Each week, as part of Saturday Morning Hangover, Jordan Devore and I play through the week’s Xbox Live Indie Games releases as a public service. I love XBLIG as there always seems to be some new treasure waiting to be unearthed there and it’s my great pleasure to give you a rundown of the very best games we’ve seen.
It was a challenge to choose our favorites this week, as there were a number of rather entertaining titles on offer. For your consideration, I give you our top three picks.
Explosive Gas
Developed by Flathead Games
Released on 5/3/2011
80 MS Points
Explosive Gas might be a clone of Bomberman, but it’s a pretty damn good one that brings some new variety to the proven formula. Being hit by an explosion doesn’t kill a player instantly, instead setting them on fire and providing a few seconds to get sweet revenge by sharing the wealth of flame while they drop their collected power-ups behind them. With a level editor, adorable sprites and support for up to eight players online or off, this is an easy suggestion to make.
Sequence
Developed by Feep
Released on 5/5/2011
240 MS Points
A hybrid of rhythm and RPG gamplay, players fight monsters as they ascend a tower. It’s a bit like playing Harmonix’s early title Frequency, as the player must keep hopping between multiple window panes of descending arrows to earn the ability to cast a variety of spells. The production value is impressive, with an attractive user interface and full voice acting which is surprisingly good. Clearly not for everyone, but it’s a unique mash-up that plays well and gives a great first impression in the demo.
Dwarven Depths
Developed by Moonroof Studios
Released on 5/6/2011
80 MS Points
A competitive multiplayer title for up to four players locally, Dwarven Depths is my favorite game this week. Armed with a pickaxe, sword and a variety of helpful tools, players dig into a mine to gather precious treasure and bring it back to the surface while fighting with enemies and each other. Traps can be collected and then hidden in the mine to surprise other players with and taking out an opponent causes them to drop all their cash on hand for easy collection. Featuring procedurally generated levels and team-based play as an option, this is great fun and comes highly recommended. I only wish the game featured online play.
And there you have it. Come and join us each week for Saturday Morning Hangover to see live gameplay of the latest XBLIG titles, every Saturday at 10am Pacific on Destructoid’s Justin.tv channel.
