Plasma Fist - Old School Platforming done right!
I
have always been a staunch believer in the gaming ethos of 'graphics
do not maketh the game' and there are certainly a lot of indie games
that require that mindset in order to engage with them. Plasma Fist, on first
appearance, is one such game - a classic platform blaster that has a
wonderfully old school 8-bit look that reminds one of Lode Runner or
Jetpack.
Controlling the unnamed blue protagonist, you must navigate your way across the well designed stages; grabbing treasure, avoiding or blasting the monsters and finding the exit. Simple stuff, certainly, but here's the rub; you cannot jump and your blaster has very limited shots. The 'no jumping' mechanic will be instantly
familiar to those of you who have played the aforementioned Lode
Runner and is not missed thanks to the well placed
ladders throughout the levels - In fact, much like its inspiration, it lends the game an added
element of strategy, forcing you to avoid confrontations with your adversaries, rather than simply hop over them. It also means you can take alternative routes through the stages and must think before you leap (or fall in this case) as you may not be able to get back whence you came, possibly missing precious treasure as a result.
The
stages are filled to the brim with life sapping adversaries, so it's
very handy that you have your blaster to hand. Unfortunately, it only
holds a very small amount of energy to fire hot laser death, so you
must choose your shots wisely and decide how to fire the gun - do you
let off several tiny shots, capable of killing lesser enemies and
merely stunning tougher foes? Or do you hold down the power button
and unleash a massive beam of destruction that will emulsify an
entire row of enemies as well as reducing one block of wall to dust?
The fact you can only use this epic blast twice before an energy
replenishing power-up needs to be grabbed, means you have to pick your
moments carefully, but boy is it satisfying to wipe out a queue of
monsters, even if you have to retreat to find more energy afterwards.
The
graphics have a polished and charismatic appearance that combines the
visual style of 8-bit home computers such as the BBC Micro and C64
with early coin-op games by developers like Capcom and Konami. The sprites
are nicely animated too, which gives them far more character than a
glance at a static screenshot would have you believe and there are lots of lovely little background details such as spiderwebs, flickering torches and blood splats left from vanquished enemies. An atmospheric, laid back chiptune soundtrack sets the spooky tone of the game and is a welcome change from the manic chiptune techno usually found in 8-bit inspired indie games.
Thanks
to the clever weapon mechanic, interesting stages and solid
platforming Plasma Fist is extremely enjoyable to play and is both
addictive and challenging (Just wait until the blaster-wielding soldier starts making an appearance). Not only does it inspire you to explore
each stage thoroughly, but the extra mechanics give it an element of
depth which engrosses you in the simple, yet engaging world it
presents to you. Online scoreboards are the icing on the replayability cake and will have you coming back time and time again to beat your score. Plasma Fist is a must play for anyone who enjoys
immersive 8-bit platform adventures. It is also completely free, so what are you waiting for?
Title
: Plasma Fist
Developer
: Orange08 Games
Year
: 201x
System
: PC
Price
: Free
Genre
: Platformer
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