Survivalist is an isometric 3D sandbox RPG zombie survival game, with great emphasis on the survival aspect. You begin the game as Joe Wheeler who has been hiding in an underground bunker in an attempt to avoid the spreading zombie virus. Supplies have run out after a year, thus you must venture out and procure food and water in order to keep on living. Simple enough, until you realize that there are zombies running around and civilized life is all but wiped out. What follows next is your daily struggle in the search for food and supplies in order to keep you alive and safe from the hazards of a devastated, zombie-infested, gang-ridden land. This being an open-world game, you are free to roam anywhere you please in the search for more supplies. The further you stray from the safety of your bunker though, the more dangers lurk around every corner.

Survivalist focuses on a more realistic tone to the genre than most games do. While you do have the usual gunning and scavenging aspect as seen in similar games such as DayZ, the core mechanic of Survivalist focuses on community and humanity as a whole. When exploring Survivalist’s desert wasteland setting, you will often come upon other survivors of the zombie uprising. Each encounter can easily shape the outcome of your playthrough as every person you meet has their own personality, relationships, and personal goals and needs. Your actions upon meeting this person can easily determine whether they are a friend or foe, and they will remember your choice as well. Rob a passerby early in the game and later on in your next meeting they will remember your face with a seething look of hatred pointed your way and possibly the barrel of a gun as well. Begin friendly trades with a well-armed group and they will welcome you happily to their camp for further use and trade. The amount of work put into the AI to simulate a living and thriving community among the NPCs was simply amazing to see. The fact that I can slowly work my way into the good graces of a community by buttering up one or two members and see the results of my goodwill spread among the rest of the members left me amazed.

Speaking of community, it is not solely limited to pre-established NPC clans. The option is there to build your own community as well. With enough supplies, manpower and skills, you can build your very own fortress to house yourself and any friends you make on your travels. One key member you will come across very early in the game is a woman named Alice who is a diabetic and requires a daily dose of insulin in order to keep her alive. With her among your group, not only do you need the basic necessities but you also need to procure a regular supply of her medication. In a world devasted by a zombie plague, modern medication such as insulin does not come readily available, with the few caches coming in at a steep price. Do you keep her with you and attempt to save what humanity is left, or do you simply abandon her, leaving her to a grim fate?

In my playthrough, I decided to let her tag along with me and did the best of my abilities to keep her regularly supplied with her much-needed medication. I will have to admit that this hit a lot closer to home than I was expecting from a game. I come from a high-risk group of people for diabetes and my family does have a history of the condition. The fact that I got a small glimpse of what I may have to resort to if the collapse of civilization actually occurred, left me in contemplative silence. Not many games I have played have managed to evoke a feeling like this from me, it is both humbling and frightening when I think about it.

The gameplay itself is broken down into familiar action-rpg style mechanics. You have skills ranging from fitness, guns, farming, and construction. Each one can be leveled up by using that particular skill, with successive levels adding more benefits for your continual survival. More fitness for example can allow you to run further and carry heavier loads; better gun skills will allow you to aim more accurately, taking down zombies with ease. The zombies, while not as deadly as the human threats you may come across, are no pushovers themselves. Zombies in Survivalist come in various strengths which have been thoughtfully color coded as virus strains. The virus strains infecting the undead hosts range from a mildly annoying green, stronger blues, dangerous reds, and a rumored instant-death white. With skills you can manage each one with various difficulty, greens offering the least amount of danger and whites the most. Thankfully all the viruses save for the white strain can be combated with syringes called antigens in order to cure yourself of viral bites. These of course will further add to your list of much needed supplies. Getting bit by a zombie will mean death if the required antigen isn’t applied soon, so always carry a syringe or two while out scavenging.

I have to say I love this game. It’s a robust game filled with moral and physical obstacles while giving a grand look on the narrative of humanity and the choices we make. The graphics, while not the best looking, did the job well of playing out a world devoid of modern civilization. Abandoned towns looked eerie and foreboding, the game’s day/night cycle made you welcome the sun. Zombies looked grotesque and dead as they should; the interface offering multiple views and providing vital info when needed. The music in game added the appropriate amount of atmosphere, some more than others I might add. Having an easy, synthesized guitar track guide you along as you explore the vast desert inexplicably changing to a strange electronica tempo just felt jarring. Thankfully the majority of them fit right in and it didn’t distract me too much from the immersion of the game.

The game is so close to being perfect, it has all the aspects I ever wanted in a survival game as well as adding in zombies and a well-defined “living world”. The sheer depth it offers with the narrative separates itself from the other similarly-themed games. With it’s glowing gameplay and mechanics I do see a rather major problem coming up during the endgame, that problem being a gentle downhill slope into repetitiveness. In my playthough one of my endgame goals was to have at least one survivor with maxed out skills. Once you form a basic community and you have people cordoned off and specialized to do certain work, you begin using those members solely for their best skill and rarely anything else. I had one member who was the main builder of the group while I was a skilled marksman and scavenger. I would need to grind construction skills with useless buildings and dwindling supplies just to be able to “win”. Thankfully I have yet to experience this part of the game, perhaps it may not be as bad as I think when I eventually do get to that point. Either way this is a cause of concern for me as using timesinks in order to win does not seem enjoyable in the least.

Despite that, I think that Survivalist is great beyond all expectations and it has become my favorite game among all the titles being offered on XBLIG. It is nearly perfect and it outshines any other title I have played with the survival-horror-sim aspect. If you want a great survival game for a low price, get Survivalist as soon as you can. I guarantee it will keep you busy for hours. While it may not be as eye-opening to others as it was to me, I assure it will give you much food for thought.

Simply amazing.

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

Other reviews:

Survivalist on theXBLIG

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

We receive a lot of review requests at The Indie Mine. While I would love to be able to support every indie dev out there with coverage of their game, that’s simply not possible. This also means that occasionally a gem or two will slip through the cracks. Thankfully, every so often one of them turns up again. In the case of Rise of the Ravager, I finally had a chance to play it at a recent indie expo after not being able to squeeze it into my schedule when the game launched earlier this year. How’d it turn out? It’s an impressive blend of many classic game design conventions within one addictive package. To get a sense of what Rise of the Ravager is like, imagine if Missile Command, Ikaruga, and Zuma had a digital baby.

An ancient god is awakening in the cosmos and raining its minions down from the skies.  It’s up to the player to use a cannon and sharp reflexes to destroy the underlings before they can reach the planet’s surface. The twist is that combat is based on a color-matching system. Red enemies can only be destroyed by red cannonfire, blue by blue, and so on. The game was originally designed, in part, for the Xbox 360, so naturally enemies can appear in each of the four face-button colors. Swapping between the artillery is instantaneous and accomplished by pressing one of those buttons or the keyboard should the player opt for that on the PC version. Thankfully the PC version also offers gamepad support.

You and up to 3 friends can challenge the gods themselves.

Not that the challenge ever lets up, but the player is given a helping hand with an upgrade system. Boosts to attributes like firing speed or new abilities like a screen-clearing bomb can be slotted using skill points earned during each stage. Simply surviving will net a few points, but extras are rewarded for taking no damage or destroying the occasional spy machine. After each round, points can be unslotted to be placed elsewhere. This certainly helped when I found out I went for the big boosts too early, or when I needed to refocus on damage for a boss level. Not all of the abilities are exactly clear on how they function or why they should continue to have extra points dropped into them, so the ability to undo mistakes is almost a necessary feature. It also brings just the slightest bit of an RPG element to the table and can help diversify the gameplay depending on the player’s choices.

The upgrade systems allows you to spend – and later undo – points on powerful abilities.

If there’s an area where the game especially shines, it’s that the developers have done a fine job of pacing the difficulty. Enemies of increasing varieties of color are slowly introduced over the first half a dozen stages, giving the player a chance to mentally adjust to the increasing complexity. Eventually the opposition also brings new tricks like firing their own projectiles or releasing smaller minions, all of which also have to be destroyed. RotR nails that feeling of “just barely made it” that is the hallmark of a good shoot-em-up. Rarely did I ever feel overpowered because of the upgrades, and even though I failed a handful of times, I never felt cheated. That was even the case when playing through the game plus mode which is unlocked by beating the campaign.

The thematic presentation of the game takes a lot of its inspiration from ancient Central American influences. The colorful sprites and backdrops reminded me a lot of Zuma, another game that relies heavily on a quick-paced color matching system. The developers have also incorporated a remarkably deep mythology to the world of RotR. Between each stage, the history of the titular Ravager is revealed through brief, almost scripture-like story fragments. Although the core of the game is simple and arcade-like, it feels like a more fleshed-out game by placing it in within this framework.

For those who don’t want to play alone, Rise of the Ravager does include a multiplayer component. Up to three buddies can join in on the campaign at the start of any stage, and having them there adds a lot of fun and strategy to the experience. Boss fights tend to be trials that involve alternating between going on the offensive and the defensive, but having one or more friends means that responsibilities can be divvied up. It’s not all about being a good teammate. Even though it’s a cooperative experience, bragging rights are at stake because the game totals each individual player’s score on every stage. The winner gets to determine how to spend the hard-earned upgrade points. Although the Xbox version is a perfect fit for a living room gaming session with friends, it would’ve been nice if the PC version included an online multiplayer component rather than just the single-screen view.

Rise of the Ravager is simple done right. The developers have taken the best elements of shmups and retro arcade titles and created a polished game of their own. While an extra mode or some unlockables would help to keep players coming back, there’s enough there in the game plus campaign and multiplayer to keep gamers coming back for at least a little while.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a PC copy provided by the developer for that purpose. Version 1.0.2 was used in this review. Rise of the Ravager is available on PC, Linux, and Xbox, and information on all versions can be found on the game’s official website. 

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

DLC Quest 

The Live Freemium or Die expansion continues the theme of the original game: poking fun at just about everything related to the cash-grabbing methods of large publishers. The biggest swipes are made at industry trends like season passes, DLC NPCs, and features intentionally withheld at release time. Once again, many core elements of a video game must be purchased within the game’s DLC market using in-game currency. There’s also the tongue-in-cheek inclusion of many classic video game tropes, and the developer is never afraid of breaking the 4th wall in order to make the extra joke. It takes a delicate touch for a comedian to know when the joke’s gone on too long, and these two campaigns wrap up before the mockery gets old. Taking my time, I completed both in less than two hours.

Live Freemium or Die manages to take more swings at the gaming industry than the original campaign.

Live Freemium or Die feels like a deeper campaign when compared to the original, though the plot isn’t necessarily any more complex. The game thrives on its absurd simplicity, lack of meaningful characters, and strict adherence to gaming clichés. However, the story does feel a bit longer and more entertaining, and it manages to draw upon characters and events from the first adventure in a humorous way. Players who enjoyed the first campaign will likely have the same opinion of this new one, but it isn’t a radically different experience from a thematic standpoint.

DLC Quest‘s plot always gets straight to the point.

There are other areas where Live Freemium or Die manages to separate itself from its forebear. There’s a far larger emphasis on 2D platforming in this go-round. While it was impossible to die in the original campaign, that’s certainly not the case here. In some areas, navigation is tricky enough that checkpoints have been introduced. Well, they can be bought anyway (surprise, surprise). Gone is the double-jump from the first campaign, replaced with a well-used wall jump. There’s nothing here that an experienced platformer player can’t handle, but it’s a notable leap – pun intended – in difficulty. The only complaint I actually have is that there’s a bit too much backtracking, but even some of that is an intentional mockery of the fetch quests prevalent in so many games.

Perhaps the word that best describes DLC Quest is efficient. The developer set out with a goal of zinging the gaming industry, wastes no time doing so, and neatly wraps things up before the game overstays its welcome. As part of the Steam release, achievements were added for both campaigns. For a game as short as DLC Quest is, it’s nice to have an added incentive to go back and play again. There are also leaderboards for those players who are into making speed runs. The audience for DLC Quest is certainly the horde of gaming veterans who will fully appreciate the in-jokes, but even casual players should enjoy this solid platformer.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a copy of the Steam PC version provided by the developer for that purpose. The game is also available through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

King Swing is a platformer that functions more like an endless runner (aka autorunner) as the goal is linear and control is limited. Taking on the role of an ape of presumably high social status, players must swing from one rock outcropping to another in a 2D setting. Rather than grab vines, the player shoots them in his or her direction of choice hoping to latch onto the rocks. When successful, the ape travels through a pendulous swing and the player presses a button to release. Success is all about building and keeping momentum, so aiming for a suitable rock face and releasing at the appropriate point in the swing are both paramount. While it is possible to get the monkey going again if the player messes up, coming to a dead stop is generally a fatal situation. Even with some success. the player will eventually succumb to the piranhas waiting patiently at the course’s bottom.

As clinical as that description is, the game actually IS fun to play once the player gets a feel for the mechanics. When everything’s going right, building that momentum up can create that wonderful “in the zone” feeling. I say ‘can’ because there are some design issues with the game that make this more difficult than it should be. Aiming the vines feels like an inexact science where it’s difficult to be certain what part of the rock face the vine will hit or if it will even hit at all. Should the player send the monkey hurtling too high, he disappears off the top of the screen with the camera following part of the way. Because of the change in view, it becomes really difficult to anticipate where he’s going to come down. This means players will have to guess if there are any rocks to grab onto when the camera shifts back into its regular position. The fact that the ape hurtles downward faster than normal gives players very little time to react. There’s a difference between edge-of-your-seat, intense action and putting players into a situation where they’re riding on a hope and a prayer. Far too often this game falls into the latter category.

Try as you might, you’ll eventually end up in the drink.

King Swing does have some other good features going for it, though even these have their limitations. I’m a sucker for a leaderboard system and thankfully this game includes global leaderboards, a rarity for XBLIG titles. There are separate rankings for each of the three game modes: Endless (the default mode), Ropes, and Time Attack, with the latter two being shorter variations on the main mechanic. Ropes challenges players to see how far they can get with only ten ropes in their arsenal. Time Attack gives players one minute to travel as far as possible. While these are both fun in their own right, they’re not different enough from the default mode to breathe new life into the game for very long. With the touted inclusion of ragdoll physics and painful deaths, early on I had hopes that the experience of playing and failing at the game would be as entertaining as Trials HD or Trials Evolution. Here, though, there aren’t a lot of laughs to be had, so it would’ve been nice to have seen this taken further.

King Swing is a bit of an odd egg. It has potential, but there’s just something missing. At times it almost seems like it would be a better fit on a different platform, and I think my fellow XBLIG reviewers agree. For those on the fence, the developers are aware of the issues and are working on an update to fix some of the flaws. With a modified camera, fixes to the targeting system, and inclusion of an extra mode/feature or two, this would be a highly recommendable game for the casual crowd.  As it exists right now, the game’s a bit shallow but still worth giving the trial a go.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

What does this score mean?

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Despite it’s title, Arcadecraft is not yet another Minecraft clone available through the Xbox Live Indies Games market. Instead, it’s a game that puts players in the role of an arcade manager in that scene’s heyday of the early 1980s. Arcadecraft plays on actual history by including events like the video game crash of 1983 and ending with a nod to the release of the NES in 1985. Through it all, it’s up to the player to ensure that their arcade is remaining popular with the crowds and racking in enough money to pay the bills.

Shown from an isometric perspective, the empty arcade is the player’s canvas for creating a gaming hotspot. As the ever-running calendar moves from month to month, game publishers release new arcade cabinets available for purchase by the player. These cabinets vary in initial cost, genre, control method, number of floor spaces occupied, power consumption, and a few other characteristics. Once purchased and placed on the floor, each cabinet will begin drawing in money based on a few factors including the arcade’s current popularity rate and the popularity of the individual machine. The newer a machine is, the quicker it makes money. That money must be repeatedly collected from the machine by the player, otherwise the game stops raking in coins.

I give credit to the developers for trying to add strategic depth through individual game cabinet settings. However, I found that the game suffers from a pacing problem that interferes with the use of that level of customization. The early portion of Arcadecraft speeds by too quickly to really get a grasp of how or when the settings will affect that cabinet’s money-making ability. Early on there’s not much incentive to fiddle with the defaults because of the risk of failure, and later in the game there’s simply too much money-collecting taking place to do anything else. It was only once I hit the final year of the simulation – when no new arcade cabinets are available for purchase – that I really started toying around. There are lessons to be learned from the first full play-through of the game, but it’s doubtful most players are going to go back and repeat the exact same sequence of events using that newly-gained knowledge. I think if the developers had decided to include a controllable speed setting, just like in Smooth Operators: Call Center Chaos, it would give players a chance to run their arcade at a pace that allows for experimentation.

Individual machines can have their pricing and difficulty settings modified.

One of the best aspects of the game has to be the homage to the gaming industry of three decades ago. It’s an interesting look back at the evolution of technology as newer games offer varying cabinet styles and control methods. There’s also a bit of a nostalgia factor as a number of the games in Arcadecraft are parodies of classics like Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. Some of the game publishers even release sequels to their titles ala Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man. If the player manages to hold onto the original and can seat the sequel(s) next to it, each machine gets a popularity boost.

There are a number of other interesting strategical decisions that the player must make during the lifespan of the arcade. Periodically a pro-gamer will stop by and want to try one of the most popular machines. If he manages to beat the high score, a popularity boost will temporarily be placed on that machine. The trade-off is that while he’s hogging the machine it’s not earning any money. From time to time, a vendor will stop by and offer to buy one of the player’s classic gaming arcade cabinets for a high ticket price. However, to keep a machine around long enough for it qualify as a classic generally means its old and far less popular (read: cost-ineffective) than the latest and greatest cabinets.

Succeed by creating a customer-friendly layout and buying a wide variety of cabinets.

As with many simulation games, Arcadecraft suffers in its endgame. Once the player has reached the two-year mark and paid off their debt, most of the challenge is gone. Truth be told, I failed to pay off that debt during my first go-round, but that experience was an education in the keys to winning: start slow and continue to replace old, unpopular machines as soon as you can buy new ones. Once the player figures that lesson out, the challenge changes from mental strategy to menial labor as he/she has to repeatedly run around in a frenzy emptying coin boxes. It becomes tedious very fast, and the ability to hire an automated helper does little to relieve the effort of maintaining a large number of cabinets. At this point, the goal becomes simply trying to collect as much money as possible before the simulation ends. Unfortunately the lather-rinse-repeat process happens earlier in this title than some of the similar games I’ve played on XBLIG. Ultimately I would have liked to have seen a slower-paced game with more to do during that time than collect money and fix broken machines.

Arcadecraft‘s premise and early execution show so much promise that I was doubly disappointed when I became bored by the end. One or two design choices made differently would have been the difference between this being a decent game and a great one. It’s obvious that the developers put a lot of work into the presentation. I fear, though, that the 240 Microsoft Point price tag in a typically 80-Point market may keep even the most curious of players away. I think it’s still worth a look for those who enjoy simulation/strategy games and those who can still remember the golden age of arcades.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Microsoft aimed to bring indie games to their console by creating the Xbox Live Indie Game (XBLIG) service. With XBLIG, developers could approve each other’s games, making it fast, cheap, and easy for indie developers to release their games.

Why Microsoft Created XNA

Microsoft also wanted to make it easier for developers to make games for their systems. To do this, they created XNA, a set of tools intended to streamline game development and to make it easier for indie studios to create games. Many of the most popular games on the system have been created using XNA. Despite its popularity, Microsoft recently announced that they would no longer be working on the toolset. I asked them what the situation was, and what discontinuing XNA would mean for indie developers. Here’s what a spokesperson had to say:

“XNA Game Studio remains a supported toolset for developing games for Xbox 360, Windows and Windows Phone. Many developers have found financial success creating Xbox LIVE Indie Games using XNA. However, there are no plans for future versions of the XNA product. Game developers have a wide set of options on Microsoft platforms, ranging from XNA and managed code to DirectX and native code. Microsoft provides developers the options they need to be successful.”

To find out what developers thought about the decision to stop work on the platform. I spoke to David Johnston, of Smudged Cat games, makers of Timeslip, Gateways, and The Adventures of Shuggy. Here’s what he has to say about developing games for Xbox using XNA:

David Johnston – Smudged Cat Games

“It’s been exciting to develop games for the Xbox. I started with Shuggy which was actually an XBLA game in the end. I tend to play games on consoles more than on PC so it felt like the right place to be releasing games for me. It’s great to think of people chilling out on their sofas and playing a game that I made.”

”XNA has been fantastic. I’ve developed games on and off for most of my life and struggled with various different programming languages and APIs but using C# with XNA has been by far the easiest to get to grips with. It removes so many of the mundane tasks related to game. It’s great that it’s inspired so many people to actually bring those game ideas they’ve had in their head into reality.”

”There’s bound to be a decline in the number of indie games that are released now as people looking at XNA will be reading “XNA is dead” everywhere. However, it’s not quite as straightforward as that. The MonoGame project has been around for a while now offering a cross-platform solution to XNA. It seems that MonoGame is now going to take over, it’s being actively worked on and will soon be a complete solution for making XNA games even on future versions of Windows. ”

”I’m curious to see what Microsoft announce about support for indie games on the next Xbox. Given how things have gone with the current Xbox it’s debatable if there will be any support at all. I really hope there will be something but I’ll certainly be approaching it with caution this time round given the way the current channel was promoted and lack of profits from it. I’ve certainly had better figures from Steam and am currently more interested in the Ouya and Steam box at the moment.”

I also spoke to Shahed Chowdhuri of OnekSoft games, creator of 2D Math Panic as well as Angry Zombie Ninja Cats. Shahed has also developed tools to help indie developers make games with XNA. Here’s what he has to say about XNA and indie games on Xbox:

Shahed Chowdhuri - OnekSoft Games

“Developing games for Xbox is a childhood dream come true. Completing a game project and putting it out on the world’s (arguably) best game console is a great experience.”

”When I first learned about game development, I worked with C++ and DirectX, and tried out some basic samples on Windows. But XNA changed everything. I was suddenly able to write a video game for Windows and Xbox 360 at the same time, using C#. My day job requires me to work primarily with C#, so this was definitely a plus for me.”

”XNA has made it easy for me (and countless others) to create Indie games that would not have been possible without it.”

”Technologies come and go, and XNA is no different. Although Microsoft won’t release updated versions of the XNA framework, that won’t stop us from using Visual Studio 2010, C# and XNA to create games that run on Windows Vista, Windows7, and even Windows8 (non-RT version). For the rest of the year, we can also continue to publish to Xbox Live Indie Games on the Xbox 360.”

”As a whole, XBLIG developers will have to migrate to other areas. Some of them may gravitate towards development strategies that allow them to use the same language they are used to. And some of them will learn other languages (e.g. Java and Objective-C) so that they can develop native games and apps for Android and iOS, respectively.”

”Another portion of XBLIG developers may go the multi-platform route (e.g. Unity) to create high-quality games on both iOS and Android, with proven tools and technologies.”

”I think that the future of Indie Games on Microsoft’s next platform will ride on their ability to show off what the Indie world has to offer. This is a tricky situation, because they have made it clear that they want to separate out the $1 XBLIG games from the $60 AAA titles, with distinct marketplaces. Heck, there’s even a middle ground with Xbox Live Arcade, where some Indie games (e.g. Fez and Super Meat Boy ) have found success.”

”Apple and Google have shown the world that you can place professional games and homebrew indies in the same marketplace, and let the customers decide what they want to buy. Microsoft has started to move towards this trend with their Windows Store for Windows8, so there may be a chance that Indie developers will get better exposure on the next Xbox console.”

”Many developers will definitely switch to other platforms (as they have been), but they can also be wooed back to Microsoft’s corner if their needs can be appeased.”

The Future of Indie Games on Xbox

Developers are clearly uncertain about their future with XNA, and with Microsoft systems in general. When Microsoft created XBLIG and XNA, they hoped to attract indie game developers to their system. Looking at the statistics, it seems like they were succesful – there are 2,837 games in the XBLIG marketplace. The best selling title, Castle Miner Z, has sold over a million copies.

But for every game that succeeded on XBLIG, there are a handful that didn’t. Many developers have not seen the profitability they had hoped for, and in financial terms other platforms are far more attractive. Take developers Zeboyd Games, whose RPGs Cthulhu Saves The World  and Breath Of Death VII sold more in a week on Steam than they did in a year on XBLIG.

Microsoft hasn’t abandoned indie game developers completely. There are still a range of tools which developers can use. But by discontinuing XNA, Microsoft will surely push some indie developers away from Microsoft systems altogether. It is strange that after so much time fostering a positive and productive indie community, Microsoft seems to have turned its back on the developers it once supported. If XNA is to have a successor, it will have a big act to follow.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

While Squadron Scramble offers a myriad of game options, the standard mode pits the player against a customizable number of opponents. Each player by default starts with four pilots, but only one pilot is in the air while the rest remain in the hanger. There are exceptions to those rules depending on game settings. Each stage consists of a base and a hanger. Pilots emerge from the base and must run to the hanger to board a plane and start racking up points. Each opponent shot down earns that individual pilot a point which goes towards the team total. When a player is shot down and survives, he/she has the option of running back to base to switch pilots, or return to the hanger to grab another plane. The player with most team points when the timer runs out wins the round.

While the trial doesn’t convey the fun factor of the game, the full version doesn’t do the best job in terms of immediately hooking players either. While every fresh startup of the game displays the basic rules to live or die by, it’s on the player to figure out how to really play the game. There are hints provided between rounds that clue players in to the layers of strategy hidden just under the surface of the fly-and-shoot theme. At first, most players will simply be flying around trying not to get shot down while erratically firing off their own armaments.  However, once the player realizes how the scoring works, that’s likely to change. Each pilot on a team has their own score, and if that pilot dies while on the ground, he remains out for the round and his score goes to zero. Scores also carry across rounds or “sorties” when playing a multi-round match.

Using cloud cover to hide is a useful, learned tactic.

After learning the ruleset by playing the game a handful of times, I was able to use better defensive strategies like keeping high-score pilots in the barracks as much as possible. Going on the offensive became more focused as I began trying to gun down the opponent’s vulnerable pilots as they tried to run to the hangar. Team-based dogfights have their own strategies to learn as well when dealing with a partner. There are even considerations when flying the plane. Doing too many loops will slow the plane down, and flying straight upward can stall the plane. The simplistic graphics really belie what’s under the hood. The game has a lot of depth that’s not apparent when firing it up for the first time, or even after a few rounds.

Squadron Scramble is a multiplayer-centric game, and the developers have gone to great lengths to tout the support for up to eight players at one time. In the event you can actually round up seven other human beings, two players can reportedly play on one controller, though I have to imagine that’d be an uncomfortable arrangement. Regardless of how many people are playing, all players can be divided up into at most four teams. With roughly a quarter to a third of the screen being taken up by the score counter, I assumed that trying to play with eight planes flying around the screen would simply not work. That’s not the way it plays out though, as at any given point half the players are likely to be on the ground racing for the base or hanger, or they’re parachuting down from their destroyed plane. The skies never get too crowded, so kudos to the Depth Charge Software developers for keeping the game balanced even with all of that pandemonium.

As a party game, Squadron Scramble is insanely fun. Having acquainted myself with the subtleties of the game, I brought in three friends who – with a little guidance – were able to play competitively almost immediately. Squadron Scramble includes that essential “screw over your friend” element that makes local multiplayer so enjoyable. Alliances are forged one minute and dissolved shortly after when the tables have turned. It reminded me a lot of playing Bomberman 64 back in the day. Any game that can elicit cackles, squeals, and cries of lament from a room full of grown men deserves some lavish praise.

Thankfully the developers remembered that  not everyone has an entourage at their beck and call, so they’ve included AI opponents to fill in whenever necessary. Everyone’s experience may be different playing the game, but I found the challenge level of the AI to be pretty well-balanced. I won most matches, but very rarely swept every round. The enemy planes were also smart enough to fire at the pilots running for cover on the ground. There are no difficulty settings to play around with, so it’s a good thing the developers nailed it right the first time.

Player assignment isn’t the only variance in the game. There are a few additional modes included that shake up the rules in terms of how many pilots are on each team or how many shots can be fired in a burst. And for a truly tailored experience, there’s a custom mode that allows modification of just about every setting including number of rounds, timer duration, and stage selection. The stages have their own quirks like environmental and man-made hazards that some players may like or dislike. Providing the option to jump immediately to or stay away from any of the five stages is a nice feature.

As an intended party game, Squadron Scramble soars, but not before having a little trouble getting off the runway. There’s a bit of a learning curve that must be overcome through simply playing the game. I really struggled with what review score to settle on. However, the fact that this now sits along with SpeedRunner HD and Hidden in Plain Sight in the echelon of must-play XBLIG party games, settled the matter for me: 5/5. Grab a buck, some buds, and some brews and have a blast.

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ 

A review copy of this game was provided by the developer for that purpose.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Aeternum‘s plot involves a young demon girl in search of her best friend. Her journey takes her through the academy she attends as she meets a wide variety of classmates and other creatures. The character design and setting are both very Japanese-inspired, and while it’s not my cup of tea, I’m sure there’s an audience out there for it. Thankfully, the dialogue is well written, fairly humorous at times, and much more likely to appeal to a wider audience than the actual characters themselves.

I’ve never really been a fan of shmups. I enjoy overcoming adversity, but when a game is designed to frustrate the person playing it,  it seems counter to the concept of entertainment. However, journalistic integrity includes keeping an open mind, which is how I approached Aeternum. What separates this game from other shmups is how the shield system is implemented. Defeating enemies earns the player ‘power’, and 50 ‘power’ can be spent to purchase a shield that lasts for a few seconds. The player starts with and can earn ‘Panics’ which automatically create a shield in the event the player’s going to get hit and doesn’t realize it. These are available in short supply, and even moreso on the higher difficulty settings, so there’s a strategy involved with making sure they’re held in reserve. Getting hit with no shields, no power, and no panics available results in the player’s death.

Projectiles. Lots and lots of projectiles.

Taking down the game’s standard flying cat and dog enemies is an assailable challenge, but the boss fights are another matter. Each of the four stages includes multiple bosses, each with multiple phases. As with most shmups, the key is pattern recognition through trial and error. After a few missteps (and sometimes many more), I found that the shooting and dodging while swapping between an offensive and defensive mindset became almost dance-like in a thoroughly enjoyable way. The game never lets up, though, and attention must be focused at all times between cutscenes. Aeternum embodies the term “bullet hell” as the game tries its damnedest to overwhelm the player with a deluge of projectiles to avoid. Thankfully the player’s avatar can be controlled in an alternate mode that makes only a small area of the player a vulnerable hit box. While that option can also earn scoring boosts from near-misses, the tradeoff is that player movement is slowed down.

One of the biggest complaints I have about Aeternum is the pacing of the game in terms of standard enemies versus boss fights. Sometimes there’s not enough easier kills in between bosses in order for the player to earn back “power” that’s been spent. The second stage is particularly awful for this. Another minor gripe is the lack of a save system. While the game is only four stages long, they all have to be played in one sitting. And as much as I struggled with the game, I played it on the “easiest” level. I don’t even want to think about how painfully tough the other difficulties are, but they’re there for the most hardcore of shmup fans. If developers are going to offer a handful of difficulty levels, the easiest one should still be easy. Thankfully a retry stage option was added in the first patch that made it at least somewhat possible for gamers to make it through to the end.

Aeternum is an interesting animal. There are so many things that I shouldn’t like about it, but I enjoyed playing it anyway. Most of what I could consider drawbacks or failings tend to fall into the personal tastes category, as the game itself really doesn’t have any inexcusable issues. The biggest concern I have about whether or not it’s going to be a success lies in the fact that the genre and character design place it in a niche within a niche, potentially alienating some gamers before they’ve even tried it. Those that take the risk are going to find a better-than-average shmup. Be forewarned, though, that despite the cutesy facade, this is a game that wants to take your lunch money and have you thank it for doing so. Aeternum is currently selling for 80 MSP ($1) in the Xbox Live marketplace.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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

In the world of Entropy, there’s not much in the way of hand-holding when it comes to figuring out what is supposed to be done and how it’s supposed to be accomplished. Because the story begins with the limited explanation that something ‘strange’ happened, it’s no surprise that the character’s identity, purpose, and abilities are also kept a mystery. The first-person view helps further that mystery by obscuring the view of what sort of entity the player is. I don’t always enjoy games that leave the player to figure out what the hell’s going on, but the dark and mysterious atmosphere made it seem like a good fit in this instance. A shining amoeba-like creature casually draws the player in the direction they must go, but the path is typically blocked. By unlocking the opening to the next area, the game fairly literally leads the player further down the rabbit hole as he/she drops down a shaft to continue. It’s enough to make one feel claustrophobic and there’s no way to tell whether the player is ultimately making their way into or out of the unknown structure.

The puzzles get tougher as you head further down the rabbit hole

In order to gain access to the next area, the solution generally involves powering up energy conduits that line the walls. How this is accomplished is through orbs found throughout the levels. These orbs might be made of water, fire, and other basic elements. The non-lethal variety can be moved by making contact with them. The deadly ones can be moved through use of a gravity bubble gun that pulls all orbs within its reach to the center of the field. Sometimes the conduits are powered up by piling orbs onto a massive scale that measures weight, pH levels, or temperature. In some instances, the player simply has to figure out a way to draw electricity from an active conduit towards one that’s inactive. The most help players will typically get is an occasional image projected onto the walls that gives a subtle hint about which direction to go or if there’s a nearby danger. It’s refreshing to see a game not give away the most basic of  solutions. It’s through experimentation that lessons are learned about the effects when the elemental orbs come into contact with one another. For example, douse a fire orb with enough water orbs and it turns to stone. Where Portal is generally considered a physics sandbox, Entropy combines physics with a dose of chemistry.

Strong enough for a man…

While discovery of both purpose and means is arguably the strongest facet of Entropy, the graphical prowess is also worth a mention. While I’m not a fan of throwing down the “for an XBLIG” caveat, Entropy really does look great for an XBLIG title. While the engine can chug a bit now and then, the dark environments contrast well with the vibrant, elemental orbs with all of it looking sharp. It’s a true rarity to see an Xbox indie studio successfully pull off a great-looking 3D environment, so kudos to Autotivity.

While Entropy does a decent job of introducing new gameplay twists every once in awhile, it’s not the kind of game that’s going to be fun for long play sessions. Many of the puzzles require precision in how you direct the orbs around hazards as well as some timing in instances where you’re suspending them over pits or open space. That level of exactness can wear on the player over time. As with a number of the puzzle games we’ve reviewed, Entropy is best enjoyed in small doses. Thankfully it’s also the kind of game that’s easy to come back to without having to get reacclimated. In fact, I took almost a month off from playing the game and had zero issues jumping right back in.

Entropy is another worthy entry in the lineup of XBLIG puzzle titles. While comparisons to Portal are inescapable, fans of that series are likely to enjoy the physics and chemistry-based fun that’s to be had. Although the game lacks the humor and character of its mainstream brother, the shrouded atmosphere is certainly worthy of a look. The puzzles themselves run the gamut from easy to pretty difficult, and only once or twice did I find myself getting really frustrated. The ever present ability to rewind time is a tool that will get a lot of use and certainly helps keep that irritation level down. Players can even skip levels if they want to. It’s inclusions like these that give the game a bit of polish, elevating it above many of its peers on the XBLIG service. Entropy is currently available in the Xbox Marketplace for 80 MSP ($1).

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Review on theXBLIG.com

Review on Indie Gamer Chick

Review on Clearance Bin Review

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

Welcome to space, where no-one can hear you scream. That is, welcome to Xenominer, a game by the folks at Gristmill Studios introduced during the Indie Uprising III event on Xbox Live Arcade. Xenominer is a voxel-style base building game that tests your survival in an alien world. Before continuing, this is another voxel game where you can dig and build any structure you can imagine. But if you are expecting another Minecraft clone, you are missing out on a lot if you dismiss it as such.

When Xenominer begins you wake up on an alien world, the lone survivor of a crash. With nothing but your survival suit, a small tank of oxygen, and the messages from an A.I. named DAI-SE you journey into a strange unknown world. A far-out landscape filled bizarre “trees”, floating landscapes, and the odd alien structure or two, there is the possibility of riches buried deep within.

That is all fine and dandy until the local star begins to rise, then you must secrete yourself away into the nearest cave lest you be burnt to an irradiated crisp. While Xenominer does not have hostile mobs in a traditional sense, the dangerous radiation of space will cut short your future plans of galactic conquest if you don’t seek shelter regularly. Hope you like digging, because you will spend the majority of your journey underneath the surface, away from the harmful rays and radiation in your cramped and claustrophobia-inducing underground quarters. At least until you upgrade your gear.

Speaking of upgrades, you have access to a plethora of building options and equipment. You can raise your chances of survival, assuming you have the materials to create them of course. They include suit and oxygen tank upgrades, sturdy building materials, more powerful tools, and even gravity boots.  See a piece of iron or diamond on the ceiling? Simply use your gravity boots and walk up the walls, humming the theme song to Spiderman while you are at it.

One feature that stands out from the rest is the use of a robot to do your dirty work. Once you acquire it, the bot can lighten your work load immensely by doing many repetitive tasks for you. You can have it tunnel a mineshaft, build your new space castle, or whatever you want it to do. If you can figure out how to actually program the darn thing, since the interface for it is in alien language. The scripting interface uses a strange pictographic command language which can be a bit daunting to decipher.

You have any idea what’s going on here? For the longest time, neither did I

For the longest time, I could do nothing but scratch my head while trying to get my own script going. After many fruitless attempts and carefully examining the built-in scripts, I was able to figure out what the symbols meant and began building my own script. When I activated my custom mining script I was as giddy as a schoolgirl as I watched the little bot go about its duties. Soon my galactic headquarters will be complete, with my little bot to do my bidding.

I enjoy this title, and there is very little I have against it. While it does have a lack of ambient music or sound, that suits the outer space setting. Only the ominous tone announcing the rising of the sun or the hum of your mining pick break the silence.

The user interface text is rather difficult to read. I played on a standard definition TV and the majority of the interface was simply too small to be clear. HD users will have no problems, but people who still play on standard sets may have some difficulty reading the HUD.

This review took too long for me to write. I have been playing for the better part of three weeks, and since the Indie Uprising event Gristmill has been able to implement many welcome improvements to the title. I continuously had to revise my views on the game as each patch brought welcome improvements. If you liked it at launch, you will enjoy the game even more so now.

I heartily recommend this title, and at a low 80 Microsoft points you have absolutely no excuse not to pick it up. Go grab it now before Gristmill realize they can charge more.

Go buy it. GO NOW!

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Additional coverage:

Review on Clearance Bin Review

Review on Indie Gamer Chick

Review on theXBLIG

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