Review: Along Came A Spider
Along Came A Spider – Platformer – 400 Points – Download
Don’t let the opening few levels of “Along Came a Spider” deceive you, underneath the colourful and cute graphics lies one of the most challenging games I have played for some time. The premise for the game couldn’t be simpler, there is no story as such and no cutscenes, just you as spider trying to make your way to the end of 20 platforming levels trying to catch the 3 flies that inhabit each level until you have all 60.
The game guides you in gently and the difficulty curve is pitched just about right with the exception of a few difficulty spikes along the way which are sure to frustrate some gamers, however, the feeling of achievement is up there with the best when you finally crack that tricky level. You start the game with only the jump ability and every 5 levels you are given a fresh move to help you along the way such as connecting your self to the silk platforms so you can bungee yourself off edges and reach higher areas. It’s a great way of keeping things fresh and keeps the game varied enough to hold your interest until the final “hard as nails” boss.
Unfortunately the game won’t last you too long due to a feature within the game that lets you move onto a new level if you fail the last one a certain amount of times, some people might find this a useful thing to have but it does take away the challenge if you use it, so to get the maximum enjoyment out of the game just persevere and play it level by level.
On the whole this is a very well put together package that looks and handles like a dream, the 400 Microsoft Points might seem a little steep for an indie game but you get out of this game what you put in so it still comes highly recommended.
Underneath the colourful and cute graphics lies one of the most challenging games I have played for some time.
Themocracy
Hey Alex, you’re right, 400 MSp is the high end for an Indie blade game these days, but we do need to support the games that seem to have taken the form to a higher level. There is so much drivel out there. Along Came a Spider isn’t one of the bad ones, it’s actually right in step with where the new wave of indie games are going, and I encourage more of this sort of thing on XBLIG. Thanks for drawing attention to it. Love the site.