Game Review: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Billy O'Keefe - Mclatchy -Tribune News Service
Aug 19, 2011
For: Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade)
From: FuelCell/Gagne International
ESRB Rating: Everyone (mild fantasy violence)
Price: $15
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Exploring the atmosphere of "Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet" is akin to wandering around a country without knowing the language, and that's where its genius lies. "Planet" marries traditional 2D space shooting gameplay with the kind of non-linear exploration found in the likes of "Metroid," populating regions you visit early on with areas you can only access once you return later with a gadget that can pave the way.
"Planet" isn't as sharp as "Metroid" about keeping the backtracking to a minimum, and purely as a space shooter, it's more good than great. But the game redeems itself not only with the variety of gadgets you eventually collect, but in the clever way it challenges you to figure out the right tool for every job. "Planet" almost completely eschews language in favor of symbols: Your object scanner uses icons to hint at which gadgets are useful where, but you'll need to flex some ingenuity to decipher what these gadgets do and how they apply to any given situation.
Even in the first area, the game spells nothing out for you. The minimalist approach works in tandem with a vector-esque visual presentation to give "Planet" a fresh identity, and it joins forces with some great puzzle design to do the exploration theme proud. Should you occasionally crave something a little more frantic, the Lantern Run mode - a score-based, co-operative (four players, local or online) survival mode which puts your ship on the run from considerably more dangerous enemies - will prove a nice and punishing change of pace.
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Copyright 2012 by Mclatchy -Tribune News Service
