Old School Destruction
Developer: Insulin Games
Genre: Action & Adventure
Available On: XBLIG
Co-Op Mode: Local (2 – 4 players)
Price 240 ($3)
Demo w/ Co-Op Available: Yes
Old School Destruction serves as a good example of what is both good (a fun game that’s been developed and released outside of the mainstream games) and bad (it’s… rough aroudn the edges) about independent games. That’s not to say the game isn’t worth playing, but it is one where the average gamer must have a little patience; and playing the game with a buddy is a definite advantage to playing alone.
The premise behind Old School Destruction, from what I could tell by the loading screens, is that you’re a guy that’s been sent to some vacation getaway and who decides that it’d be good to bring along your trusty sidearm (no, you do not play as Jim “Iron Sights” McLaughlin). It’s a good thing, too, as the island is filled with some kind of transporters that teleport in a host of enemies. Really, though, with a name like “Old School Destruction,” a premise isn’t needed; there are enemies, take ‘em out!
Shown from a slightly skewed top-down perspective, players take on this enemy force by first locking on to a target using the right-thumb stick to align a targeting reticule over an enemy, and then blasting away. Players can also jump out of the way of incoming enemy fire, melee an enemy that gets to close, and hurl grenades to help take down the transporters or groups of foes. Having a buddy along to help out definitely makes the game more fun and provides some tactical advantages as one play can distract/take on the enemies while the other takes out the transporter so more don’t appear.
Pretty straightforward so far, but as the game progresses, it ends up playing as a kind of mix between a 3-D Super Contra, a twin-stick shooter, and an RPG. As you progress through the levels, you unlock additional weapons, such as a spread gun, and earn points that allow you to upgrade the weapons’ attributes, e.g., damage and fire rate. The lock-on mechanism takes some getting used to, but provides a rather quick and easy way to switch between targets without acting as a hindrance to the action. As the levels progress and enemies get tougher, things tend to get more hectic and players will find themselves doing a lot of ducking behind cover and jumping out of the way of a stream of bullets.
Teaming up to take down a transporter and alien foes
While the action is pretty satisfying, the rest of the game does have room for improvement. The graphics aren’t the best in the world, and don’t need to be, but somehow the game has fairly lengthy loading times. This may be a deterrent to those who want to jump in to the action right away, and is part of the reason why bringing a buddy along is so advantageous (the conversation during these screens). There can also be slight delays between gamepad input and what should have occurred on-screen, e.g., pressing the jump button and seeing the character jump a couple seconds later. Finally, while players do have a health bar so they aren’t instantly killed by enemy fire, there’s no on-screen HUD that indicates how much life you have left.
Old School Destruction provides an overall satisfying co-op experience where players will need to work together to clear each level, but the game’s flaws turn what could have been a great indie co-op game, into one that’s more for those who are interested in trying an “experiment in design”.
Wrap-Up
Old School Destruction is Geared Towards: Shooter fans that want to try something a little bit different and have the patience to give the game a whirl
The Co-Op Experience: Each player controls their own gun-toting hero with the ability to customize them as they see fit and work together to take out the enemy hoards
Corrupted
Developer: OnlyLuck Interactive
Genre: Action & Adventure
Available On: XBLIG
Co-Op Mode: Local (2 – 4 players)
Price: 240 ($3)
Demo w/ Co-Op Available: Yes
Last week we reported on a particular indie co-op title that was receiving some interest from other gaming sites, so we figured it would be an excellent candidate for the next issue of Indie-Ana Co-Op. For anyone who enjoys the four-player madness of Behemoth’s Castle Crashers, OnlyLuck Interactive’s Corrupted serves as an excellent companion piece.
The game begins at a lovely wedding between Knight and Princess. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when the evil Hooded Figure shows up, eats the princess, and turns some of the attendees into his minions (that’s you). As a mere minion, your boss tasks you to travel across the land in search of additional princesses, to which you must fight your way, in order to feed them to Hooded Figure so that his powers may grow. Why doesn’t he just do it himself? Well, as he so kindly points out to you, that wouldn’t be much of a game, now would it?
While Corrupted does have an entertaining self-referential sense of humor, it is the gameplay that truly makes Corrupted worth picking up and playing. The game plays a lot like Castle Crashers, with players hacking and slashing or firing arrows into groups of enemies that pour in from the edges of the screen, while having a kind of Ikari Warriors-type retro vibe. Using special “Corruption” powers that can freeze enemies or set them on fire, attacks can be boosted to add that extra little bit of death-dealing that’s needed when surrounded by a bunch of do-gooders. Additionally, each minion has a special power-up bar that fills as you kill foes (and fills faster the more foes you kill without being hit) and allows them to unleash a whirl of blades or a hail of arrows to make quick work of those that stand in your way. In other words, you are given everything you need to rain some ill-intended destruction upon the lands.
Your minion, in all his sketchy glory
The icing on the cake to all of this is that all of these abilities are upgradeable. In between levels, you can visit Smithy, Hooded Figure’s belt buckle, and pay him gold to enhance your melee and ranged attacks, as well as your Corruption powers. The enhancements to those powers actually introduce some of the better co-op aspects of the game. While the mix of ranged and up-close combat already provides some tactical methods for working with your partner(s) to clear out all resistance, the Corruptions powers, after just one level of upgrade, add to this by giving each minion an aura whenever the powers are activated. Thus, if one minion activates his fire Corruption powers, all nearby players also receive the benefits of that power. There’s more mixing of ice and fire in one co-op session than in an entire “song” devoted to that topic!
Without a doubt, like other indie co-op titles we've previously examined, Corrupted stands out as an excellent addition to any gamer’s library and is an absolute steal at the $3 asking price.
Wrap-Up
People Who Liked Corrupted Also Liked: Traditional beat ‘em up/hack-n-slash action games with RPG elements and a sense of humor
The Co-Op Experience: Players control their own minion (whose upgrades are individually saved) and work together to wrong the rights and imperil the fair maiden
Got a favorite indie co-op game? Want to talk about it? Head over to the forums and let us know! Your contributions will be part of an upcoming Indie-Ana Co-Op article!