Microreview: Psychosomnium

Cactus is not an orthodox developer in any sense of the word.  His games are weird, surreal, and oftentimes contain not even the slightest bit of logic.  In 2008, he released a little-known game called Psychosomnium, a title about the strange, strange world of dreams.  This year, developer-producer MiroSurabu released a flash port, revamping some of the graphical aspects and slapping a big ol' Newgrounds logo in the bottom left-hand corner.

You start out as Jimmy, an odd looking block-headed character.  You use the arrow keys to run and jump and make your way across a strange, brickcovered dreamscape until you find your blockheaded comerade Jimmy on the other end of a spiked wall.  It's hard to describe the main gameplay element without spoiling a little bit of story, but it involves a lot of switching between characters.  The dialogue is oftentimes surreal, but it has an inescapable charm to it that I've only seen in prior titles from Cactus.  I have to say, though, this game is extremely short.  You'll likely finish in about 6-7 minutes at the most, but it's a game worth experiencing.  

VERDICT: There isn't really much more I can say, as I've pretty much covered all the bases, but Psychosomnium is a strange, almost entrancing experience that will leave you baffled, dazed, and longing for more.  It's not perfect; it won't win any awards or garner that much critical praise, but it's an enjoyable little game nonetheless.

Review: 0Space

I don't think it's even remotely possible for developer Beau Blyth to make a bad game.  Now, you might not have heard about him if you aren't following the indie gaming scene, but with such excellent titles as Action Fist! and Shoot First under his belt, I expected nothing less than sheer wonder from 0Space, his inventive new hotseat multiplayer shooter.  And it's sheer wonder that I recieved.  Sheer gut-coated, zero-gravity wonder.

Though it might not be apparent at first, the "0" in 0Space refers to the fact that the entire concept of gravity is absent.  Gone.  Thrown out the window.  And that's exactly the way I like it.  You can still stick onto/walk on walls, but most of the game is, quite simply, a sort of space-ballet.  At any given time, you can charge up a jump and push yourself into the zero-gravity emptiness of space.  While in zero-gravity, you have just about no control over your character.  In closed-off stages, this sort of thing doesn't prove to be a problem, but in open areas, it pays to think out your jumps before you make them, lest you drift off and become space toast.  Your gun is your most valuable asset in these frightening scenarios.  Shooting it while drifting between surfaces gives you a small boost in the opposite direction.  In some cases, this tactic can save you the match by propelling you back into the play area before you meet your doom.

The game is split into a series of single-kill rounds (the number of which you can determine in the options menu), allowing you at the beginning to select which stage you want to play on for each.  Pretty much standard fare for those familiar with just about any competitive multiplayer game.  The pure creativity put into designing the stages is great.  Never once does it seem like a stage recycles content from another one.  My friend replayed a bunch of stages, and were shocked by how many different ways there were to experience them.  The one thing that was a little bit of a letdown was the small number of stages.  I feel like 0Space would greatly benefit from support for user-created maps, or at least some regularly released map-packs, but for a free game, the selection as it stands is substantial.

If there's anything that stands out in particular about 0Space, it's the extremely sexy style it has going for it.  Blyth makes everything work in tandem to create an action game to trump all others.  While the graphics are pixelated, something I've been getting tired of in indie games, they exhibit a new-age art style that really sets them apart from most "retro" freeware titles I've played.  The sense of impact is another thing I really admire.  The gory explosions, recoil, sword slashes, sound effects and particle effects all go hand in hand to make you feel like you really are an intergalactic badass.  The rounds may only be one kill long, but there's an enormous bit of accomplishment you receive when you shoot or slice your opponent into a million little bloody bits.

For all 0Space has going for it, it isn't without its flaws.  One big gripe I've had is the inability to set parameters for each round.  Limiting the players to one-kill rounds doesn't seem like the smartest design choice.  Giving some sort of option to determine the number of kills beforehand is something I feel 0Space desperately needs.  The replays tend to be a little shaky, too.  Sometimes, you'll play a replay for one level, and it shows you the video but plays the audio from another replay.  Sometimes vice-versa.  Blyth says that it's a known bug, so hopefully it'll get fixed soon.

VERDICT: 0Space is more than worth your time if you have a couple of friends and some time to kill.  It's not the hotseat multiplayer game to end all hotseat multiplayer games, but it's certainly the most fun one I've come across this year.  Eat your heart out, Call of Duty.

Review: AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!

In the year of our Lord 1982, Polystructures fell from space. Massive yet light, they touched the atmosphere, and stuck.
Scientists made new materials. Builders made new cities. Families made their homes thousands of feet above ground level.
Art made the floating super-sculptures, and culture made the floating caviar socials to regard them.
In the year of our Lord 2011, you cannot look up from beneath a city and see the stars.
But you can look down from above it.
And you can jump.
The jumps you make are not about art. They are about a reckless disregard for safety.
The jumps you make are not about culture. They are about a reckless disregard for regulation.
The jumps you make are not about science.
They are about a reckless disregard for gravity.

BASE jumping. Most people think it's just stupid and risky, but there are those people who still want to feel the thrill and want to go for a BASE number.


AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity (that's the full name along with correct capitalization!) plays in a fictional world where cities are built floating above the ground. You play as BASE jumper Alex Bruce and do the thing you do best - jump. Dodge buildings. Keep bones inside your body.

The skills you'll be using most are "kissing" and "hugging" the building around you. Fly close to a building to kiss it, and fly even closer to hug it. The longer you stay there, the more points you get.


With every good rating, you will gain teeth, which serve as the game's form of currency. Using them, you can unlock new level cubes and new skills, such as the grafitti can or the ability to flip people off who don't like what you are doing and give a thumbs up to your fans.  Before, of course you land with a splat on the platform they're standing on.

Apart from the regular levels, you can unlock pinball levels (which are extremly fun because you get to bump into everything at high speeds) and videos which... uh... let's say they're normal for Dejobaan, but not everyone expects a video on how to debristle pigs in a BASE jumping game.


Also good for a laugh: the various adverisements you see while falling. Spoofing gene manipulation, "sex sells" and various other topics in real life, these ads will surely distract you long enough to slam you into the next building. But hey, your insurance pays for the accident, so you can try again right afterwards.
You see, this game hardly makes sense - especially that last statement.
And I love that. They are joking about themselves and the whole city looks so surreal it's just awesome.


AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! is a game for those of you who like interesting ideas and a nice visual style, along with good music. The only problem with it is that it quickly gets repetitive as you have to go back into older levels to earn teeth for newer ones, so it might get boring for some people after that time. But I don't care - this game is definely one of those games which will test your reflexes and twitching skills. And for 9€/10$, it's a steal.

4/5

Okay, let's see what's next on my alphabetical list ...
... oh god no. No way I'm reviewing this.
But it seems I have to... well, let's make a deal.
Next time, prepare for a review of Amnesia - Justine. I'll never play the main game because I nearly crapped my pants trying to go for the potato in Justine. So I will just review the DLC and then go away from that game again. It's scary ;_;

Also I hope to get to mabelma again soon... I still can't login into MSN again. Password reset, support contacted, no answer. Go Microsoft.

Review: BIT.TRIP FATE and FLUX

There is an area

the path of fate can move around on.
But if emotion takes over
the path is set in stone.
Anger controls our actions.
Fate is decided.
This is the hardest part of our BIT.TRIP.

First off guys, sorry for no screenies in this review. Somehow my USB grabber is raging - it displays a BSOD as soon I plug it in. I hate technology. As soon it starts working again, I'll deliver some, but until then ask Google or try the demo on the Wii Shop.
But what I don't hate is BIT.TRIP, obviously. Here are the final two games of the series - BIT.TRIP FATE and BIT.TRIP FLUX. Both are currently available on WiiWare for 800 points each.

FATE picks up right where RUNNER left off - CommanderVideo's Five Man Band chasing Mingrawn Timbletot, who's fleeing into space. This game is a rail shooter - literally. CV is moving on a line called the vibe, and you can only tell him to move forward or backwards, but as the screen autoscrolls forward you are forced to go forward. (note to myself: write a story analysis on BIT.TRIP - there are so many hidden meanings which could be explained and stuff)

All the while, blocky enemies are launched at you, which you have to dispose of before they hit you. Especially later in the game, when the concept of "beat aiming" is introduced, FATE becomes pure bullet hell.
On a rail. Have fun dodging.
The game's tempo is a lot slower than in the other games, and that slower tempo shows in the music music. The soundtrack is chiefly influenced by the genre of dubstep, creating a slow, bass-heavy selection of chiptunes. The music is awesome, but the slower tempo of the game might not please everyone. Personally, I didn't really like it.

This time the game has 6 levels instead of three. Each one is named after a feeling the Commander has at this stage. Starting from DETERMINATION, it goes to FRUSTRATION and so on. Slowly his anger takes over, as he comes closer and closer to his arch enemy in his final battle.

And then IT happens.

A warning here, FLUX will spoil the plot twist at the end of FATE. It's basically impossible to review this game without telling it. So you better play through FATE first, then read below if you want to buy FLUX. Hint: yes, you want to.

After the battle against his arch rival, CV does a suicide attack on Mingrawn Timbletot to defeat him for good. Sadly, he fails and dies. BIT.TRIP FLUX tells the story of the end of CommanderVideo's journey - his death, afterlife and reincarnation.

FLUX takes the basic gameplay of BEAT - the biggest difference being that the paddle is now on the right and the beats come from the left - but mixes in various elements from the other games, like beats you have to avoid from VOID.
The difficulty went down a lot thanks to 7 checkpoints per stage which you can use unlimited times. Makes sense, since when you are dead, you can't die again. That makes it much more accessible for those alienated by the sparse checkpoints in the previous games

And that's what the developers wanted. Gaijin wanted everyone to be able to enjoy the visual and musical experience mixed with familiar gameplay. The soundtrack is truly awesome - the anonymous composer at Petrified Productions made calm, relaxing chiptunes, mixing in various themes from the other BIT.TRIP games. The bosses are throwbacks to the older games too.

VERDICT:  Basically, FLUX is a celebration of the conclusion of the BIT.TRIP saga while still managing to feel fresh thanks to various new kinds of beats. The ending is truly a great ending to the series - especially when you know it's secret, you will have a sudden epiphany about the entire saga as a whole.
Also, it's fucking perfect.
I hate giving out a full score, but this game deserves it so much. You won't find a better game on WiiWare.

Memories are purged.

Knowledge is replace by instinct again.
Our game is over,
but we are still there.
Life begins anew,
born of the old.
Our journey is complete.
We all are on our BIT.TRIP.

Aaaand here's a note on what's coming.
You may have noticed my post about The Potato Sack. I will review every game in it (except BIT.TRIP BEAT, obviously), and while most are awesome, there are some that aren't that great. The series starts next time with AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A reckless Disregard for Gravity. I might put in a preview of 1... 2... 3... KICK IT! -- Drop that Beat like an ugly Baby too, since it's by the same developer, but it's still in alpha. Just stating what's awesome and what suggestions I have. I'll also try to get back into MSN soon so I can poke Mabelma until he makes images better then mine :D So, stay tuned!

Oh, and even though I already wrote this twice on Facebook, twice on YouTube, on three forums and on Twitter, here's another shoutout for Valve: YOU ARE AWESOME FOR GIVING THE COMPLETE VALVE PACK AND PORTAL 2 FOR FREE TO EVERYONE WHO COLLECTED ALL THE POTATOES IN YOUR PORTAL 2 ARG. Thank you for reading.