Who Is God? (XBLIG): "Heavenly Tower Jumping"

Magiko Gaming the developers behind intense XBLIG titles like 'Platformance: Temple Death', and 'Platformance: Castle Pain' brings you 'Who Is God?'. It is a competitive game in which you must bounce your way to the heavens, and see who is truly the God of online gaming. As the Gamer/God you can choose from four different Deities. These Gods of different cultures, and backgrounds include God/Zeus?, Ganesha, Buddha, and an Alien (for those who don't want to go with an actual God). Instead of shooting for hi-scores your goal is actually to see who can bounce the highest (in km/kilometers) via various types of floating platforms. This goal is further complicated by a limited amount of boost jumps which you can earn by collecting different types of stars. The game is solely based on leaderboards (online & local), hence the title 'Who Is God?'. If you plan on making the top score you will need to focus on star collecting, and landing properly on the right platforms ...

The gameplay in 'Who Is God?' is very simple. The only thing really complicated about the game is landing on the platforms correctly. To control your God's movement you will use the Left Thumbstick, and for an extra boost in height you will use the 'A' button. Bouncing from platform to platform is automatic, so you won't need to focus on jumping manually. As you play 'Who Is God?' you will find that you earn extra boosts by collecting small, and large stars. The large stars will provide up to three extra boosts while the smaller stars must be collected in large amounts to accumulate extra boosts. The boosts in the game are the key to surviving to a greater height, and must be used wisely. Wasting your boosts will leave you without options for bouncing higher at times. Platforms in the game are also a key element in the gameplay. There are various types of platforms that include stationary, moving, single use, and platforms that will reduce the amount of boosts you have by a significant amount. Each type of platform has it's own distinct look as well as a different color to help you distinguish what is what.

The visuals in the game are simple yet impressive. The game features a vivid color scheme that really brings it to life. It also features a 2D style arcade game appearance. This is accented by pulsing patterns, and retro game icons that flash in the background in time with the music. The music of 'Who Is God?' improves the feel of the game, and enhances the intense gaming experience. The menus in the game are simple, but easy to access which is a good thing. From the start menu you can go straight into a game, or check out the latest highscores. The top score/player is featured above these options so that you know what score you need to beat in order to get ranked 1st place. This is definitely a plus for competitive gamers like myself. An icon of the God they chose is also featured beside their name/score.

After playing several rounds of 'Who Is God?' I found it to be quite an addictive little game. The online leaderboards will definitely add great replay value for those highscore seekers out there. The game as a whole really stands out above a lot of the arcade style XBLIG titles out there. It's something that's unique in a world of video game clones. I think Magiko Gaming did an excellent job with the game, and all of it's features. They kept it simple, and made it a very fun gaming experience that can be revisited over, and over without getting old. In other words the replay value is superb. For 80 msp ($1) you will get a competitive arcade style game that keeps on giving.