Square Off: Impressions

Square Off by Gnomic Studios was a game developed for the Windows phone and Xbox Live Arcade in 2009.  The game placed in the top 20 in the 2009 Dream.Build.Play competition by Microsoft. Gnomic Studios ported the game to iOS, Android and Ouya.  I grabbed the free Ouya version and played through the multiple levels and was very pleased with the experience Square Off brings to the miniature console.

Square Off plays like a traditional twin stick shooter with a slight twist.  As opposed to it being top down, you have a jet pack that moves your character in the air rather than on the ground.  It’s interesting because this perspective is basically the same as being top down but feels more like a side scroller.  The levels are all wave based and at the fifth wave, you face a boss that once you complete it, you can either continue the level or move onto the next.  Each level has random crate drops with different weapons and power-ups that keep the game fun and force you to move from one spot of the level to the next. The game blends 2D characters into a 3D background surprisingly well.  The art style is extremely simple but still looks very nice.  The music however ranges from pleasant to repetitive which is a little frustrating.

The game takes a while to get challenging but when it does, it feels a little overwhelming.  This may be because my lack of skill or preparation but not having a crowd control weapon at all times hurts the experience.  Over twenty enemies can surround you and your basic gun will not handle it well at all.  The game also feels sluggish so when you get caught in this situation, it makes you feel like you are helpless.  Another problem I have with the game is that the HUD doesn’t display your score. If you want to see it you have to press a button.  I understand that Gnomic Games may have been trying to free up screen space (especially on phones) but when you gain multiple kills, the game will display X2 score and what not which you can’t see the results unless you press the score button.  It’s a minor complaint that doesn’t hinder gameplay but it hinders my experience with the game.

 

Gnomic Games released a game that plays well and looks good.  They also plan on releasing a sequel called Square Heroes.  I look forward to seeing the changes and improvements this team makes to the hopefully successful franchise.  Check out the website here.  http://www.gnomicstudios.com/