Xbox Live Indie-Dome is a weekly feature where we sift through the Xbox Live Indie Games Marketplace to find the best and worst… so you don't have to!

Welcome once again (and again, and again) to still one more edition of the Indie-Dome. This week has been… interesting to say the least. Just skip ahead to the likes of The ADVENTURES of CAPTAIN Becky to see what I’m talking about. Are you back? Okay, good.

So it’s been a weird week filled with weird games, but I like weird so it hasn’t been all bad. It’s actually been fairly middle-of-the-road barring a few exceptions. So anyway, these are the games that came out between August 16th and 22nd and this is what I think about them.

As always, not every release will get more than a few sentences. The games with multiple paragraphs have basically managed to stand-out due to their entertainment value and/or shockingly amazing awesomeness (these will feature the *Must Play* tag) or because they’re so incredibly terrible potential consumers deserve a warning (these feature the *Utter Failure* tag).

Remember, the Indie-Dome (like all reviews) is an opinion piece. The comments (or lack thereof) made throughout convey the reviewer’s thoughts on the overall quality (or lack thereof) of the submissions in a given week. These comments are not directed towards the developers, but rather their games. Seriously, we know most of you folks put a lot of hard work into these things, so please don’t take it personally.

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Clover: A Curious Tale

(Developer: Deej – 400 points)

There are a lot of indie games available on Xbox Live at this point. Many of them suck, a lot of them are good and a decent number are, to take a line from Empire Records, “superb.” However, the actual genres represented are very lop-sided, with a plethora of twin-stick shooters, side-scrolling shooters and digital Magic 8 Balls taking up the bulk of the real estate. But every so often there are games that attempt to do something different than the rest; be it a new gameplay concept or an attempt to create a lengthy RPG experience, they stand out as “different” regardless of overall quality.

Clover: A Curious Tale has many of the makings of a “big” game. It’s supposedly a puzzle platformer with an emphasis on adventure, and is compared to games such as Maniac Mansion (!!) by the developer. While I don’t consider it to hold a candle to Maniac Mansion, Clover does seem to be a very capable adventure game. I say it “seems” to be because, like any grand adventure, it’s not exactly something you can just blow through in five minutes. There’s quite a story at work here (an interesting one, no less) and it’s going to take a lot of time and puzzle solving to see it through to the end.

I’m not all that impressed by Clover‘s visuals, but a lot of care has gone in to the details such as butterflies that flit around in the background, multiple language choices (something you don’t see often in indie games on Live) and actual voice acting. Actual good voice acting. I know, crazy right?

Whether Clover is worth your five dollars is something you have to figure out for yourself. It’s probably not going to win everyone over, especially with that price, but it’s obvious that a lot of effort has gone into this game. I mean, come on; every line of dialogue is spoken. And there seems to be quite a lot of it. It even includes an unlockable art gallery, side quests and multiple endings. Suffice it to say, if you do decide to give Clover a chance you’ll be getting your money’s worth in content.

Meep

(Developer: Andreas Heydeck – 80 points)

Okay, so apparently the Big Thing for Live Indie Games now is to copy other games like Doodle Jump. This is the second “jump off the platforms to get as high as you can” game to come out in a week (recall last week’s Happy Jump).

Just like last week’s offering, Meep doesn’t really do it well enough to beat the iPhone’s reigning champ. It does, however, do it much better than Happy Jump. It looks better, plays a little better and has a simultaneously annoying and adorable theme song that sounds like it’s being sung by a chorus of Beakers. You know, from the Muppets?

Unfortunately, while Meep is actually kind of fun (and doesn’t make pretentious claims like a certain other game) it suffers from the same exact problem that Happy Jump did: the controls are just a touch too sluggish. It just feels like Meep moves too slow when you’re trying to bounce to a platform that’s further than a single platform-length away.

Zombie Arena

(Developer: golconda – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

This was my train of thought as I sat there playing Zombie Arena: “This is not fun. This is not fun. This is not fun.” Only it kept going.

And really, that’s the problem. It’s just not fun. You shoot zombies (*yawn*) with a bow, and the “special” arrows don’t really help or make things interesting. There’s no indication of where you’re aiming so you have to eyeball it and get lucky through trial-and-error. The sound effects are terrible. And ultimately there are a lot more quality zombie games available for the exact same price.

Avatar Zombie Massager Extreme

(Developer: MatthewM – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

I was hoping that my initial impressions of Avatar Zombie Massager would change once I actually played the game. The description made me think it was possible that the developer was attempting to satirize Live’s indie offerings and I figured it might be funny. Well it’s not. At all.

Avatar Zombie Massager is every bit as terrible and pointless as the games it’s supposed to be a parody of. I’d say you shouldn’t bother, not even out of curiosity, but I know you won’t listen. Curiosity is a powerful thing. But a word to the developer: Satire is only funny when it’s done well. Otherwise it comes off as juvenile.

Spherendipity

(Developer: Gogs – 80 points)

Nothing says “Good Times” like banging some balls together. No, not really. Slapping balls around isn’t really very fun.

Spherendipity (*facepalm*) has players using their Avatar ball to knock around other balls in an attempt to clear the stage and move on to the next one. Unfortunately there just isn’t enough to the game, be it in concept or execution, to make it anything other than mediocre.

Smiley Smashout

(Developer: Luke Reed – 80 points)

You know, aside from the irksome aesthetic choice of using smileys that look like they were pulled right off of a garish banner ad, Smiley Smashout is actually pretty entertaining.

All you really do is blow up your smiley and watch the chain reaction of other smileys blowing up, hoping you’ll nail enough of them to complete the level, but it’s not a bad way to kill an evening. Having different blast shapes for different smileys was a good idea, too.

Basically it’s a fun little distraction, but it’s not going to blow the socks off your feet or anything.

Avatar Cash Dash

(Developer: BBQ Games – 80 points)

Avatar Cash Dash is like the bastard child of a county fair attraction and Pac-Man. And the similarities to the giant yellow pizza with a slice missing don’t do anything to help it.

Up to four players can run around a big ring grabbing coins to see who can grab the most before time (or coins, depending on the mode) runs out. If it weren’t for the off-feeling controls and the difficulty I’ve had grabbing a few coins because of either depth-perception or hit-detection problems, I’d say it could be a fun four-player game. But as it is there are far better multiplayer games out there.

Jet Pack War

(Developer: Super Boise 2 – 80 points)

And here we have the third game (so far) this week to feature Avatars and prove Avatar Zombie Massager Extreme right. In Jet Pack War you get to fly your Avatar around one of three different arenas and shoot semi-homing missiles at other Avatars. It’s not too bad, but only the practice mode is available in the trial version, so trying out the up to six player multiplayer is out as I can’t afford to buy every indie game that comes down the pipe. Nor would I want to if I could.

Anyway, it seems like it would be fun to play online. If you’re interested you should download the demo and give it a shot. if you like it you’d probably have no problem dropping the dollar on it.

Akimbo Paddles!

(Developer: Team Legendre – 80 points)

So I’m conflicted. On the one hand (or paddle! *crickets* …) I feel like I’m playing a bad mash-up between Pong and Arkanoid. Only without the brick-breaking or opponents. On the other… hand… I feel like I’m playing an intentionally bad mash-up between Pong and Arkanoid. Only with ever-changing level themes, goofy music and goofier “help” text.

In many ways, Akimbo Paddles! actually has more in common with Enviro Bear 2010 than the aforementioned paddle games in that it seems to be bad and insane on purpose. I don’t think the intentionally bad part deserves the Poop-Stamp because it’s not technically bad, but I also don’t think it’s really a Must Play. But if you’re curious feel free to give the demo a whirl. You just might like its weirdness.

SolarStruggle

(Developer: Z Software – 400 points)

SolarStruggle is basically a dogfighting game. In space. It’s kind of in the same vein as other space action games (Wing Commander, Colony Wars, etc…), but it falls short in several key areas.

The biggest sin against the genre is that the game takes place on a 2D plane. So while you’re indeed flying around in space, you’re only moving horizontally. Which is more than a little disappointing and feels pretty constricting.

Graphically it looks very nice for an indie game on Live, but it almost looks like the ship designs were lifted from EVE Online. I’m not saying they were, but they look very similar. It sports some decent music and sound effects, along with some voice acting. And while it’s nice to see indie developers attempting to step-up their production values, it isn’t enough to make any real difference.

Space combat enthusiasts will probably enjoy it for a bit, though.

Escapism

(Developer: Tamer Elsayed – 240 points)

Escapism is another one of those puzzle games that does something different, but doesn’t quite nail that special quality needed to keep people playing it. It’s a combination of a “block-dropping” and a “match three” game, requiring you to group your spheres into specific patterns (based on their color) before they can be cleared. Once they’re grouped right they’ll turn into boxes and you can use the odd little rotating arm to vaporize them.

Again, it’s different, but it doesn’t quite nail it.

Return of the Noose!

(Developer: BkBGames – 80 points)

“What is this? I don’t even…”

In a nutshell, Return of the Noose! (a.k.a: Hangman’s Revenge) has absolutely nothing to do with Hangman aside from stick figures. You select four different vehicles (from a list of about eight) at the start of your game, then proceed to fight your way through various crudely drawn enemy vehicles until you reach the stage’s boss. It functions like a twin-stick shooter crossed with a side-scroller, with a little Return Fire mixed in for good measure.

It’s not broken or otherwise deserving of a Poop-Stamp, but it’s really not all that great, either.

Poker Stacker 2

(Developer: SevenDollarBill – 80 points)

And here we have an interesting idea that’s kind of “meh.”

Poker Stacker 2 is all about placing falling poker cards (i.e. blocks) properly so as to clear out full lines, get points and keep your game going that much longer. It’s not too far off to think of it as Tetris with nothing but square blocks and the only way to clear them is to make poker hands. Anything from a two-of-a-kind to a straight, flush and whatever else you can legitimately call a “hand” will clear a row, but it’s only rows. Which is kind of a let down as being able to line up your hands horizontally as well as vertically would have made for some interesting strategies.

In all it’s a decent game that both puzzle and poker enthusiasts looking for something a little different might enjoy.

A Jumper Robot Adventure

(Developer: Angel Z – 80 points)

A Jumper Robot Adventure is essentially a “retro” platformer through and through. Unfortunately this means it doesn’t do anything particularly noteworthy, but it does pull off the basics pretty well. Think Super Mario Bros. with Johnny 5 instead of Mario and some miscellaneous RC Car-looking bots instead of Goombas, Koopas and so on and you’ll be right on the money.

My only real gripe is that the directional movement is a little off. It can sometimes take a fraction of a second for the robot to get up to speed, which will often make for missed jumps due to either a bad trajectory or lack of momentum. Other than that it’s a solid enough platformer that may entertain jump-junkies for a few hours.

Spatial Rift

(Developer: fr3shme4t – 80 points)

*Must Play*

Okay, just in case you’re desperate for a 3D space combat game this week and you’re torn between Spatial Rift and SolarStruggle, allow me to make the choice easier for you. Spatial Rift is much, much better and costs significantly less.

For starters you can actually move your ship along a Z-axis. The game also features nice graphics, some interesting ship designs that don’t feel quite as… questionable, and a glorious lack of voice acting. Oh, and it’s a tactical shooter. So aside from the overall better-ness you also get to control (either individually or through special commands) an entire squadron of tiny fighters. Definitely worth a look.

The ADVENTURES of CAPTAIN Becky

(Developer: sakura – 80 points)

Captain Becky looks awful.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. The various polygons and such that make up The ADVENTURES of CAPTAIN Becky are fine, but the texture are kind of icky. And Becky herself looks all kinds of… not good. Which is doubly a shame because she seems to exist purely as fan-service to young, sexually frustrated boys. She has unlockable outfits. *gags*

But the thing is, as lumpy and misshapen as Becky may be (especially for supposed eye-candy), her game is actually pretty okay. You have to get our dopey-looking heroine from the start of the stage, which is pretty small but filled with various obstacles, to the exit using nothing but her trusty jump, double-jump, mace and inappropriate attire. It’s actually kind of fun in a slowed-down sort of way.

BLASTER AND MORION

(Developer: mukagosoft – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

Just… just avoid this one. No, really. One look at the title screen should be more than enough of an indication of just how much you don’t want to play this game.

BLASTER AND MORION is all about running around and shooting ugly (in a bad graphics sort of way) alien things with balls (?) in an attempt to knock them off of the world. They can do the same to you. There are cheap sections, ugliness and… just avoid it. Promise?

沈黙の磁石 (Chinmoku no Jishaku – “Silent Magnet”)

(Developer: ncc – 80 points)

I don’t know what this is, but I kind of like it. You move your little robot general-looking guy around the level and press either A, X or B to change his colors (to green, blue and red respectively). What makes it interesting is that each color corresponds to a magnetic polarity (or in green’s case, non-magnetic). So if you come to a red platform, turning the little fella red will propel him away from the red blocks. Conversely, turning blue will lead to the red blocks pulling you in if you’re close enough.

Early stages involve using the changing polarities to rocket yourself through winding levels, but later stages involve timing, coordination and lots of patience as you bounce and stick from one sheer surface to the next on a timed dash to the exit. If it weren’t for the tendency to waste precious seconds futzing around with somewhat questionable physics this game would be an instant Must Play. Even so, it’s definitely worth checking out.

ちえりのドキ★ドキ湯煙ぶらり旅 (Chieri no Doki-Doki Yukemuri Burari Tabi – “Chieri’s Heart-Pounding, Steam-Swinging Adventure”)

(Developer: dy – 80 points)

*Must Play*

Oh, Japan. You and your drugs.

Whatever this is, you play as a woman in what I assume is a bathhouse, chasing after her… chasing after some guy who got sucked down the drain. You’ll use your rabbit-thing to latch on to various red things and swing around while shooting what look like lasers (from where, I have no idea) at evil rubber duckies, monkey idols and more. It’s ridiculous, it’s insane and I can’t help but be absolutely smitten by it.

You should try it out, at the very least.

Perplaxis

(Developer: Jeff DeWall – 240 points)

Perplaxis is a puzzle game where you have to rotate sections of four orbs/balls/spheres around until you’ve grouped six or more like-colored doohickeys together. Little by little more balls will appear, and it’s up to you to keep clearing them out so that the board doesn’t fill up completely.

There are a lot of indie puzzle games available on Xbox Live right now, and while there are certainly some that are leaps and bounds above Perplaxis (i.e. Paipa), there are also a lot that are much, much worse. If you like-a-the puzzle games and need another fix, you might as well give Perplaxis a shot. It’s well put together, reasonably polished and won’t make your eyes or ears bleed.

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*Must Plays*

• Spatial Rift (80 points)
• ちえりのドキ★ドキ湯煙ぶらり旅  – “Chieri’s Heart-Pounding, Steam-Swinging Adventure” (80 points)
  

*Utter Failures*

• Zombie Arena (80 points)
  
• Avatar Zombie Massager Extreme (80 points)
• BLASTER AND MORION (80 points)

(Ed. Note: Thanks to NeoGAF for a better translation of ちえりのドキ★ドキ湯煙ぶらり旅 – R.T.)