The top-down shooter genre is very saturated these days, but developers Headless Wizard aim to stand out with their unique art style and addictive, fast-paced gameplay. Enter Bloody Streets, a top-down shooter that is chock full of heavy metal and heavy violence toward the undead. 

 In Bloody Streets, you must survive waves of monsters. The objective is to survive until the end of each level and rack up as many points as you can in the progress. The more kills you get in succession the higher the point bonus. Using explosives and the environment are also key ways to boost your points.  More weapons are unlocked as you proceed through the game. Headless Wizard boast that there is “music dynamic rhythm system”, but I didn’t notice any changes based on my actions. The “music dynamic rhythm system” may be something that will be added at a later time.

For the demo I was given the tutorial and first five levels, and it was just enough to get me craving for more. The first level was simple, primarily an extension of the tutorial. The second level is where things started heating up. The difficulty shoots up very quickly as you are forced to think on your feet. Using the environment is essential for survival; the levels are littered with hazards and environmental switches that can work with or against you. As the game progresses I was introduced to new and more aggressive enemies. There are acid-spitting arachnids, exploding zombies and more. They came at me in startling numbers, forcing me to retreat while spraying bullets and lobbing grenades. At one point I lured a giant mob of my pursuers to a giant spinning saw blade and watched the points rack up.

The art-style of Bloody Streets is a cartoony hand-drawn style. This contrast the over the top violence taking place, making the animations satisfying yet humorous.  The animations on the game are  polished, complimenting the tight controls of the game. The characters are nothing special to look at, but masterpiece of blood you can create is spectacular.

The little bit of time I had with Bloody Streets was very enjoyable, I hope the entirety of the game holds up to my expectations. Bloody Streets can be voted for on Steam Greenlight for PC and Linux, and you can find the official website here.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Whispering Willows was recently entered into the OUYA Create Game Jam and were picked as finalists for three separate categories including Grand Prize, Most Immersive, and Best Visuals. The developers are also seeking to get the game approved through Steam Greenlight.

Although the game isn’t expected to launch until Q3 of 2013, an alpha demo has been released to help drum up interest. The demo is brief (about 5 minutes or less), but offers a glimpse into what the game is all about. The lead character, Elena, has a connection with the spirit world and is trying to find her father who many believe is dead. She can create an astral projection of herself within the land of the dead, and the player must alternate in between these two forms in order to open up new paths and help ghosts within the 2D environments. The game features some quality artwork that looks inspired in design from a number of Japanese-animated films and cartoons. The background music also helps set the somber mood for the story. The only nitpick I have is with the browser-based controls in terms of the odd choices for the keys assigned to different actions. The game is still early on, though, and it’ll be interesting to see how the final product turns out.

Swap between this world and the land of the undead to aid spirits and further your own quest.

Whispering Willows will be headed to a variety of platforms including Linux, Mac, OUYA, and PC. The studio has launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring in additional artists to help get the first chapter of  this multi-platform game out the door. Give the demo a try, and if you like what you see, you can reserve your copy of the game through Kickstarter for $10. You can also receive updates on the game’s progress through Night Light Interactive’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.