Spacechem is the latest game from Zachtronics Industries an indie game developer. It only came out recently though I didn’t hear anything about the game until it went up for sale on the first day of STEAM’s Summer Camp Sale and some friends bought it; then they wouldn’t shut up about it. The game looked intriguing though it was hard to tell what was going on in videos of the game. I downloaded the demo and gave it a try.
The menu screen, looks safe.An earlyish puzzle in the process of being solved.
I’ve been describing the game as a simple scripting language, basic chemistry, flowcharts, and puzzle game mashed into one thing. The board is set up into four quadrants two inputs fields and two output fields. The player has control over two tracks with which they build a flowing script in order to transport, manipulate, combine and tear down atoms and molecules. As the game progresses you’ll have to create multiple chains of these “reactors” to create the desired molecule in complete a level.
A multiple reactor puzzle. Inputs on the left output on the right.A more complex puzzle in the process of being solved.
What makes Spacechem more than a good puzzle game is the fact that the game keeps meticulous records of every puzzle you complete and how you complete it. This information is then compared with all other players and your place amongst them is shown. So, while any puzzle can be solved in just about anyway there are certainly more efficient ways to complete a puzzle, either using less commands, less time to complete, or less “reactors.” Solving the puzzles is only half of the game. The part that keeps you obsessing and coming back, the part that has me seeing blue and red tracks manipulating atoms and molecules in my sleep is the knowledge that I can do better. That while my puzzle is satisfactory it is not optimal. Therein lies Spacechem’s genius.
The notoriously difficult Moustachium-208 molecule reactorIn the process of being solved.
I heartily recommend the game to those who like puzzle games. If you do get it make sure to add me as a friend on STEAM (falselogic); I’ll want to see how well you do on some of these puzzles. Also, I’ll be on ‘On The Stick‘ next Monday (7/18/2011) to talk about the game!
I picked up Jamestown on a whim awhile back… Though now probably isn’t a bad time to get the game on STEAM now it’s only $6.69. The STEAM summer sale is going on right now though so it might be going for a lot less than that in the next 8 days. How you get it though really isn’t the focus of this review, is it?
Jamestown is a local multiplayer, neo-classical, vertical shooter set in 17th century colonial Mars. Players will take on the role of Sir Walter Raleigh (at first; three other characters are unlockable through gameplay) as he tries to win his way back to earth and King James court in England. As Raleigh makes his way across the surface of Mars he’ll encounter Martians, the Spanish, and multiple long lost,super-powerful, civilizations that threaten England’s colony and the life of everyone on the planet. Granted, the storyline in a shooter is superfluous but the setting and artwork in Jamestown are so unique and compelling that not mentioning them seemed a crime. But, you don’t need me to tell you that there are dozens of videos on Youtube, Steam, and the official site that show off how great the game looks. Shooters live and die on their design and gameplay.
Colonial Mars needs your protection from rampaging native Martians
Jamestown, especially at more difficult levels, is a bullet hell shooter. A genre I’ve never been too good at; I don’t have the patience for memorizing bullet patterns and making delicate, precise movements. You control your ship (with either the keyboard, mouse, or controller) and unleash waves of bullets on the oncoming hoards of enemies. There are four different ships, each with their own shooting patterns: a regular shot and a more powerful alternate. Each enemy you destroy drops little bolts or gears that fill up a bar in the upper left of the screen. Once the bar is filled you can activate “vaunt” which creates a temporary shield that absorbs all enemy bullets and increases the damage inflicted by your weapon. Using “vaunt” wisely is the key to racking up high scores; once activated the bar will slowly begin to deplete collecting bolts and gears will re-fill it the longer your “vaunt” lasts the more bonus points you earn.
This is the easy part of the game...
You’re going to need those high scores too; they determine how much money you make at the end of each stage. Money you’re going to want to unlock the other three ships in the game, as well as the harder difficulties, and various challenges. As I said earlier bullet hell games aren’t my strength, Jamestown wasn’t so difficult and frustrating that I ever threw my mouse at the screen or slammed my fists on the keyboard, practice is all it takes to get through the games six levels. Only six? Yes, only six. The game will require you to beat the first three levels a number of times too to unlock the last three in the campaign (unless of course you start playing the game on higher difficulty levels. In general, I don’t appreciate forcing players to replay levels on harder difficulty levels, but the practice came in handy in later stages when the bullet patterns can get quite complex…
From here you can go anywhere!
Jamestown has multiplayer co-op for up to four people but, it’s only local. This is a real negative because it means that I’ll never be able to play this game with friends and it means most people won’t either… How many people’s computers are in rooms big enough to fit four people comfortably, have a screen large enough for everyone to see clearly what their doing and have four controllers? The game does support mouse (which is how I played it) and keyboard controls but two people using a keyboard has never been comfortable. Here’s to hoping internet multiplayer gets patched in.
The first stage boss and the first ship's alternate fire
I beat Jamestown in about 4 hours. More experienced shooter fans could probably do it in less than half that. Good thing there are insane difficulty levels to attempt as well as 20 challenges to unlock and complete. There is a lot here to like and not much to complain about. if you’re a shooter fan I don’t know why you wouldn’t pick this game up, outside of the bizarre touhou/loli subset.
Two years ago I wrote an article for Gamestooge.com on the assassination of Lord British in Ultima On-line way back in pre-historic past of MMOs: 1997.It’s a fascinating little tidbit of videogame history. Today, Cracked.com linked to the story in one of their own stories: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of On-line Gaming (Lord British’s assassination is #3 on the list). Gamestooge.com’s Editor-in-Chief, Jonah Falcon, informs me that the article is getting a bunch of traffic. So, go me?
Like this art? Custom made by me! I'm open for commissions
“Indie” games seem to be popular right now. Or were they popular a few years ago and now are just another thing? I have a hard time keeping up with what is cool and trendy in the video game world these days. With services like PSN, XBox Live, and STEAM these indie games are becoming readily available. I don’t know if one can earn enough money making them for a living… Eh, before they were “indie” games they were just games you found on the internet and shared with your friends. I like to think of them as the shareware of the “00” without having to mail in a check to get the rest of the episodes…
Anyway, there is a lot of these games out there now. Some of which you’ll have heard of (Spelunky, Cave Story, Knytt) and some you haven’t (Hero Core, Lyle in Cube Sector, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space.) Because I had no life in college (and today know people who are still in college or play videogames for a semi-living) I can help you wade through all the dross and find the ones worth playing.
Here they are in the order they occured/recommended to me:
Spelunky – Is a procedurally generated platformer wherein you play an Indiana Jones like character delving through mines and caves looking for treasures. This game was so popular that a publisher noticed it and decided to throw money at the developer to port it to Xbox Live Arcade. This doesn’t happen very often though, so if you’re thinking of going into the business… Anyway, what makes Spelunky great is the fact that its random and you can get your little guy into all sorts of absurd situations. Watch some videos on Youtube to get an idea (I recommend the adventures of Iowa Jack)
Viriax – I reviewed this game when it came out earlier this year. Viriax is a simple shmup-like (is that a word/genre? It is now I just made it one.) where you control a virus as it infects a host body. I use the term shmup-like because the virus doesn’t shoot anything instead it must swim past enemies and then attack them from behind. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at this game but it is enjoyable and the music is great.
Cave Story – Another game everyone has heard of at this point. What you didn’t know is that the game has been out now for more than 5 years now. I first heard about it at the end of 2005 and poked around with it for a bit before something else distracted me. I picked it back up after hearing that Nintendo was bringing it to Virtual Console… Cave Story is a Metroidvania style game where you control a little robot with amnesia stuck in a cave world. Charming visuals, a good soundtrack, and excellent gameplay can all be found in Cave Story.
Hero Core – The sequel to Hero and another Metroidzania. This is a very “retro” styled game. That black & white pic above? Is from Hero Core. I haven’t played much of this one (who has the time for all these video games?) but it’s intriguing enough to keep me coming back and checking it out some more.
Desktop Dungeons – Some people hate their lives. They hate their lives so much that in their free time they play roguelikes.I do not hate myself and even if I did I’d have better things to do with my free time (like cutting myself) Which is why Desktop Dungeons is nice. This way I get to experience a roguelike without the atrocious ASCII art and opaque design. I know, I know roguelikes have deep, complex gameplay that rewards investing time and effort into the genre. The thing is I don’t want to die 1000s of time before I manage to beat the game. Desktop Dungeon distills all the pain out of roguelikes and leaves a smart, quick, fun game behind.
Lyle in Cube Sector – The creator describes the game as a “block throwing action/adventure game.” I just found it charming and fun to tinker around with.
I Wanna be The Guy – The most infamous “indie” game on the planet. Not my cup of tea (I like myself) but it was made by a friend of mine so I couldn’t not put it here. Super hard, surreal platformer. Let me know if you beat it though. I want to shake your hand.
Strange Adventures in Infinite Space – a quick 4x (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) game that can be played in 5 to 20 minutes. Explore the galaxy, make friends, kill aliens. Nothing here but love.
That list though is only the beginning, and only what I could think of off the top of my head. I can vouch for all of these but there are 1000s of these games out there. Good thing we have the internet. Good thing some kind hearted soul (Derek Yu, the creator of Spelunkyand two other guys) has already done all the footwork and created a searchable database of independent games: TIGdb. I’ll warn you know though that TIGdb is a rabbithole and I can’t say when if ever you’ll find your way out.
As long as you have fun, I guess it doesn’t matter, huh?
