Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller - Final Episode and Overall Thoughts

The final chapter of the Cain Killer has finally been released. This comes in conjunction with Cognition finally being released on Steam. So I thought I'd do another run through the series again and replay the entire story as a whole. Episode 4 starts out with a bit of back story. I understand the idea of the prologue, it's to understand the background around the main case of the story. If you forgot what this series was about it does a good job of catching you up to speed. Considering the episodic nature of the game and how it took a year to get the entire story out its pretty integral to where we are now.

As I'm playing the forth episode and thinking about this background information now I appreciate that the developer to some extent didn't put it in the first episode to get the player all sorts of invested in this story. Another thing to note is that as the game progressed in the final episode we see the addition of a relationship meter to gauge Erica's trust with the other characters. This is entirely new and I'm not sure how necessary as it's a late mechanic addition. The way people respond to you or things they will do is directly connected to how full the gauge is. I noticed this doesn't drastically change the outcome of the story with the exception of two scenes. Both of which are near the end.  Would have been nice to have this in Episode 1 and carried throughout.

One of the biggest issues I had was the lack of character development in the first two chapters of this story. Erica for lack of a better term was a bit of a cold bitch. She even admits to it in Episode 2 so at least we were in agreement there. She went around half cocked, without much care for those around her who weren't in perilous danger. Character flaws though are good and it didn't make her any less likable as a character.

Almost all the characters from Episode 3 return and we backtrack a little bit into time before the events of Episode 1 but unlike Episode 3, for the most part you are playing entirely in the present. Once again making her return is Cordelia, however it's now present her instead of her past self. Thank goodness the developers fully fleshed out her character in Episode 3. The writing for this game is excellent. Sure you aren't going on an epic adventure with an barely legal teenager to save the world, so the quest isn't drawn out and doesn't bore you to death. There are certain scenes where you'll ask "why did I pick up that random pile of drugs" or is there a reason why the two main characters are kissing. Which even though is hot doesn't really have any purpose other than fodder for fanfiction  but other than those one or two things just about everything you find will be connected in some way and actually useful to you getting one step closer to the end.

The ending, like everything else was also very nicely done. There aren't any glaring plot holes, maybes, or  "what if" moments that leave things open to interpretation. Cognition does a good job in that what you see is what you get. There's room for another Erica Reed thriller but for the most part the developers did well in giving a complete adventure experience in four episodes. I found this game incredibly enjoyable. Even if ultimately your choices don't matter I still felt fully invested in the hunt for the Cain Killer. Down to the last fight and a heartfelt ending.

Story: (^__^) - It's a good length of game for the price. You get puzzles that make sense a tough as nails protagonist and a good story. If you've played any of Tell Tale games this would fit nicely into that group only it's not based on any current intellectual property and the story is at least 4 hours longer compared to those kinds of games.

Sound: ^__^ - The score is awesome and the voice acting is done really well. Boston accents and all. Episode 4 gets a slightly more sinister soundtrack that gives this episode a darker tone but it's good that you aren't listening to the same thing for 4 straight episodes. Erica's evolved so much, naturally the music should evolve too.

Overall: (^__^) - I'm really glad I bought this game. Excellent story, characters, music. If you're into adventure games this is something you'll enjoy. If you like games that don't have zombies this is something you'll enjoy. Even if you do like games with zombies you should take a break in between killing the undead and play this game. I look forward to whatever titles Phoenix Online Studios are developing next and hope they return with another incredible story for Erica in the future.

Buy It On: Steam, DRM Free Direct, Indiegamestand 

Costume Quest - Reminding you of a Time When Halloween was Charming and Cute

Double Fine has done alright with this gem of a game. Don't let the cuteness of the characters or the story fool you. Costume Quest is fun for children of any age. You play as siblings who go out for a harmless night of trick or treating only to have one of the kids kidnapped by monsters mistaking them for candy. Children obviously are just too sweet! Then proceeds a quest through 3 different neighborhoods for the search to get your bro/sis back.

While you only get a party of three what's really fun about Costume Quest is finding different outfits to fight bad guys in. You start off with your initial robot costume but to gain others you have to find materials throughout your journey to assemble them. They serve two purposes. The basic one is the fighting aspect. When you go into battle wearing a certain costume you're transformed into your fighter form personified with a special power unique to each costume. The other is a side ability that is an environmental aspect such as using a power to help you see in particularly dark spaces or a shield so you can go under sewer drains without getting drenched in water. The variety of costumes and abilities is what really makes this a fun game.

You can tell this game is meant to be a little bit eerie but its mostly just good hearted, wholesome fun. Fighting is pretty repetitive. Kill the monsters as quickly as possible because their attacks hurt you just as much as yours them, rinse and repeat. The only boss battle that was a bit challenging was the final boss and once you find the right combination of tactics and accessories that'll be simple too.

After you finish the main game there is the Grubbins on Ice expansion which the kids travel to Repuggia to rescue a kidnapped friend. Yes, you are doing the same exact thing as the main story only in a different location with a few new costumes and bad guys to fight. While I don't mind the repetitive story, because that's not why I'm playing Costume Quest to begin with, I do mind that the developers left the ending in limbo, literally. Here I am at the end of this expansion watching the credits role, expecting there to be a little "gotcha" or "surprise" moment. Something to indicate a proper ending. Alas, my ending never comes. It would be a cruel joke had I not gotten a solid 10 hours of gameplay. So I was satisfied. But those guys at Double Fine better have a sequel planned with more super awesome costume quest goodness. There's a lot of potential in this little game.

Story: ^__^ - Generic as hell but still a fun story to play through. In all honesty I was more interested in finding new costumes to fight in and all the quirky things you can do with them. Although it was lukewarm it didn't keep me from enjoying this game. It keeps you busy with side quests as well as optional bobbing for apples / eyeballs mini-game.

Sound: (^__^) - There's no voice acting but things like sound effects and music fit wonderfully setting the overall mood of the environment.

Graphics: ^__^ - This game is pretty polished. Environments look vibrant even when you're running around in the dark. Battle screen takes on a comic strip like view with players and bad guys having really good looking animations.

Overall: ^__^ - I was thoroughly entertained playing this game. I would have liked it more if there was a proper ending to the DLC but got a solid amount of time and I had fun. The dialogue and quests were generally well written and the game never got boring. You can't go wrong playing this game but consider getting it in a Double Fine bundle with a couple of this developer's other great games.

Buy it On: Steam, Amazon

Sword of the Stars: The Pit - Deeper, Deadly and Disgustingly Addictive

I am not a fan of rogue type games. So I was unaware of this title until it was presented to me in the form of Indie Royale's The Starry Night Bundle. Actually this was the game that made that bundle for me. Now too thrilled about the other prospects of this bundle I was more than eager to try this one out. This is pretty much a keyboard / mouse game (was recently updated with controller support) but the tutorial was helpful in giving a quick rundown of the controls and it was easy to use after that.

So the main premise of this game is to get to the bottom of The Pit to find the cure for a disease that is ravaging the planet, which the intro made me think it was another zombie game. Thank god that wasn't the case. The Pit has many dangerous aliens, monsters, traps, crazed humans but no zombies. At least none that I could discover before I died. The furthest I've made it to was floor 21.

When you start the game you have 3 classes of characters to choose from. The Marine, who is very skilled in combat and with weapons. He's definitely a shoot first ask questions later type of character. What he lacks in brains he more than makes up for in fire power and strength. Begins the game with an assault rifle and an automatic pistol. Next you can choose is the Engineer. This character has got the most brains of the bunch and is skilled with electronics, mechanical and all the technical stuff needed to assist you in using all the fancy technology you'll no doubt discover as you descend into the pit. The third player available in our bunch is the Scout. This character is a little bit from column A and B in the guns and brains department.

Whichever you start with you'll eventually want to build up stats they're lacking as you level up. In this game doubling down on some stats while leaving others to whither away might mean the difference between life and death when you least expect it but you can adjust to your play style. Now this game has a pseudo user friendly inventory system meaning there's lots of room but it's not really intuitive. Some weapons take up three or four vertical spots in your inventory. Only thing is that your inventory sorts itself horizontally and doesn't automatically make space where you need it. This is a slight annoyance but means you will be manually rearranging your items whenever you get a large device or weapon.

Another nice aspect of this game is the crafting system. There's cooking and lab stations all throughout the Pit that will allow you to take random items you discover on your journey to create something useful, like weapons, accessories or food. The game does periodically teach you recipes but I've found in the 20 or so hours I've put into this game I have only ever gotten 2 recipes. I'm a big fan of the SotS Wikia which shows about all the discovered ingredients and what items they craft into.

If you like what you see you should consider the Mind Games expansion DLC. It features 2 new classes of ranger and psion and adds a host of new environments, monsters and weapons. Overall this is a great game whether you're into rogue types or not.

Gameplay: (^__^) - High replayability. The base game, featuring 3 character types and 4 difficulty levels and a randomly generated dungeon means you won't play the same game twice. Extensive craft system, enemies that are tough and will kill you if you don't come at them prepared you'll curse this game every time you die but you'll learn from your mistakes and make your way into the Pit again.

Sound: ^__^ - The music for the Pit is eerie and fits well with the game. What I really like are the various sound effects for the creatures that inhabit the location you're in. Because your field of view is often limted to what you can see in front of you it's nice that you can hear a couple of the monsters or machines that might be in the distance.

Controls: ^__^ - Pretty simple to navigate and you can also remap keys and gamepad buttons as you see fit. There's a button for intuitive targeting (shoot the closest thing) but nothing that is complicated or not covered in the quick tutorial.

Overall:  (^__^) - This game consumed hours of my time to the point where I was playing for 3-5 straight and lost track of time just to go one more floor. Luckily there is a save feature as I'm not sure how many floors this thing goes. There's no game breaking bugs, the inventory layout can be overlooked but this game is awesome. What it might lack in ultra fancy high end graphics makes up for in solid gameplay. Tons of achievements and ways to play makes this game a good deal at any price.

Buy It On: Steam, Desura, DRM Free

Stacking - DoubleFine can Make a Game Out of Anything

Do you remember those Russian stacking dolls that you may or may not have played with when you were younger? Well DoubleFine made a game about them. You play as young Charlie Blackmore as he goes on a quest to fine his kidnapped brothers and sisters that have been sent to work in various places for The Baron to pay back their father's loan.

 The general atmosphere is cute, and reminiscent of old silent films. You have an upbeat orchestra playing while you're on your quest and it makes this game feel classy. There is no better way to describe the art style, from character design to the setting everything about this game feels like something you'd play if games were this sophisticated in the 60's or 70's.

Don't worry though this game doesn't sacrifice gameplay for art. Every doll in your adventure has a power and you will have fun finding out the abilities of all the dolls in the game. Some of them are super useful like a handyman that fixes broken equipment to the more humorous and silly, like the seductress or the doll that has the ability to pass gas.

One thing I really enjoy about Stacking is that there's multiple solutions for every puzzle in the game. There's no one particular answer to solve each problem. The game is even good at giving slight hints from the super obvious solutions to really obscure ones. By no means is this game hard but it gives you the option of finding all possible solutions for a problem or just the one. In addition to the main adventure you can go on little side quests to stack a particular group of dolls as well at perform different in-game actions that go towards your completion total.

The main quest will probably take you a good 6-8 hours, a solid 10 if you don't rush and you're a completionist. The Lost Hobo King DLC gives you a separate quest unrelated to the main and adds another hour ot two of play time. Also I should add that this game is pretty child friendly but you can enjoy it at any age if only for the uniqueness of the concept.

Graphics: (^__^) - It's nothing that will tax your VGA using the latest PhysX technology but I really appreciated the silent film graininess of the cutscenes or using certain dolls like the underwater diver and  having my view switch to how things would look like wearing the clunky helmet.

Story: ^__^ - What starts off as a clique quest to rescue your siblings, turns into starting a revolution to end child labor. Each stage having it's own main objective to complete the story was never grossly complex or convoluted. The story was good but I had more fun discovering all the doll powers I could try.

Music: (^__^) - A wonderful instrumental score that grows on you because it just fits so well with the game. You've got a different idea of nostalgia going on besides the chiptuney stuff you find with most indie games these days.

Overall: (^__^) - I really loved this game and think anyone can appreciate this Double Fine adventure. Its something different. Not too complicated that you can't play for an hour or two, leave it for a day and pick up right where you left off. I highly recommend you either buy this game or find it on sale with a bunch of other Double Fine games.



Buy It on: Steam, Amazon, (activates on Steam)

Bientôt l'été - The Irony is that You're Playing by Yourself

I love works of art and can appreciate art for art's sake. But as I watched the videos for this supposed game experience, a term that I use quite loosely, blurs the lines between that which we can call a game. Bientôt l'été translates to "soon the summer", which sounds appropriate because you start of on a beach. As the gameplay videos say, you choose your gender, then you go searching for your internet lover.

In the game description on Steam's page the first thing it says is: Bientôt l'été is a videogame for two players. Yet you will almost always be by yourself or waiting for another player. You will walk along the beach by yourself, save for a flock of seagulls adding background noise. You will then reach a house or some kind of indoor space where you will wait to play chess with another player, and wait, and wait.

For a game that's supposed to be about two players you're often alone. This is a truly single player experience that probably had higher expectations of it's goals. Truth is that if you're looking to experience this game with another player you'll be very disappointed. I've never seen a game that wants to be multiplayer but makes no effort to entice people to join. You're left with a bland experience thinking; thank goodness the real internet is chock full of people you can interact with every minute of the day from around the world. Or maybe go and take a walk on a real beach and see other people.

Unfortunately, this game takes relatively pleasant social moments, walking on the beach, playing a game of chess and strips away the very social aspect it wants players to feel. Where games like The Sims, Second Life and other multiplayer have set the standard for social interaction this game fails to deliver the basic of what it promises, a two player experience.

For good measure I played this game with both male and female avatars. As the male I was treated to a mansion like space to interact with in the distance. As I got closer to the mansion I noticed a red window. Naturally seeing a splash of color got me curious so I walked up against the wall hoping to interact with this mysterious red window. I closed my eyes, because that's what the down key does and decide to interact with a tree in the distance. When I finished looking at the tree it put me right back at the red window wall. Only this time I can't interact with anything. I also can't move backwards, can't turn because I'm up against a wall forcing me to quit this experience in frustration.

Perhaps Bientôt l'été would find more success in an art gallery where a smaller cluster of people can experience it together but for mainstream gaming there's just not many people who will get it or have the patience to wait for something that just never comes. Even the AI simulation of a stand in lover during the chess sequence seemed to lose interest and just kept rambling on about nothing long after I stopped talking. I wish I could have had a better experience with this game. I gave it a chance hoping that there would be something surreal going on but for a game of two players you're just playing by yourself.

Gameplay: (T__T) - I can't judge gameplay as there is no game. Why this is being sold on a video game website is beyond me.

Graphics: (-__-) -  Its nothing spectacular and you're mostly drowning in white when you're not staring at some obscure chessboard talking to the AI about nothing.

Controls: (>__<) - While this game does have controller support this suffers from poor design. Walking up to a wall and not being able to turn or walk backwards sounds like a bad design problem. One that should have been anticipated by developers as if the character is stuck you pretty much have to restart the game.

Overall: (ノ｀Д´ )ノ彡┻┻ (flipping over table) - I can't in good conscience post the link to the buy page. You should not buy this game. The only reason I played this game was because it was feature with 4 others in an Indie Royale game bundle. If I paid full price or even half I would have wanted my money back. Instead, go outside take a walk on a real beach. Find one of those homeless looking dudes who'll play chess with you for a dollar in the park. Head to Facebook or some internet forum of your choice and start an online relationship with an actual person. Those things would be more fun in real life than this game could ever make them.

Retro City Rampage - A Well Made Parody of all Things 80s

I really wasn't sure what to make of Retro City Rampage before I bought it. I knew it was definitely going to go for the "retro tribute" genre that we've seen pop up a lot these past few years with indie games. Which has started to get stale for me in these past few months just from watching a lot of the submissions on Steam Greenlight. From the outside this game will remind you of old Grand Theft Auto. Nothing's wrong with that but the last thing I'd want to play is an old GTA clone when Rockstar offers the original for almost free.

However, RCR embraces it's retro roots in a really unique way. Everything from the user interface to graphics and has chock full of movie references. But don't think this game sells itself short just because it's a parody (which it itself states at the beginning). It's a surprisingly well developed parody. You'll find unmistakable references to everything from TV, movies and games but the developers do get a little witty in their delivery as they also blatantly poke fun at the gaming, indie and pirating industry. All of which are casually integrated into the story.

As for the story, it's nothing deep. You play a criminal who's looking to make some cash in a city called Theftropolis and end up traveling back in time. The plot is pretty much ripped from several 80's (Back to the Future, Bill and Ted)  films and stitched together into a funny hybrid. You do some odd jobs, get to know a couple of the locals some of whom you'll recognize visually but have a slightly altered name (Dr. Von Buttnick for example looks like Sonic's Dr. Robotnik's evil buff twin) and go on a search for the missing parts to repair your time machine.

If you aren't much into the story that's okay as there's many things to do to waste time in Theftropolis City 20XX. There are kill spree mini-games littered throughout the city, an arcade to play several retro styled indie classics and the random open world sand box violence that games are known for. What I find myself doing often is playing Bit.Trip.Runner in the in-game arcade. It's a little more forgiving than the original but just as much fun.

Gameplay: (^__^) - I genuinely enjoyed my time in Theftroplois. Everything from running down people in cars to chilling out in the arcade. The story missions were also full of humor and irony. This game is a parody but the developer took it serious enough to be enjoyable for a couple hours more than most parody games.

Graphics: (-__-) - While I have no qualms about playing top down 8 bit games it's still an 8 bit game so what you see is what you get. But a nice touch was being able to play on different in-game monitors. I remember when you had to get up and turn a knob on the TV to change the channel. Crazy times.

Controls: (^__^) - Fully mappable controls make things a bit easier. Also controller support. So if you're a keyboard junkie or a gamepad kid you shouldn't have any trouble with the controls for this game. Tailor it to how you want to play.

Overall: (^__^) - I know when I hear the word "parody" I set the game bar low. However, this game isn't to be underestimated. You'll get a good full game well worth it's $15 price tag. There's enough variety that can keep even the most picky gamer occupied for quite some time.

Find Retro City Rampage on Steam, Direct DRM Free

Rogue Legacy - A Family Tree Worth Fighting For

A couple months back I saw this quirky game on Steam Greenlight. and the trailer had me a little bit skeptical as there's a lot of games on there that are funny but have no substance. And after watching the initial trailer I was on the fence as this being one of those joke games. The idea sounded ingenious. You fight until you die then your progeny takes up the fight to avenge your death. This itself is the premise for a lot of games. Castlevania and Legend of Zelda was built on the very idea of it being the family thing to kill all supernatural stuff.

The thing that sets Rogue Legacy apart are 2 things. One is your children all have different biological traits. These can make gameplay challenging, awkward or downright funny. For instance you can have a color blind, near sighted, gay, hero with IBS dwarfism and brittle bones. Being gay doesn't really have any effect on your fighting as far as I can tell but color blindness causes your screen to be monochromatic during your play session. Near sighted makes everything outside your immediate field of vision blurry and brittle bones might mean you get knocked farther back when hit. Death is a big part of this game. You will die... often. So there will be plenty of children to choose from to continue your legacy.

In this game something like dwarfism works to your advantage as you can get into small spaces that regular sized heroes cannot. And IBS well that just causes your hero to fart. Not so much useful but makes the game funny. Also like many action rpg rogue types your heroes will have different classes, such as mage, paladin and barbarian, adding different attributes.

Of course there are other things in this game that are helpful despite whatever flaws your child might have. That brings me to the other thing that sets you apart. While you're fighting your way through the castle your next hero inherits whatever gold coins your previous descendant gained in the castle. With that you can upgrade your keep to include things like an Enchantress, Architect and Blacksmith. You have to make sure you spend as much as possible before heading back into the fight as every time you enter the castle you pay the remainder of your funds as a toll to go back in the castle, to die.

With procedural generated rooms the castle is indeed different every time you fight. But don't worry as there are other locations and environments you'll be able to die in, if you make it that far. And an array of enemies all wanting to kill you and increase in difficulty the farther in you get. Boss battles are challenging and even if there isn't much in the way of health power-ups there is plenty of loot to be had. Including rooms with rare chests that have certain challenges to be met before opening.

Now I'm not a big fan of rogue type games but as I said the game intrigued me enough to try it. Definitely something I've never played before. I encourage anyone who's thinking about it to try the demo. This game is hard. There is no easy mode. You will die a lot and there are times I got frustrated at having to start over I wanted to toss my gamepad. But that's part of the appeal. It's a hard game. If you hear anyone say different they either don't know what they're talking about and have never played the game. Or they've sank 70+ hours into it that hard for them is normal. The dungeons, unless doing some stuff beforehand are never quite the same each playthrough. There's a light story as you come across journals throughout your journey in the castle.

Gameplay: (@__@) - It fits well into the rogue-lite category. Platforming qualities are reminiscent of Ghost and Ghouls, early Castlevania variety but also features a number of side challenges to keep a player entertained. There is only one difficulty level and that's hard but the challenge makes up for lack of story. In most cases your goal will be don't die. Or die, depending on what character you end up with. The giant SHIELD sword spell did NOT defend against projectiles. I got mad finding about that the hard way.

Graphics: (^__^) - Splendid. Sometimes you wonder how a disability would manifest itself visually and the developers did a wonderful job in representing almost all the game's traits.

Controls: (>__<) - Playing with a gamepad is a must and even with a controller I found myself overreaching that all too important jump or missing the final blow but controls are straightforward and easy to use. Can't map your own though.

Sound: The music is decent. Better than the average chiptune-y stuff most "retro" titles have but this isn't a retro game so the music should be good in the first place.

Overall: If you buy this game it will not disappoint you. Unless you were looking for something more comical than the serious hardcore game that is Rogue Legacy. Don't curse your bloodline for not taking my advice.

Find Rogue Legacy on Steam, Direct DRM Free

Cognition: The Oracle - Shedding a Light on the Mystery

I am a fan of Cognition. After playing the second episode there were a lot more questions than answers as Erica Reed's main case was left in limbo. In the third episode though things start to slowly come together, piece by piece, pulling together parts from the previous episodes and intertwining them into a believable story.

This case picks up the same place we were left off at the end of Episode 2 and brings Erica to The Enthon Towers. In fact, pretty much the entire case takes place here. Once you enter you'll never leave. That is the makings of any ominous thriller. But that's alright because even though the entire story takes place here it not the only time it takes place. In this episode we finally get something that was sorely lacking in the first two episodes, character development.

When this series began I was a bit disappointed that Erica was pretty much the only character with any substance. This is remedied by the developers introducing a new power but also an enigmatic cast of characters. Making a more prominent return is Cordelia, a mysterious woman Erica befriended in the first episode, as well as Agent McCoy and McAdams but also some new faces are introduced through past events. This story isn't only about Erica anymore as Cordelia plays a prominent role as well.

Like the previous episodes you have a number of puzzles to figure out that are challenging enough to be very rewarding when you uncover them. Rose replaces Erica's dad as the hint system but for a psychic she was hardly any help and gave incredibly vague responses like "Keep going and you'll figure it out." Kudos though to the developers for making puzzles that made sense.

While we finally find out who the Cain killer is in this episode there were a few things that didn't make sense. Hopefully things that will be rectified in the last episode. But for someone who could see the past and partially the future, the way things came to a conclusion you have to wonder that if Erica was such a good cop she should have seen some things coming. If the player realizes who's the killer three steps ahead of the main character and the character sorta just does the actions the same anyway it's a bit defeating the whole purpose of being able to see the future when you can't change it.

Cognition maintains the high quality of adventure we've grown to love and definitely keeps the suspense up when they need it most.

Story: (^__^) - Like all great mysteries this one builds up a lot of suspense and never lets you down. Great until the end. Not to mention the characters that are introduced fit even this late into the game.

Graphics: (>__<) - Overall the same as the first two games but for some reason this episode had some strange lighting in certain areas that were just too bright, and no it wasn't my computer. Also some floating elements that clearly were out of place.

Gameplay: (@__@) - Smart puzzles that actually fit with the story. Some were a bit of a challenge and I swear just refused to work properly until I tried the same thing 4 times. Frustrating as hell, especially with a hint system that didn't give hints. However, that made it all the more rewarding.

Overall: ^__^ - Solid adventure game delivers. And even though you're left with a few questions at least this episode tidies up a couple of answers by the end.

You can find Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller on Desura, Phoenix Online Studios website and vote for it on Steam Greenlight.

Ratings System

I've decided to start using a ratings system. Most people seem to put a lot of stock in arbitrary numbers but since I think numbers are a silly way to quantify an experience I'll make up an equally arbitrary rating system of my own. I call it the Smilie System. After every review I'll list my thoughts on a couple of gaming elements such as music, graphics, gameplay and story. Not all will be mentioned every time. But it'll give you general idea of my thoughts, if words weren't enough.

(^__^) - Excellent
^__^ - Good
(>__<) - What the hell happened
(@__@) - Mind Melting
(T__T) - What a Waste of Time
(-__-) - What a Waste of Money

Spy Leaks

I admit I didn't know I owned Spyleaks. I got it as a bonus to the game Doom & Destiny, I bought during one of the promotions on Indie Game Stand. And I proceed to forget all about it until I noticed it in a promotion on Amazon's new Indie Games section. Despite it's rough appearance Spy Leaks is a nice little top down puzzle action game. Reminds me of MacGuffins' Curse only with lower graphics and not as good a story.


 Mainly you'll play the character Spy as he goes on missions infiltrating top secret bases to uncover a terrorist plot. You'll get vague glimpses of the plot in between missions as it slowly unfolds but it's largely forgettable. This mostly involves stealthy evasion of robots and guards, all of which will kill you on sight and force you to start over again and again. The funny thing about gameplay is that guards don't have peripheral vision. So you can effectively be smack in the middle of a bunch of guards but as long as you aren't in their direct line of sight they won't even notice you, but of course you can push crates and the like to help keep you hidden.  The puzzles start out fairly simple and gradually increases in difficulty. This is one of those games where you learn by dying, a lot.

 Jacques is the other piece of this dynamic duo. He's the brains of the operation and generally you'll see his face on every level in the UI as you go through Spy's mission. Sometimes he'll direct Spy to a new obstacle in a level or something you can use to get past guards. He also briefs you on the primary mission objective. When you've reached the end of a set of missions usually you'll get to hack a computer. This involves Spy's partner and boss Jacques and you get to play a level in which you do a Space Invader type scrolling shooter. These are fun and generally help to break up the monotony between missions.

The real challenge comes after the hack, when Spy has to break out of whatever stronghold he's in and he only has 3 mins to do it. You're now faced with an extra long puzzle and not a lot of time to figure out how to get through it. Way to up the pressure. Usually most of the puzzles will take nearly the entire 3 mins and you'll curse and want to toss your controller if you get near the exit only to not have seen the Tesla coil that you forgot to block and it kills you on sight.

Overall I enjoyed playing Spy Leaks. The story might be lacking but the gameplay is solid and addictive. Music is a upbeat chiptune album that doesn't get stale as you play. There's enough variation for it to not get stale and challenging enough without being disgustingly punishing. Well worth the time and bang for my buck. A good game by Heart Bit Interactive and Benjamin Ficus.

Spy Leaks con be found on: Desura, Amazon, Steam Greenlight