Last time on the Indie Scene, I was having trouble finding enough games to fill the column. The letter Q will do that to you. With R, though, the selection was far better. In terms of Xbox Indie games alone, I had 40 games to choose from, of which I’ll be talking about two. And while everything I played on the PC wasn’t stellar, I had some fun with RunMan, which serves as this week's kickoff game.
R:
RunMan: Race Around the World (PC, free)
Just given RunMan’s name and look, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a Canabalt-style “run right and dodge” game. Indeed, that’s what I thought at first. But it’s not as simple as that. While RunMan mostly has you zipping forward to reach each stage’s goal, getting there usually requires some sort of platforming to overcome obstacles.
For the first world or so, I wasn’t particularly taken by RunMan. The game could be downright frustrating at times. Eventually, though, the pieces started falling into place. For one, utilizing your boost correctly is key: You can simply plow through some enemies, while others will act as roadblocks. Also, boosting lets you bounce off walls, which, as you’d expect, isn’t always a desired reaction.
When I reached a rhythm of when to boost or not, quickly taking into account upcoming enemies and terrain, I began enjoying the game more. Add to that an absolutely relentless charm (both graphically and with its striking soundtrack), and the game only continued to grow on me, all the way to the end of its oh-too-happy world.
Run Away (Xbox Live Indie, $1)
But you say you haven't scratched your Canabalt itch? OK, let’s move on to Run Away then. This Xbox Live Indie game keeps things simple. Your character runs automatically; all you do is control when he jumps and rolls.
Sure, this is fun, and yes, we've seen it before. What Run Away does to differentiate itself is with its presentation. Although it’s not laid out in comic strip form, Run Away has a “lifted from the Sunday funnies” feel. Bright colors and a hand-drawn art style make any individual moment look like it could be frozen and trapped within borders. Granted, any semblance of a story is slim — say, running from a dog or staying a step ahead of an angry, scootering granny — with the between-level animations used solely to set up the next dash.
The game is tough. You get one shot at your run and have to start from the beginning each time. And when you lose, your beloved Angry Girl has no qualms about breaking your heart, which makes me wonder: Since when did comics get so cruel?
Radiangames JoyJoy (Xbox Live Indie, $1)
Finally, what do we have here? A twin-stick shooter found on Xbox Live? Yes, Geometry Wars 2: Retro Evolved comes to mind, and radiangames JoyJoy has similarities to that modern classic. The single-board layout and waves of relentless enemies serve as obvious touchstones.
But JoyJoy focuses far more on making continual progress rather than chasing a high score. The game’s main thrust is subjecting you to its 24 stages and six bosses. You earn new weapons and upgrades, throughout, which add another level of strategy. If the current enemies come in the form of an overwhelming swarm, for example, the spread gun is a nice countermeasure. But when the enemies become tougher brutes, a more focused form of fire, like the pulse gun, is the better choice. And while I enjoy the weapon selection, actually swapping among them during a hectic battle is practically suicide.
JoyJoy may not dethrone the king, but it holds its own among a sea of clones. And really, given the price, it's hard not to give this sleek game a try.
With that, it’s time to say good-bye to R. It was a solid run, with the Xbox Live Indie games coming through nicely. Next time we’ll be hitting on what has been my favorite indie game for the past year. Any guesses as to what that is?
Previous entries:
A, B, C, D, E,
F, G, H, I, J,
K, L, M, O, P,
Q
The Indie Scene Interview: The Odd Gentlemen