Review: Shoot 1UP!

This shoot'em-up by Mommy's Best Games was literally a blast in its original release on the Indie Games channel back on Xbox 360 and its Steam port is just as much fun. The game lets you control a phalanx of up to 30 ships at the same time because whenever you gain an extra life, it immediately joins your fleet on screen. Using the combined firepower by arranging the formation of the fleet is a lot of fun and a unique gameplay twist you won't find anywhere else.

Elysia Flash Prototype Demo

Remember my preview of Whisper Studio's platformer Elysia? Back then, I recommended keeping it on your radar but somehow I lost track of its progress myself. So I was surprised to find out that Whisper released a prototype flash demo about two months ago, offering a three level preview of their title. Of course, the demo does not represent the quality of the final product that's going to be released on XBLIG but allows a first glance at the gameplay, the level design and the general atmosphere you will experience. Although you will encounter some bugs in the prototype, it delivers an enjoyable first insight. If you haven't done so already, you should take a look at it here! If you're too lazy or can't be bothered to play a platformer with a keyboard, watch this video showing one of the levels available in the demo:

Initially, Elysia was scheduled for a release this summer but has been postponed and I couldn't find any information on a new release date. However, I'm confident it will be worth further waiting.

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IndieWatch Episode Six

Is it a joy, joy if one shoots up at giant, robotic boobs?

I've been so busy over the past few weeks (and still am) that I've been severely neglecting the Indie Lair and now have to catch up with GamePro, which is still promoting selected Xbox LIVE Indie Games on the german dashboard in a bi-weekly video series called IndieWatch. With episode six they slightly changed the presentation, inserting the GamePro logo on the startup picture on the Inside Xbox channel and shortening the title to "#06" (instead of "Folge 06", which is german for "episode"). Due to time constraints, I will quote marketplace descriptions for most titles but will also state my personal opinion in a few words - a few more when I think the title deserves it. I usually have played at least the trials of the featured games (if not stated otherwise) and will give recommendations based on my experiences. You can also find the video at the end of the article. So let's take a look at the line-up of episode 06!

Disappointing Sales for Oozi: Earth Adventure Episode 1

Editor's note: Last night, I posted how incredibly low sales for the game Oozi are, based on an App Hub forums post by the developer. Outraged, I missed a little detail: the developer was supplying sales data for a single day and not for the entire period since release. The developer was so kind to email me, pointing to my mistake and supplying more accurate numbers and additional information. I therefore apologize for misquoting the developer and misinforming my readers. At least, Oozi's sales are not quite the catastrophe I announced yesterday, but my call for attention is still valid, so please read the revised post below.


Marcin Draszczuk, creator of recently released platformer Oozi: Earth Adventure Episode 1, is not quite satisfied with his title's sales, which he revealed last week in the XNA forums. Until April 8, only 223 people downloaded his game, of which a mere 62 purchased the title. Up until today, Oozi was downloaded about 12000 times, but only about 2500 people also bought the game. Considering its high quality, generally favorable reviews and the low price of 80 MSP, it remains a mystery why this excellent platformer doesn't sell much better. Draszczuk hopes a better trial experience for Episode 2 should result in higher sales numbers: "...the gamer will start with four special abilities, while in Episode 1 trial showcases only jumping on enemies and collecting stars." Also hoping that Oozi fares better when released on PC sometime later this year, Draszczuk is probably "...not going to make any more games for XBLIG that have no avatars, zombies, or hot chicks. It's just a waste of effort."

IndieWatch Episode Four presents another fine selection

Taking a look at the current german Top Downloads list reveals what a dashboard promotion like GamePro's IndieWatch can do for titles that are featured in it. Episode four went live on the german dashboard last Tuesday, and since then all of the games covered in the video have reappeared among the Top Downloads and on high positions on the best selling today list on Xbox.com. GamePro's selection in the new episode of IndieWatch presents some of the finest games available on XBLIG:

Review: Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess

Recently featured on episode three of Gamepro's IndieWatch as an excellent pick for 240 MSP, platformer Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess offers great cartoony visuals with lots of funny animations and fast-paced, vertical platforming action. You control a very narcissistic vampire called "The Duke" and have to hunt down monsters he suspects of having kidnapped "his" princess. The monsters try to flee from the Duke by climbing to the top of the levels, and you chase them down jumping upwards from platform to platform, impeding their escape by hitting them three times with a double jump before they reach the top.

Brilliant Blue-G sketching out a classic platformer called Chester

Have you ever played a game thinking something like "Oh, cel shading would have looked really cool in this level!" and felt like changing the graphical look of the game at your will? Indie title Chester, an old school platformer by one-man-indie-developer Brilliant Blue-G will soon give players the opportunity to experience all the levels of the game in any of six different visual styles, provided that they have collected enough coins to purchase the unlockables. These styles comprise for example a pixelated 8-"bit" look, a "sketch" book style or gameboyish looking "lcd" visuals. All the graphics are completely hand-drawn, offering a unique scenery in three different settings. The game world gets torn apart by "The Bad Guy" who's also stolen all of the sweet cup cakes, and now it's Chester's turn to restore peace and retrieve the cakes. So much for the story, but what's the difference in rescuing a princess or securing some bakery products anyway? I don't care as long as the cake is not a lie...