PC Spotlight #6: Assault Android Cactus

Title: Assault Android Cactus
Developer: Witch Beam
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Vita, Wii U
Price: 14.99
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Dual stick shooters and bullet hell mechanics come together in Assault Android Cactus, recently released on Steam. Look beyond Assault's colorful veneer and you'll find a frantic shooter with style to spare.

You can tackle Assault Android Cactus' mechanic hordes alone or with three others and while the extra firepower is helpful and adds to the onscreen chaos, it's not necessary to succeed. Assault plays just fine as  a single player game, allowing you to choose from several different characters, each with their own unique weapons. From common firearms like assault rifles to shotguns to more exotic weaponry such as plasma field generator and a cannonball launcher, weapons are varied and feel powerful.

Besides weaponry, power ups and battery energy pick-ups spawn throughout the arena, granting you drone helpers or increased maneuverability. And you'll need all the help you can get, as enemies and bullets flood the screen from every angle. But Assault Android Cactus's standout features - besides the intense action - are its visuals and animations. Levels shift and change at moment's notice, enemies skitter towards you, turrets emerge as bullets and missiles fly everywhere...all with zero performance issues even on older computers

You can buy Assasult Android Cactucs now on Steam Early Access. The game is also set to release on PS4, PS Vita, and Wii U.

Gunner Z Review

You might be surprised to learn that the nastiest thing about BitMonster's zombie shooterGunner Z isn't the zombies. Having apparently poured all of their warmth and creativity into last year's charming RPG adventure Lili, the ex-Epic staffers decided to muddy up the App Store waters with yet another undead-themed blaster.

However, in their quest for the mighty dollar, the team has concocted a freemium framework which does its level best to impede your progress and hamper your enjoyment, in the hope that you'll throw down some cash out of sheer frustration.

You take control of a a gun turret which is mounted on the back of a humvee. The aim of the game is to clear the streets of zombies, enemy vehicles (zombies can drive now?), flying drones, and any other hostiles you come across.

The shooting controls are serviceable - you fire and switch weapons with the left thumb, and aim with the right. At the beginning of the game, your cannon is plagued with recoil, lengthy reload times, and limited ammo capacity. As you complete missions, you are invited to upgrade your armour and weaponry.

However, it's not good enough just to purchase upgrades and get to work. Yep, you guessed it: there are wait timers to contend with. As we've come to expect from this riff on the free-to-play model, there's a second currency which can be used to speed up repairs. And, as we've also come to expect from these situations, this currency runs out pretty quickly.

The game's solution is to recommend you keep two vehicles on the go, allowing you use one while the other is undergoing upgrades or repairs. Rather than speed up your rate of progress, though, it actually halves it, effectively forcing you to buy upgrades twice. Of course, there's always the option to buy currency with real cash. However, with no option to unlock the game and wait timers pervasive throughout, you're simply flicking pennies into a bottomless well.

Without the aggressive freemium baggage, Gunner Z would simply be a decent-looking run-of-the-mill zombie shooter. As it is, it's another showcase for the dangers of placing greed over good game design. Avoid.

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• Publisher: BitMonster, Inc.
• Genre: Entertainment
• Released: 2 Oct, 2013
• Size: 237.6 MB
• Price: FREE!

PROS

• Black and white filtered visuals are decent.
• Controls are solid.

CONS

• Progress and enjoyment completely undermined by pushy freemium model.
• Unable to unlock game or remove oppressive timers.
• Another bland zombie shooter.

The Watchlist: Against The Wall

Title: Against The Wall
Developer: Cartwheel Games
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Price: Preorder for $10, free alpha available
Releasing late 2013
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"Against the Wall is a first-person puzzle-platformer set on the side of an infinite wall. Entire civilizations and ecosystems cling for survival on the side of the wall, everyone and everything existing under the constant threat of tumbling into an endless sky. The wall is made up of square white bricks of varying sizes. You can pull these bricks out of the wall to form platforms, stairs, and paths. Along the way, you'll encounter cities, forests, volcanoes, castles, and other environments in your journey through this strange world."

Against The Wall is an platformer focused on exploration. You're presented with an immense wall that stretches in every direction and a staff that allows you to extend blocks from the wall. As you ascend, you discover new structures and landscapes, all in built from the wall in a surreal fashion. The joy of discovery and exploration is the game's biggest draw; reaching the sideways forests where trees jut from the wall is a beautiful sight.

Different block types provide added challenge to your climb. Some can't be extended, forcing the player to make desperate jumps while others begin retracting into the wall on contact. Luckily there's no fall damage, only the need to climb again and falling past the endless wall at incredible speeds is up there with Mirror's Edge in regards to the sense of momentum and verticality.

Against The Wall was recently Greenlit on Steam. You can play the free alpha here or preorder Against The Wall here.

IOS Spotlight #5: BlastTrax

Title: BlastTrax
Developer: James Gamble
Platforms: IOS Universal, Android
Price: 0.99
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The shoot-em-up (or SHMUP) has been a well represented genre on IOS. Games like Phoenix HD, Sine Mora, and Infinity Field have all shown that touchscreens are ideal for frantic bullet-spewing action. BlastTrax is another worthy addition to the genre.

Release trailer here

Developed by James Gamble - the man behind Spike Dislike 1 and 2, Sheep Goes Left, and more - BlastTrax plays like a cross between a racing game and a retro arcade shooter. Your blue vessel must reach the end of the track, avoiding the many enemies and projectiles in between or blowing them away with your trusty phaser. Poweups along the way provide more health or upgrade your weapon. The controls work perfectly and don't get in the way of the action. The standout is the colorful visuals; flashing explosives, flying bullets, power-ups enemies, all add to the hectic action onscreen.

Easy, Normal, and Hard mode await to test your skills. For 0.99, you get a fun SHMUP with a great visual style and more content - such as an even crazier arcade mode - is on the way.

Rollabear Review

What is it about the iOS platform that makes developers want to fire animals from slingshots? Nope, we're not talking about those Angry Birds again. This time, we talking about bears. Bears being fired at little men dressed up as bunnies. And the men dressed as bunnies are actually bowling pins. And the bear has a fish which can turn back time.

Still with me? Nevermind - let me explain.

You've heard of crazy gold, right? Well, Rollabear is essentially crazy bowling. You launch your chosen bear from a slingshot. You must then guide this bear down an obstacle course, collecting crates for fish along the way. At the end of each course there are 9 people arranged as bowling pins whom you must knock over.

Clearly this is a game which doesn't take itself too seriously. This is just as well, as it's a relatively lightweight affair. The visuals are colourful, but not particularly impressive. The controls respond well, allowing you to tap either side of the screen to steer the ball of fur left or right. If you misjudge a corner or smash into a rock, you can rewind time by pulling back on the screen. This only works when you've collected enough fish, and so can only be used sparingly.

You can rattle through the levels fairly quickly thanks to the generous progression system. It'll take you a good deal longer to max out the stars on each course, though, something which you just might be inclined to try. It may be a little rough around the edges - the pause screen is horrible and some of the textures are pretty dreadful - but the act of flinging, steering, and striking is surprisingly good fun.

We weren't bowled off our feet, but Rollabear certainly raised a smile, and prompted more than a few victory air-grabs. It's light and slightly insubstantial, but there's enough here to give bowling fans something new to do with their spare time.

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• Publisher: Matmi
• Genre: Action
• Released: 8 Oct, 2013
• Size: 143.5 MB
• Price: $0.99

PROS

• Obstacle courses become quite complex and inventive.
• Bowling mechanics are solid and enjoyable.
• Agreeably daft sensibilities.

CONS

• Visuals are a tad iffy.
• A little light on content.

VERDICT

It's daft and a little rough around the edges, but Rollabear's silly bowling-inspired shenanigans offer some entertaining moments.

Quick Fix: Online store ShinyLoot is live, having a huge launch sale

If you're looking for an indie game fix to survive till the next big Steam Sale, wait no longer. ShinyLoot - a new online game site - just went live and is celebrating with a massive indie sale. Over 300 games are discounted from August 26th to October 6th, including Rook's Keep, Survivor Squad, Ring Runner, and many more.

 You can search ShinyLoot here and browse through the hundreds of discounted games on the launch sale page.

Steampunk Tower Review

Most tower defence games get their title from the numerous weapon towers which players must erect to protect themselves. In the case of Steampunk Tower, the developers have gone one step further, and put a bloody great tower in the middle of the screen to act as a support structure for your weapon towers. It's a bit like Inception, only with towers.

Anyhow, this being a steampunk game, you must use a mixture of 1930s-era tech to fend off wave after wave of moisture-powered monstrosities. Infantrymen and small tanks lead the charge, but soon airships, paratroopers, and enormous steel death machines will be bearing down on your position.

The game employs several neat techniques for keeping you active throughout levels. To build defences, you tap at the base of the tower. Once built, you must position each turret upon a platform. Every time you increase your rank, the tower will gain another floor, giving you more space to plant your cannons. As your bank balance grows, you get the option to upgrade turrets by dragging them back down to the basement. You're being assaulted from both sides, so you may have to shift units from left to right depending on your turret classes and enemy vulnerabilities.

This real time interaction adds an additional layer of strategy to Steampunk Tower. You have to be quick when upgrading and switching units, as any downtime for your cannons can have fatal consequences. You can even speed up a turret's reload speed by dragging it into the tower's core - but you'd better remember to put it back on duty the moment it's completed.

It takes a fair while before things start getting challenging. We were able to ace over 50 percent of the game without a single restart. You still feel like you've earned your victories, and the desire to research and modify new weapons like the tesla keep you coming back for more. The special attacks are a blast, too, with a large red laser acting as your own personal eye of Sauron.

Steampunk Tower manages to be both accessible and nuanced, earning it a seat in the upper echelons of the tower defence conclave. It's not the toughest game out there, but it's smart and satisfying take on the tower defence formula.

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• Publisher: Chillingo Ltd
• Genre: Entertainment
• Released: 10 Oct, 2013
• Size: 53.5 MB
• Price: $0.99

PROS

• Reloading and upgrading tests your reactions throughout.
• Novel towers-within-a-tower format.
• Steampunk world throws up some interesting contraptions.
• Shifting towers mid-siege is exhilerating.

CONS

• Takes a while for the difficulty to ramp up
• Environments are pretty similar.

VERDICT

Accessible and nuanced, Steampunk Tower is a smart and satisfying take on the tower defence genre.