Reviews for Labyrinth, Egyptian Rat Smash and Venture: Diaries from the Battleground as well as news on some upcoming games.
Labyrinth – 400 :MSPoints: – Marketplace – Review by Matthieu
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One man’s feat is the same man’s benchmark is the saying for Labyrinth for XBLIG. Subtle Abberations is composed of well.. one developer who released this Labyrinth as his first and hopefully not last project as an Honors Computer Science Graduate and I would say it’s a pretty stunning one at that.
As players begin to play Labyrinth they will soon find out that the mystery is less associated with the maze(s) you traverse as they are more with this conundrum of character. Players take control of a young girl clad in black who has awoken in a “Labyrinth” with no memory of who she is and how she got there. The story elements of the game are expressed through floating text usually during level loading sequences. This allows players to concentrate more on exploration all the while giving you something to pass the load times. Labyrinth subtly introduces fruits which are the game’s main items for puzzles, gates, and health. You are encouraged from the very begin preserve your fruits in case of secondary paths that may lead to journal entries, extra fruits, the need for health after taking damage, or animals that are introduced later in the game.
Presentation is what I will praise Labyrinth for and it deserves it. The game is phenomenal looking for an indie title and especially for a single developer to have worked on it. From the swaying grass and trees to the lighting effects are mostly rendered very well. The character model looks a little bland and unfinished but if overlooked Labyrinth will stand out visually as a XBLIG. However, every game is not without its quirks and blunders. Many times I found my self admiring one section and cringing at another particularly large areas like castles or other buildings that you may come across. Also, on more than one occasion I found myself phasing through a wall or tree like the Martian Manhunter, and frustratingly getting stuck forcing me to restart the level from the beginning.
Labyrinth will no doubt keep you busy when you have time to kill. It is visually stunning and atmospherically amazing. Inwardly you will without a doubt notice the time, effort, and digital sweat Subtle Abberations has poured into this indie title. While I did wish this game had checkpoints so that I wouldn’t have to start at the beginning of a maze during every play through. Labyrinth costs 400 :MSPoints: which is fairly good value for money but would have been perfect at 240 :MSPoints:.
Egyptian Rat Smash – 80 :MSPoints: – Marketplace – Review by Josh Hardman
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Egyptian Rat Smash is a reflex-based card game, very similar to the popular game of snap. Players must keep an eye out for matching cards, and hit a button to win the pile. The game features just the one game mode, a simple card game that is based more on luck than skill. In fact, the only skill needed in the game is quick reactions. Most of the time you don’t even pay attention to what’s going on with the cards, only what button will pop up in the middle of the screen. There are three difficulty settings, though they are not necessary since the game is incredibly easy. As well as competing against the AI, there is four player local play too. This certainly makes Egyptian Rat Smash more entertaining, and actually creates a challenge.
To allow players to understand the game, a simple tutorial is provided. Though it attempts to explain the game well, the Egyptian style font they have used makes the test quite hard to read. There are eight levels (or backgrounds to play on) in total, with four of them being unlocked by playing a set amount of games. The game stores user records as well, such as win streaks and game times.
Egyptian Rat Smash could be a fun party game, though it won’t take long to become boring. With one simple mode based more on chance than any skill, there isn’t a lot to entertain players. That said, its low asking price of 80 :MSPoints: may be reasonable to fans of card games.
Venture: Diaries from the Battleground – 240 :MSPoints: – Marketplace – Review by Josh Hardman
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Venture is a 2D turn-based strategy game, challenging players to face-off against three other empires across fairly large battlegrounds. The main aim of the game is to defeat the other three factions on the map. This is done by fortifying bases with troops, and attacking enemy bases. Bases vary from simple camps on battlefields, to space stations on planets. Its sounds like a simple game, but it can get incredibly complex. Without proper planning and careful thought, the game will be lost. Venture also features an XP system that allows users to level up through the 39 featured military ranks. Venture has been cleverly thought out. Environmental obstacles such as rivers and cliffs add something extra to think about. The game also looks nice, with cartoony graphics and bright colours. The instrumental music (composed by Dreykland) provides a pleasant soundtrack across all the level varieties. The sound effects are what you would expect from this type of game, with explosions and screams heard whenever a base is attacked.
The main problem with Venture is the tutorial, or lack of one. When first playing, it’s quite hard to understand what’s going on, leaving you feeling very confused. After a few rounds learning the game mechanics however, the main aspects can be picked up, though it could take a very long time to become a Venture master.
As entertaining as Venture starts, it doesn’t take long to lose its charm, and with its limited unit variety, factions and maps, there really is no longevity in the game. Venture is definitely a game for an amateur of the genre, however and experienced strategist will not find many hours of fun with the title. 240 :MSPoints: seems a fair price for a fun, yet short-lived title.
News and previews
Blocky – Homepage – Release date around mid September
Blocky is a 2D 2D arcade style game with an RPG reward system. It features two modes; a Retro mode which is a survival game with one life to last as long as possible, and a Waves mode which have different goals which must be completed to get to the next level. Check out the trailer below for more information about the game.
Life in the Dorms – Homepage
The Life in the Dorms developers are holding a competition to get your Twitter name featured in their game. Details below:
Moment Games is running a new contest wherein the winner will get his or her Twitter name mentioned in-game in Life in the Dorms. To enter, all you have to do is follow @momentgames on Twitter. That’s it. Two weeks from now, we’ll pick a winner at random from our list of followers, and that individual will immediately gain thousands of new followers of their own, as well as become more attractive to members of the opposite sex.
…Well, what are you waiting for? Don’t you want to be that guy who can say “I was into Life in the Dorms before it won Game of the Year from all those websites”? This is your chance! Follow @momentgames now to win.
Life in the Dorms is a collaboration between Ted Hung (creator of Office Disorders) and Paul Franzen (Editor-in-Chief of GameCola.net), and it’s currently slated for release this winter on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel. Additional details can be found at Moment Games’ official website, and fans are encouraged to follow the game’s progress on Facebook and Twitter.
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