Katana Land - Demo Impressions

Katana Land is a 2D action platformer featuring ninjas and heros with katanas. Sounds good huh? Kablammo Games is the developer to this Xbox Live Indie Game (XBLIG). Katana Land released February 3, 2012 and retails for 80 msp.

I guess i'll start at the title screen. You have Play, Medals, Options and Exit. Medals are like in-game achievements. Some look like ninja star embalms. Others had names like Speedster, Ranger and Lightning. Button layout for Xbox 360 gamepad: LS-move/climb, LB-compass, Start-pause, RB-projectile(throw), Y-interact, X-attack/charge attack/ air attack(with A), B-block and A-jump. Katana Land has too many buttons that do too many functions for a game like this.

This is a 2D action game. You really shouldn't have to block and perform air attacks to defeat the ninjas in the demo. Maybe later you will need all of those moves. But judging from the demo it just seems like too much work and takes some of the fun away (which should be mindless fun in this case). Its not, you really have to think when you do air attacks on ninjas. The full game of Katana Land has three playable characters but only Katana Kid "Hero of Katana Land" is available for the demo.

When you start the demo you can see a overview map. It sorta looks like a world map you can see the path you have to take in the game and all of the levels. You immediately start out playing the tutorial (which you can't skip). The old man at the start of it guides you and tells you how to perform attacks, sneak and use your compass. Th tutorial was tedious.You can't get hit many times in Katana Land or your heart containers will empty fast. Asides from the tutorial the gameplay is pretty good. Hacking/slashing and throwing shurikens never gets old. Back in the day i mean like back in the late "80's" i played games like Kid Niki and The Legend of Kage.

Those games above were 2D action platformer games similar to what Katana Land is. So in a sense this game  reminded me of some of those old school games i played as a kid. Visually this game is really good looking. The imaginative art design of the world and characters was impressive. At times the sound design seems lifeless. I just expected more sound effects while i played the game. It just seemed quite and lifeless at times. The atmosphere is there and its pretty good for most of the demo. Its an indie game and it does what it has to do which is keep the player entertained.

Katana Land is a decent 2D action platformer game featuring ninjas, heroes, demons and monsters. It has a really nice visual flavor and fun combat gameplay. Try it out on XBLIGM. Thanks for reading. Click here

Brand - Demo Impressions

Brand is a 2D hack'n slash indie game that can be found on Xbox Live Indie Games Marketplace (XBLIGM). This swords & sorcery themed adventure game was developed by Nine Dots Studio and released February 2, 2012 and retails for 80 MSP. Its clear to me after playing so many XBLIGs i can spot a quality title just by playing a short demo. Brand is quality so there is our start.

Brand has main menus of Story, Buy Now, Options, Tips, Credits and Exit. The button layout for Brand via the Xbox 360 gamepad: LS-move, Back-map, Start-pause, X-quick attack, Y-heavy attack, A-jump, B-dash attack and LT and RT-block. Brand is a action hack'n slash game that takes place on 2D levels. The controls are adequate while jumping, blocking and hacking away was pretty effective on monsters. I really didn't have any gripes with the controls.

The story of Brand is about a Sword you have to upgrade given to you by your commander. To upgrade this sword you must acquire gold from defeating monsters. After you have slain enough monsters in either Necropolis, Castle or Mine districts you can go back to the Blacksmith for upgrades. You can refine, strengthened or sharpen your blade. You shouldn't get confused as to what to do next since there are objectives you can keep track of. Other sections of Brand's worldmap include Mage and Chemist sections.

Brand has an impressive presentation for an indie game. The visual artsyle creates a lore of its own practically. The in-game graphics as well the comicbook style cutscenes exude quality. The writing was acceptable, nothing special. I really liked the animation system while hacking away at monsters in 2D. The protagonist as well the monsters moved with some good fluidity. Monsters ranged from flying to walking to just laying there shooting goo at you. The level design in some of the areas were decent. You had to search for levers to access more of the area while battling monsters.

The combat in Brand was visceral but not perfect. If your not perfect with your block timing the monsters can and will take a big chunk of your health off. I like how you can jump in and out of levels after you acquired enough gold to upgrade your sword. Although i didn't get to enhance my sword in the demo it is possible with special materials you can collect. The music was decent and the sound design good. The atmosphere was pretty engaging in the demo and makes you want to keep playing. Maybe i should just say Brand is addicting huh? You can also play as your avatar which is a nice perk. Who doesn't like looking at themselves kill monsters?

Brand is a quality XBLIG judging from the demo. It has fun addicting hack' n slash gameplay with an interesting world to explore filled with monsters. Thanks for reading. Check it out

Plugemons: Part 1 - Demo Impressions

Plugemons: Part 1 is a beautiful 2D platformer developed and published by Bionic-Thumbs for Xbox Live Indie Games Marketplace. It released January 13, 2012 and retails for 80 msp. Plugemons: Part 1 puts you in the role of a Plugemon, a socket tail ball morphing guardian who must liberate his people from evil machines.

Immediately what grabbed me about this game was its colorful vibrant artstyle and captivating sound design. Quality was apparent early on even before actually playing the game. Quality is one of the more important aspects i look for whenever i play any Xbox Live Indie Game. The reason being i played some games on XBLIGM that were so bad i didn't even want to actually write about them. At any rate the opening cutscene shows us the "why" as to why you're playing Plugemons: Part 1.

The opening cutscene shows a huge spaceship crashing down into Plugemon's home planet. The evil machines only goal is to pretty much destroy everything and anybody in their wake. The gameplay starts off with the protagonist Plugemon making a miraculous escape down a hole where he meets his mentor. The mentor basically tells Plugemon he is from a line of special Plugemon guardians who's sole purpose is to protect and liberate his people from all evil.

From there the gameplay starts pretty much. The first section is clearly a tutorial to this 2D platformer. You learn the basics like morphing into a ball and collecting lightning bolts that power machines up. Collecting red lightning bolts are few and far between but power up special machines that are used to complete stages of the world map. Platforming using your electric socket tail to swing from electrical sockets and jumping on trampolines to reach platforms was the norm. Dangers include saw blades on the ground (died too many times from those). The screen filled up with blood when you die which caught me by surprise considering this is such a charming and "cute" game. After you beat the tutorial level you're now considered a Plugemon guardian and start level 1-2.

You can play 4 different levels in the trial version which was nice of Bionic-Thumbs. As far as platforming and gameplay goes it wasn't as fun as i thought it would be. I died alote because of the controls and the animations. Keep in mind i beaten games like Demon's Souls (platinum trophy) and Dark Souls by myself. When or if i complain about dieing in a game alote its not my fault all the time. For instance when i died in Dark Souls i would never complain i always felt it was my fault or something i did wrong. However with Plugemons: Part 1 it didn't feel like that. It felt as if i was dying from some unexplained force that was out of my control.

Aside from the rough gameplay i must say this game is flat out gorgeous. The fantasy world pops out of the screen and comes to life. The use of colors and art direction was full of imagination which constantly kept my eyes glued to the screen. The stellar visuals are coupled with stellar music and sound design. I swear if it wasn't for the rough gameplay Plugemons: Part 1 would be a primo indie game. Practically the entire presentation screams quality which is hard to come by with many XBLIGs.

Plugemons: Part 1 is a good platformer with some rough around the edges gameplay. However the visual and sound design are top notch stuff and i would say check the game out for those two factors if nothing else. Thanks for reading.

Xbox Live: Indie Trial Game - Parasitus: Ninja Zero

Parasitus: Ninja Zero is a 2D action adventure videogame developed by Heart Attack Machine for Xbox Live Indie Game. This game reminds me of metroidvania i swear. The first thought that came to my mind while playing Parasitus: Ninja Zero is how much it reminds me of the older Castlevania and Metroid games.

Presentation is based around 16-bit visuals coupled with lots slashing and gore. The music helped create a sense of atmosphere that was pretty impressive. The story regarding Parasitus: Ninja Zero i have absolutely no idea if there even is one. The protagonist looks like Simon Belmont Castlevania except he is wearing a trenchcoat and bandana. Might i add he swings a ninja sword also. Videogames such as Parasitus really don't need a story since its so over the top and filled with action and gore. I might add a story couldn't hurt either.

There is a tutorial gamemode that is playable. I skipped that and went straight to the main portion of the demo. The controls were as follows RB-block, A-jump, X-attack. As you progress through the various stages in the trial game you can unlock magic and special moves when you press RB+Y. The controls are not the best and lag quite a bit when trying to time jumps over spike traps. The controls are good considering the old school style of gameplay that this game is built around.

You make your way through the dangerous castle that is Parasitus: Ninja Zero you will encounter monsters. For intance, giant gargoyles, zombies, giant bats and killer wolves are around. Each enemy brings a different dynamic whether its attacks or from item drops. If you look at the top left corner of the screen it shows your health bar, score and lives. This is an old school style game you get three lives and a set number of continues.

The visuals are 16-bit goodness. If you played any 2D side scroller adventure games from the 16 bit era thats what Parasitus: Ninja Zero looks like. There is something so nostalgic about 16-bit graphics. The background and forground setting was a ruined castle with the moon cascading light from the sky. The color pallete and character models looked impressive. The monsters were designed with imagination and creativity as well.

Hands down the most memorable thing after playing this game is "WA, WA, WA, WAAAA"!!. That is the sound the ninja protagonist makes when he slices and dices monsters. Its not annoying but instead original imo. The protagonist grunts adds character to this videogame more so than the music did. The music was mostly creepy tunes.
Bloodforge Demo Review

Xbox Live: Indie Trial Game - Trailer Park King

King is the main protagonist and Joe Dirt lookalike. Presentation wise  this game doesn't take itself serious which is smart. Act 1 - Welcome to the Trailer Park is where you first see King shooting a squirrel with his  shotgun.

The story is told through comicbook  cutscenes with voice dialog. There is a curser on screen that you can use to interract with objects. The trailer park itself has an assortment of trailers. There is King's trailer, a girl's trailer next door, hospital, shop, diner and bar. There is also a arcade way at the top of the trailer. The map outside shows a bobblehead version of King that you can control. Back to King and his date with Zamboni. I go to the shop to buy some flowers than meet Zamboni.

While on a date and taking a restroom break King runs into Truck and Skinny. Truck is Zamboni's brother and wants to beat up King in the restroom. King fights Truck but loses badly. He gets kicked out of the T-Diner and goes home only to see Truck dead in his trailer. You guessed it, Trailer Park King is a mystery game who would of guessed it! The trial versions of these indie game's don't last long but i was able to play alittle longer.

King called the police but they wouldn't come unless King bought the police woman some pizza and beer. So i went to the diner and bought the food came back the game ended abruptly. There is a suspect menu for Trailer Park King that is used to cross off suspects King thinks is innocent. There isn't much pointing and clicking. Sometimes you point and click to make decisions, buy things or use the phone. The game points you where to click pretty much. The artsyle and visuals were decent. The music was good as well. Trailer Park king isn't thought provoking or challenging. You're just along for a fun ride which it executes. Thanks for reading.

Overall i had fun with this little indie game. It has a quirky charm. The visuals match its eclectic presentation. Give Trailer Park King a try guys and gals you might like it. http://gamer-blog.com/dc-online-universe-free-to-play-early-impressions-ps3/