XBLIG IMPRESSIONS: "BEYOND"

I find myself once more trying out a new puzzle game. I might actually get back into the genre if games like Vizati, and this game keep being released. BEYOND is a unique puzzle game that was developed by mitabo. The game features 10 level rounds that are categorized by letters of the alphabet. You begin at 'D'. I assume the game continues until you get to 'A', but I can't be for certain since I was only able to play the trial version.


BEYOND's main character is a package carrying crow (or at least seems to be). As the gamer you must guide this crow to drop, and pile up various types of crates/packages in order to reach a set height. The gameplay is complicated by winds, and the speed of your crow as you progress in level. Each stage has a beautifully rendered background that cycles through night, and day. It features such things as the moon and moving airplanes. I'm very curious to see what other interesting things the backgrounds might hold. In BEYOND you'll find your puzzle area is framed off in a rectangular border. On the inside of the puzzle area are pieces of land with various things such as trees, stars, and other interactive items. You also have a semi-invisible line placed somewhere in the middle of the screen that lets you know what height you must stack your boxes/packages to.


The controls, and puzzle solving in the game are very easy to pick up on. The main button you will use is 'A', and that's for dropping the boxes/packages as your crow flies by. You have no control over the birds flight, so your main focus is landing each box in the best way to reach your height goal. Throughout each level there are trees, or structures that will raise in height to make reaching your goal much easier, and in the process earn the maximum stars for that level. The star ranking system for each level is based on the amount of box/package drops it takes you to reach the specified height (goal). You'll get three gold stars for 1-8 drops, two silver stars for 9-12 drops, and 1 bronze star for 13-18 drops. I found that the actual box/package dropping does take some getting used to, but after a while I was able to get used to it. There are also explosives and other items/features that are located in various levels of BEYOND that will make reaching your goal easier. The TNT/explosives will clear pieces of land, and cracks in the ground can be hit with boxes/packages to clear out land as well.

In the end I found BEYOND to be a delightful little puzzle game that definitely sparked my interest. The quality, and presentation of the game are excellent for an XBLIG puzzle game. The concept seemed fresh, and original. If XBLIG keeps releasing puzzle games like Vizati, and BEYOND I could definitely see myself getting back into the genre. My Sister is also an Xbox 360 gamer, so I'll have to spread the word to her as well seeing that she is the puzzle game champ of the family.