Crimsonland (PC)
Developer Jaakko Maaniemi asked me to try his game Crimsonland and sent me a Steam key.This can be awkward. I am very empathetic to indie developers, and I'll try anything, but what if it isn't any good? What do I say that's critically constructive, yet considerate?
Fortunately, I didn't have to think about any of these things, because this game kicks ass. Truly.
The game description the website is "a top-down shooter with a touch of RPG", and that's a fair description, but it's incomplete. It's very old-school, right down to the outstanding play balance and the incredibly responsible controls. I'm playing with the wired Xbox 360 controller, and the controls are so honed and polished that it's extremely impressive. This entire game is honed and polished.
The action is frantic and tremendously fun, with (sometimes) hundred of enemies, and spectacular power-ups appearing at intervals. It feels like a descendant of Smash TV and the best of the Bitmap Brothers, which is high praise.
Steam says I've only played 2 hours, but I've played every day for the last week, because when I have 10-15 minutes of downtime, it's what I immediately think about. And if you like games in this old-school genre, you can't go wrong.
Here's a link to the Steam page, and it's even 50% off during the Steam Summer Sale.
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