Pathstorm Storms Rampant Games!
New Game! New Game! New Game!

Pathstorm is the first release by local (to me) indie game studio Cavebug Games. If you've ever enjoyed Sudoku or Minesweeper, you know how very addictive and fun logic-puzzle games can be.

The core of the game (and there are TONS of variations, so this doesn't hold true for every level) is fairly straightforward. You fire a ball from one point into an obscured playfield. It may run into obstacles in its path which alter its course. Sounds and blinking backgrounds indicate what the ball has hit and how many obstacles it hit. Then the ball exits at another point. Your challenge? Figure out what and where the obstacles are in as few shots as possible.

These aren't just simple obstacles the balls bounce against, either. There are twirlers, splitters (which split the ball into multiple balls that fire in all directions), shifters, bouncers, and more. It starts out fairly easily, and I haven't come CLOSE to completing something like the 200+ levels in the game, but I can say the challenge ramps up gently and has remained fun and challenging without getting frustrating.

The game includes a campaign mode called the "journey" which has you travelling across a map tackling different types of challenges and earning trophies. One variations reverses the gameplay, and involves you placing the obstacles to make the balls land in particular locations. If you like doing that, the game also includes a full level editor.

About the Developers
The Cavebug guys have been coming to the local Utah Indie Game Developer's meetings. I'd never met Josh Jensen, but Brad Edwards is a fellow Singletrac veteran from the beginning. We've done quite a few lunchtime deathmatches together, and have the same stories of working on Warhawk, Twisted Metal, and Outwars. He went on to Microsoft games from there, doing some titles for the XBox 360.

These two mainstream industry vets decided last year that it was time to make a break from the publisher treadmill and go indie. They are very excited about their first title, which definitely shows their attention to detail and quality in graphics, animation, and gameplay. It sparkles (literally, at times!). I can't wait to see what will come from them next!


DOWNLOAD THE FREE TRIAL OF PATHSTORM HERE


(Vaguely) related plugging:
* Chicken Invaders III (Awesome and silly shoot-'em-up)
* Virtual Villagers II: The Lost Children (Build a culture on a Pacific island)
* Fastcrawl ( An RPG Playable in under an hour)
* Democracy (Strategy game where you run a real-world country)

Labels: casual games, Game Announcements

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 8:18 AM (Permalink)