BIT.TRIP.VOID (Aksys) was without a doubt one of the most addictive games at the event, and if SPOnG had some sort of ‘Best of Show’ award it would probably go right here. Proving that graphics are not better than all, the third game in the
BIT.TRIP series continues the minimalist dot-matrix design and focuses squarely on arcade action. You control a black void, and your job is to move around the screen collecting black pixels and avoiding white ones. The more black pixels you collect, the bigger your void swells and the larger your potential points – if you hit a white pixel, you lose all of your collected points unless you bank it (which resets your multiplier and shrinks your void).
Alex Neuse of developer Gaijin Games said their reason for going digital was more ecological than anything else, planning to do their bit for the environment. Commenting on the indie developer culture in America; “European developers have really jumped on board with this, and it hasn’t really happened in America because a lot of gamers there are only concerned about whether a game ‘pushes the limit’ in terms of processing and graphics. Which is sad because I feel a great game is a great game and doesn’t necessarily need to be flashy.
In
You, Me and the Cubes, the player must keep a collection of 3D blocks balanced whilst throwing humanoid creatures called ‘Fallons’ on its topside. As you progress, more cubes get added and more Fallons have to be thrown (literally, using the Wii Remote after targeting where you’ll place them) onto each one to complete the stage. This is the first game by renowned designer Kenji Eno in about a decade, and he told me that WiiWare gives power back to the developers rather than the publisher.
Flight Control (Firemint) was a hit on the iPhone and is now being showcased on DSi with the same manic play. You use the touchscreen to draw lines from incoming planes to various runways without forcing them to crash into one another. Different coloured planes go in their corresponding terminals, but the better you do the more planes you have to manage. If priced right, it will be a great addictive purchase.
Super Meat Boy (Team Meat) is an updated version of the popular Newgrounds.com game – such a cult hit, that Nintendo actually approached the developers to make it for WiiWare. The game is as ‘hardcore’ as you can get, controlling a slab of meat in a viciously hard platformer that requires expert navigation around meat grinders. When asked if there were any differences in developing this on WiiWare and using Flash, Team Meat CEO Tommy Refenes laughed “Yeah – Flash sucks!”
Reflections is an interesting title because it is actually the result of a University project. Hersh Choksi’s DSiWare game
Reflections is being published by Konami, and features a mirrored world where obstacles appear differently on the top and bottom screens. As your character’s movement is mirrored, you need to overcome pillars that are invisible on the top screen, or leap over chasms that are shorter on the bottom screen. It plays very much like a handheld
Tomb Raider game, with added cerebral goodness.
And Yet It Moves (Broken Rules) is a platformer where you control a Fido Dido look-a-like through caves and forests. You twist the Wii Remote to rotate the world, which reveals new ways of progressing the stage – rocks can be thrown onto walls to open pathways, and swinging platforms can be directed your way in this manner. I was told the unique scrapbook art style was due in part to the studio not having an artist on board, with their initial results being apparently quite shocking! The game itself plays very well though, although twisting with the Wii Remote seems a bit temperamental at this stage.
