially if you have to repeatedly perform the same series of death-defying feats to reach a particular room. But as long as players use the map to get a general feel for where to go next, they should easily avoid some of the headaches I ran into.

The difficulty of the puzzles later on can get a bit frustrating. Smudged Cat even released an update that allows players to select a ‘Normal’ mode to tone things down a bit. I never got to the point where I threw down the controller in disgust, but there were times where I certainly recognized that saving the game, walking away, and coming back with a fresh mind was the way to go. One of the smart design choices was to only allow a single gun to be used in solving the first 90% or so of the puzzles. Otherwise, it would’ve been far too daunting a task to figure out which guns to whip out and in what order. However, late in the game the rules change such that you’re going to need to use multiple guns in sequence to solve getting through some of the doors. Most of these really tough puzzles can be solved with patience and determination, but even I had to eventually throw in the towel and either search for a solution online or purchase the answer using orbs collected in-game. Difficulty is always a subjective quality to judge, but I honestly feel like Smudged Cat was trying a bit too hard to boggle our minds. As a reviewer, it was a bit stressful trying to hurry towards a solution, but gamers taking on the challenge at a more casual pace will likely appreciate the pacing and challenge more. Overall I felt like the quality of the puzzles is not only great for an indie game, but puts it right on par with the best to be found in the entire video game industry. With only a few exceptions, they’re that good and that fun and certainly elicit that ‘a-ha!’ moment when solved.

Gateways is not all about the puzzles. There is a light amount of platforming, but a good portion of it takes place in between unlocking doors to new areas, rather than being central to the puzzles themselves. There are, of course, exceptions particularly when dodging one’s own clones in a time-travel solution or when changing the orientation of the lab. I thought this aspect of the game was very well done, especially with the feel of jumping. The right flightiness of jumping is not something that every XBLIG manages to nail, but the developer was successful here.

As with all of the other Smudged Cat titles I’ve played, there’s a high level of refinement in the presentation. Yes, the visual quality is, for better or worse, decidedly retro. However, the music is atmospheric, the menu system intuitive, and the help very… helpful. I mentioned before that there’s a great series of instructions in the help system for how each of the guns work, and I would consider it a must-read. The visual effects produced by opening the different gateways provide that same wonder first experienced with Portal. Though lower-res, I think it is even more awe-inspiring here when you can see clones of yourself running around in different stages of time traveling.  It’s easy to tell from the way the whole package is put together that Smudged Cat has been down this road before and learned a thing or two about how to assemble a finished product. That’s something that’s usually lacking on the XBLIG service.

The effects seen by approaching open gateways provide a cool, visual treat

Gateways not a perfect game, but it really raises the bar for what puzzle games on XBLIG should aim for. I lost count of how many times I thought to myself “What a wonderfully crafted puzzle, you tricky bastard.” A lot of people are going to draw the obvious comparisons between Gateways and Portal including me in this very article. In its own indie way Gateways goes on to do so much more. Perhaps the best praise I can heap upon this title is to say that it wouldn’t surprise me to start seeing Gateways-inspired titles start to pop up in the near future. Despite some gripes about the difficulty, I can say with full confidence that I consider it a polished gem, and I believe most players will agree.

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ 

Note: This review was conducted using version 1.11 of the game.

Additional Gateways coverage:

Review on theXBLIG.com

Review on Indie Gamer Chick

Review on Clearance Bin Review
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© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

A veteran XBLIG and PC developer with a handful of titles to his name, David Johnston is the man behind Smudged Cat Games. Smudged Cat’s puzzle platformer Gateways is one of this year’s entries selected for the Indie Games Uprising. In this interview, David talks to us about his latest title, developing for XBLIG, and the lessons that all new developers must learn.

David, congratulations on being selected for this year’s XBLIG Uprising event. How familiar were you with the previous incarnations, and were you surprised to be chosen?

Thanks!  I was certainly aware of the previous Uprisings and always really wanted to be a part of one but my previous games were never due to be released around the right time.  I’m really happy that people have seen the potential in Gateways and it was picked for the Uprising from the many great releases coming out.  I’ve always thought Gateways was quite a unique game that could fit well into an Uprising.

Your latest game, Gateways, was chosen after being released earlier this year on PC. What made you decide to port it to Xbox Live Indie Games?

It’s a bit of a no-brainer really.  The game has been written using XNA so porting it between the PC and XBox is fairly straightforward.  I’ve actually been developing the PC and Xbox versions in tandem as I’ve been going along as I was always planning to release for both platforms.  I’m interested to see how the game fares on XBLIG as it’s the first large scale game I’ve released on the platform.  My other games like A Bomb’s Way, Time Slip and Growing Pains have all been quite small bite-sized games.

I know some comparisons have been drawn between this title and Portal. Can you expand on that a bit by telling our readers what Gateways is all about?

I’m guilty myself of comparing the game to Portal because it’s the quickest way to get the general gist of the game across.  It goes well beyond Portal though by adding different types of guns that give you powers beyond just travelling from one place to another.  You find a gateway gun that lets you put down 2 different sized gateways.  By traveling through the small one you emerge out of the large one at twice your normal size and going the other way shrinks you down.  Another gateway gun lets you adjust gravity and the final one lets you travel back in time.

The structure of the game is very different as well.  Gateways takes place in a single large map which you gain access to parts of by acquiring the different types of gateway guns and other power ups.  There are no loading screens between areas of the map, the whole thing is one giant level that you are free to roam around in.  I’ve also implemented a help system so that if you get completely stuck at any part of the game you can actually buy a solution using the in-game currency.

No, that’s not a glitch. Gateways is all about mind-bending puzzles.

Sounds like you’ve got a bit of Metroidvania going there. The large-scale map also sounds reminiscent of Growing Pains which was actually the first Smudged Cat title I’d played. I really enjoyed how that level design was presented to the player, the growing mechanic, and the online leaderboards. It’s been awhile since that title was released, so you’ve probably had some time to reflect. In what ways do you consider it a success?

Growing Pains was actually a bit of a diversion while I was working on Gateways. I’d been playing with Gateways for so long that I really wanted to work on something different for a bit of a change. I had the idea of a continually growing character and decided to put together a prototype. I really liked the way it worked so decided to make a few levels and release it as a game. It’s the only game I haven’t worked with an artist on, all the graphics are vector based and generated in-game. I needed something a bit different anyway because of the way the map scales so I used fractals for rendering the walls which produces a nice effect when zooming out. I’m really happy with the way the whole game worked out.

I know that we, like other sites that cover XBLIG, would consider you an XBLIG veteran due to the fact that you’ve released a variety of titles on the platform. Most of these have met with critical, if not always commercial success. What is it that keeps you developing for the platform and how/why did you get started on it?

I started using XNA (the framework used for XBLIG games) before it was actually possible to release games for the Xbox with it. I could see that at some point Microsoft were going to allow indie developers to release games for the Xbox and thought it would be a really great opportunity. I was right about being able to release games for the Xbox but perhaps not so right about it being a great opportunity. I know some games have done really well but I haven’t really had the kind of response I was hoping for from the platform. I’m not sure if I’ll be using XNA for my next project.

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned about indie development through the process of creating all of these titles?

I’ve really learned the importance of trying to promote your game as much as possible. It’s no good just releasing a game and hoping for the best. It doesn’t matter how good your game is, if people don’t hear about it then no-one is going to play it. There are plenty of technical things I’ve learned as I’ve gone along as well. With every new game you learn from past mistakes and get more and more refined in how you implement games. It’s not the sort of thing you can really teach people, it just comes with practice and, like everything else in life, you get better over time.

I know Gateways isn’t out yet, but have you started thinking about what your next project will be? Is it time for some time off, or is there something you’re already planning and are willing to talk about?

I honestly don’t have another project in mind yet.  I recently released The Adventures of Shuggy on PC and have been thinking about making some new levels for that.  I’m going to concentrate on supporting Adventures of Shuggy and Gateways and perhaps think about porting them to other platforms before starting something new.  It’s always tempting to jump into a new project when a new idea excites you but I want to make sure I provide proper support for Gateways and make the most of it before moving on.

The Adventures of Shuggy has made its way onto both the Xbox and Steam

Are there other games on the XBLIG platform you’ve either enjoyed or been inspired by?

I really enjoyed Clover when it came out but that was a while ago now.  The most recent game I bought was P-3 Biotic which was a fun twin stick shooter.  To be honest I’ve not had much time to play any kind of game recently, whether it’s AAA, XBLA or XBLIG.  Once Gateways is out there and things die down a bit I’ll try and catch up with the games that I’ve missed recently.

Before we go, let’s hear your pitch for Gateways. Who do you think will enjoy the game, and why should everyone give it a try?

I think Gateways will appeal to people looking for some great puzzles rather than fast-paced action.  You can take as long as you like in Gateways to explore the map and uncover areas you previously missed, there’s no time limit or anything pressuring you to finish.  It’s been designed to be played at a leisurely pace allowing you to sit back and contemplate the power that’s been given to you with the different Gateways guns.  It’s the type of game that I enjoy playing so I hope it’s the type of game that other people will enjoy playing as well.

Additional press coverage:

Clearance Bin Review – XBLIG Uprising Preview: “Portal” turned upside-sideways = “Gateways”

© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Smudged Cat Games’ quirky spin on Portal has finally released. Gateways has wrapped up the beta process and flown the coop. There’s an updated demo available, and if it tickles your brain the right away you can purchase the full game for just $10 through the official website. Gamers waiting for Gateways on XBLIG are going to have to wait a bit as the developers have announced that version won’t be coming until later this year.

Check out the trailer and full press release below for more details on Gateways.

© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.