Game Review: Square Off
May 5, 2011 No Comments
If anyone has seen my recent article on how some indie games on the Windows Phone are surpassing a good amount of Xbox titles. You would already know that I hold the brand spanking new game Square Off by Gnomic Studios on a very high pedestal. The game itself is a port of it’s big brother on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Indie Games, it is a full complete game from top to bottom.
In Square Off you play as a tiny squared yellow avenger that was created by a mad scientist (that was previously confined to a mental institution mind you) trying to save the world from alien invaders. How did he create the squared avengers? By simply splicing the alien DNA with his own brain cells – that’s how! Anyway, the whole story is told in the beginning followed by a quick tutorial to prepare you to fight off the alien threat.
[smartads]
The visuals of this game are very cartoonish and they work perfectly with this type of game. The Backdrop to the levels keep you in the game. The animations are also a treat, as you see the aliens facial expressions change as they charge and/or explode when you kill them.
Many of your enemies are different, some have armor on and they all spawn from aliens ships. Each take a specific amount of shots to take care of them. Luckily you have the following weapons at your disposal.
- Rockets
- 3 Slice Gun
- Shotgun
- Bombs
- A trusty unlimited ammo pistol
All the weapons are easy to use and are balanced pretty well. Using the bombs and tossing them aside not only blows up a good amount of aliens but it also attracts them to it before it explodes, which is obviously a good thing for you. The shotgun is a life saver but you really count on the rockets, especially during those epic boss battles ,which are pretty insane. This is one of those games that when you get to the boss you really regret using up your good weapons instead of saving them to help you combat the boss.
It’s a perfectly balanced game that lets anyone be able to play but it does have that increasing amount of difficulty as you go on through the levels. Hint: The amount of enemies can get overwhelming so make sure you take care of those ships that they spawn from.
Anything wrong with this game? Not really… I would change the music a bit on the menu. Obviously we would love things like multi-player like it’s older sibling on the 360 (which isnt possible on WP7 at the moment) Those things though are just very minor things that you soon forget about as soon as you start playing the game.
[smartads]
The best part of this game? It is extremely addictive! You can literally lose yourself in the game. Something that not many mobile games have ever made me feel. I really encourage all of you to try this game as it is one of the best games out there in the marketplace right now including Xbox Live games.
[rating:5.0]
Game info:
Blast, dodge and disintegrate your alien enemies in a desperate bid to save humanity. Wield shotguns, bombs and missiles in an insane survival frenzy. Features beautiful sound and 2.5D graphics, hordes of vicious aliens and absolutely loads of addictive fun.
Xbox Live Indie Games version of Square Off also available:
- Placed in the Dream.Build.Play Top 20
- Reviewed by Abstract360.com “Gnomic Studios has set the bar very high” (9/10)
- Reviewed by TIGSource.com “…delicious art style. Clearly inspired by The Behemoth’s games”
