The Xbox Live Marketplace is a great tool used by game developers to get their games out faster and more effectively to players. It extended the life of games with DLC, and gives us old school games that may have never seen the light of day again. Another great thing about the Marketplace is that it allows indie developers to get their ideas out there and test the waters with new or modified ideas without the backing of big-name game companies. Some of these games are as low as 80 MS, or $1.00! I want to take some time to review and showcase three gems out currently in the indie section of the Marketplace that are all one dollar.
These games are Sketchy Tower Defense, Epic Dungeon, and Breath of Death VII.
Sketchy Tower Defense offers classic tower defense gameplay in an interesting way: with marker/graphpaper-style graphics. It is your job as the stick figure knight to build any combination of eight different towers, from arrow towers to lightning towers, to defend your castle(s) against endless hordes of Big'uns, Snot Goblins, and Spider Pigs. The game doesn't stop pummeling you with enemies until you lose all of your ten hearts. There are boss mobs scattered between the increasingly harder enemy types. The highest I ever got was wave 116. The only thing really lacking here is a leaderboard or score-keeping tool, but that isn't possible with the indie games, so that is forgiven. There are five very different maps that take different strategies to progress. The game features a co-op mode for all maps, as well as a PvP mode to test your meddle against a friend by racking up the most kills possible. As I said before, a leaderboard or score keeping capability is really the only flaw I see with this title. The game is challenging and offers hours of enjoyment for Tower Defense fans.
On to the next game. Epic dungeon labels itself as "The ultimate dungeon-crawling experience." This game reeks of the Old-School Gauntlet titles, and that, my friends, is a great smell. You start by selecting one of four classes, each with different abilities. Each class has a different little, witty back-story. I selected the Tinkerer and it turned out my mom buried me alive... again. Tee hee! From there, you descend into the dungeon, going as far as you can before you die. The enemies range from rats to giants, all satisfyingly exploding into meat chunks upon death. There are randomly-placed shops that sell health potions and other items; Weapons and armor can also be found lying around or in hidden rooms. There are RPG elements in this game as well that allow for point distribution upon leveling. When you die, your corpse becomes a tombstone with one of your best items attached. You then start off at level one and try again! If you can make it to your tombstone, you can retake your item. The game also features a welcomed save function so that you don't have to start at level one every time.
The game has a surprising amount of depth, with tons of items and magic to collect to modify your character. There is an item identification feature that is pretty interesting, as well as a high score section to keep track of your dungeon adventures. The music is classic and catchy, and the graphics are 8-bit, but run very smoothly. Dungeon Crawler fans will appreciate this mix of classic and solid gameplay elements that will hold them over until Diablo 3.
Breath of Death VII is a retro-parody of classic 8-bit RPGs. It takes place years after the fall of humanity by nuclear Holocaust where the world has been overtaken by magic and the undead. It is up to Dem the Skeleton Knight, along with his ghostly party to seek answers to the past in hopes to quell the evil that has overtaken the lands. The environments include new towns bustling with undead inhabitants and derelict cities of what was modern day. The dungeon-style areas are winding and reward players for taking different paths. Yes, this game has different paths... it's not a 35-hour straight line.
The game provides a decent, funny storyline that lasts about 4-6 hours. Not too shabby for a dollar, seeing as that some console titles that long go for $60. The gameplay is a mix of Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Breath of Fire. Some people might be taken aback by the enemy encounters because you can't see your characters on-screen, but the fights are satisfying and boss fights can be challenging. Each character has their own set of skills, and characters can combine their power into double team attacks. Outside of battle the characters interact with the world in funny ways, quoting TV shows and Internet memes at times while not overdoing it. Overall this game is a fun homage to old-school RPGs. With solid gameplay, old-and-new-school charm, and sometimes epic music, this is an indie title RPG fans would find worth every one of their one hundred cents.
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