ExL Studios Blog

Video of the Day:

Note: If you are unable to see the video, it may be because YouTube is down for maintenance.

Chris Unarmed (being created by Chris Hughes). The sound is not yet finalized. The video is supposed to be silent.

Xbox Live Indie Game of the Day:

****UPDATE: There have been concerns that we have previewed and written about Chris Unarmed by going outside the developer’s wishes. This is untrue as we obtained the preview, as well as permission to write about it, from the game’s developer, Chris Hughes. Thanks for your understanding. ****

Chris Unarmed (being created by Chris Hughes) – Enter a world where the hero Chris is on an epic quest to destroy the evil Mango. Along the way Chris will encounter a variety of puzzles including, but not limited to, strong winds, keys and collectibles, levers, cunning monsters, and more. Only through solving these puzzles can Chris stop Mango forever. To do so, Chris roams around a 2D Platforming world with 80 rooms split into 4 parts of the world. The estimated completion time is around 2-3 hours, but speed runners may be able to destroy Mango in just under an hour. Looks like there will be some open world game play (in a sense) because not all of the 80 rooms are required to be entered. Some of them are extra rooms added for the gamer who cannot help but explore.

I managed to preview the game and was pleasantly surprised. As of this posting, the sound was not yet finalized so I cannot comment on that, but the game play was stable. I do not want to spoil much so I will remain as unspecific as possible. The game kicks off with the chance to play or skip the tutorial. I decided to play the tutorial and found it to be extremely helpful. I probably could have figured out what it taught me anyway, but the tutorial ensured I didn’t have to.

After the tutorial ended, the game offered some background story and then left me traversing the world. The platforming controls work really well, as does wall jumping. While platforming, there are coins strewn around the levels. I found myself continuously looking in every nook & cranny for the coins though I’m not sure what they are for. The beginning levels were a little light on the puzzles, but as I progressed I found myself having to think more. Some deaths would lead me to re-think my strategy and would lead to AHA! moments. Those moments make the game truly shine. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed to find that many of the rooms the player does not have to enter only have a few coins in them. They are guarded by monsters of course, but I had hoped for optional routes between levels or something along those lines.

As for deaths, there are no set number of lives. If the player dies in a level, they are only forced to restart from a checkpoint. While this might sound like it makes the game too easy, don’t worry. The checkpoints have been placed at a nice pace and help stop the frustration of continuous level restarts. Levels are not full of only one puzzle so when you die at a later puzzle in the level, it is satisfying to know you don’t have to redo the puzzles you’ve already beaten. The game also has a save/load feature so that you don’t have to restart the game every time you want to play.

Moving on, the levels have been nicely designed with a perfect mix of strategy and platforming that had me smiling more often than I had anticipated. The monsters each have their own “attitude” and way they are meant to attack the hero, Chris. Sometimes this leads to some entertaining chases across the level that I couldn’t help but smile from. While some of the graphics are a little bland, I mostly enjoy the feel. Some levels mix background and foreground so excellently that I found myself expecting a story sequence. The game conveyed that feeling to me. Whether there was a story sequence or not, you’ll just have to see when it releases in the coming weeks!

New Release of the Day:

SFG Soccer (created by Stir Fry Games) – “This game was classified by the community with the following category scores – Violence=2/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. Over-the-top arcade soccer action! Bicycle kicks, headers, one-touch passes, slide-tackles, instant replays, it’s all here. An RPG-style leveling system is used for the multi-season Career Mode featuring 64 teams from around the world. Play co-op or solo as you lead your team all the way up to the Division 1 Championship Game!” – Xbox.com

Developer of the Day:

Matt Davis – The creator of Easy Golf and its sequel, Avatar Golf. Visit his website for the latest news on updates, his current projects, and future contests! In addition, we have interviewed Matt regarding Avatar Golf and Easy Golf. Make sure to read our full review of Easy Golf as well (the only game to receive a perfect 10/10 from us as of this posting).