Cataloging the Detritus of my Life
It’s been awhile since the last installment of my sprite/manual comparison of the Contra Series, you can find the previous episodes here, here, and here. Wow, it’s been awhile so I’m just going to dive right into the comparisons: Continue reading “Contra Vs. Probotector: Contra III VS Super Probotector”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
RATING: 4 stars