Chris Unarmed – Platformer – 240 Points – Download

Coming from developer Chris Hughes, Chris Unarmed is a 2D platformer that features puzzle elements in many of it’s levels.

Through the first 20 minutes of Chris Unarmed I was left rather underwhelmed. The graphics were substandard and the level design was average. However, as I progressed through the rather long story (it took around 2 hours to finish) I was surprised at how much the game improved.

Once you pass the first few levels Chris Unarmed becomes a very good puzzle platformer. There are some genuinely fun and challenging levels throughout the game and they are helped by solid core mechanics.

With no way to attack enemies your only option is to avoid them by jumping and wall jumping. Luckily the physics of the jumping are well implemented and more importantly consistent.

There are various obstacles that stand in your way such as wind currents and conveyor belts which both help you and will foil your attempts to pass each level. Enemies each have individual AI routines and the clone enemies are a particular challenge as they mimic your characters actions.

There is a lot of content on offer as well. In addition to the large story mode there are also coins to collect in each level as well as treasure rooms.

If you are willing to give Chris Unarmed some time, it is eventually one of the better platformers on XBLIG. I just hope the very average start to the gane won’t put people off.

Get past the first 20 minutes and you will find one of the better platformers on XBLIG.

One Response to “Review: Chris Unarmed”

1. Chris Hughes says:

   December 13, 2009 at 4:59 pm

   Thanks for the review, and you’re spot on. The game reviews well but has an extremely low conversion rate because of the slow start. Definitely something to work on the next time around. Cheers, Chris.