Do you remember a PC game from back in the day named Liero? That experience has just come to the Indie Games section of Xbox Live in the form of Snailien Invasion from Manly Games. Remember the good ole days when it was acceptable for a game to be multiplayer or single player only, and no attempt was made to shoehorn in extra modes. That is the camp that Snailien Invasion comes from, focusing on the multiplayer aspect almost exclusively and in that respect it as absolute success.
The core of the gameplay centers on multiplayer deathmatches that can contain up to 8 people. On the local console up to 4 people can compete in a drop in/ drop out style gameplay. Accessibility is the name of the game here, and it couldn’t be handled better. Newbies can easily go toe to toe with veterans, and while the less experienced players will most likely get beaten, the hilarity of the deaths and the general disregard for stat based gaming means that the focus is more on fun than on a kill/death ratio.
The one dull spot in the package is the controls. They are not terrible but do require a little bit of practice, which of course hampers the ability for new players to jump in so easily. Perhaps I am simply so used to the jump command being relegated to the A button that I simply press it out of habit. The controls are otherwise fairly intuitive and allow you to dig, repel, and swing around with ease. For such a budget title, the amount of weapons and character classes are noteworthy. If you you get lucky and find a group of 7 other players online you could easily waste away a few afternoons blasting each other to bits and giggling like little girls.
This game bears a strong resemblance to the Worms series, but it is a completely different experience. This title is really intuitive, fun, and robust for an indie game. There is absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t pick up this Indie game if you love multiplayer mayhem.
Snailien Invasion is available for 240 points on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
