Summer of Arcade Review – Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Wick98

Developed by FuelCell Games, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is an interesting mixture of a few different genre elements. There's your twin-stick shooter action mechanics, Castlevania-style map design plus backtracking, as well as some well-designed and interesting puzzle elements. It's a concoction that mixes incredibly well and doesn't feel like a second-rate attempt at any of the aforementioned game types, which is quite impressive. It's a very polished experience that won't bother you with clunky controls, problematic physics or noticeable glitches. Something we gamers love to see when we spend our hard earned dollars on a new game.

The most impressive part of it all is its art design, created within the abstract mind of Michel Gagné. To say that this game is visually interesting, innovative and stunning would be to sell it short. Each new area of the game presents a new visual treat, adding new puzzles, obstructions and colourful designs along the way. Those who say that video games aren't art should definitely check this one out in high-definition because it'll certainly change their collective minds. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet looks and plays differently from almost everything else on the market, which is a nice thing to see. Buy it for its solid design and amazing art, knowing that one of the major reasons you did so was to prove to the non-gamers around you just how innovative these digital escapes really are.

Zokot

In this dark and artistic Shadow Planet, you explore dangerous, unique environments while collecting new weapons, power ups, and awesome artistic concept art. Following the beautiful art style of the 2010 game Limbo, this Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet looks like it jumped straight out of an animated feature film. Navigating your ship through underwater areas, mechanized sections, and ice caverns gives every dark corner of the Shadow Planet a beautiful feel.

On top of the art style, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet has a great sense of scale, zooming in while you explore the small dark corners of the planet, and zooming out in the large open areas to give you a feel for how large the planet really is.

If the campaign mode isn't enough for you, the lantern run mode might catch your interest. You and up to three other players, local or live use your skills to drag lanterns through increasingly hard puzzles as a dark sea of tentacles follows quickly behind you, obliterating anything in its path. How long can you survive? Whether you're playing by yourself or with friends, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is a ton of fun and I highly recommend it!

Rarely does a games title describe itself so well. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is just what it says, although different titles could have worked just as well. Menacingly Gorgeous Shadow World or Chaotic Quirky Spaceship Adventures could have been reasonable substitutes, albeit rather poor choices for marketing purposes.  ITSP is of the same genre as Castlevania, but instead of traipsing through caverns or double jumping through hallways, you are soaring around a charmingly gloom-filled wonderland in a flying saucer.

Your UFO can be equipped with a variety of weapons that -along with a generous checkpoint system- will help you delve deeper into the world as well help to dispose of the various inhabitants that try to stop you. Not everything is given to you upfront, as you'll need to search a vast amount of winding passageways and secret areas to find upgrades for your ship that will allow you to pass obstacles that were inaccessible prior. ITSP is a beautiful but cunning game that, although inconspicuous at first, quickly ramps up its challenges by introducing puzzles at every turn and makes it a must for you to rely on your perceptiveness and wits to make it through in one piece.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planetis exactly as the name describes it, insanely twisted. The game starts you off on your home planet, which appears to be being attacked by the darkness from the shadow planet. Here, you learn your basic controls, and weapons. The game takes many of its gameplay elements from Castlevania games, making you fly around in your space-ship looking for upgrades to defeat the enemies that await you. The more you explore, the better equipment you find to further your journey. If you played, and enjoyed Shadow Complex from a couple years back, then this game is right up your alley. The game also does a very good job at looking beautiful. The colours, and the way the backgrounds look, and move around are just amazing.

Now, the music is another cool thing about this game. The music during gameplay is creepy, yet calm. It keeps you on your toes, not knowing what to expect next. With Dimmu Borgir doing the soundtrack for the cinematics, it's definitely a musical experience you won't forget. 

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet also features an online mode, called Lantern Run. Teaming up with up to four players, your goal is to carry your lanterns as far as you can without being killed. Every time you boot it up, it loads a different world, so your experience is never the same. Oh yeah, there is also a giant alien that is slowly following behind you, motivating you to move any faster. The game features two avatar items that you can unlock for meeting certain specifications in game. This is the third game in the 2011 Summer of Arcade lineup, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is looking like it will shape up to be a shadowy escape from the hot summer sun.