Pixelosity (XBLIG): "A Simple Shmup With Great Replay Value"

Pixelosity is the simplest indie game/shmup that I have ever played. Being the in-depth reviewer that I am it kind of presented a problem, and as a result this will likely be the shortest review I will do ...

Pixelostiy is a simple 1, or 2 player sidescrolling shmup that was developed by 'GLHF Games'. You pilot a ship (that is constructed of simple pixel blocks) as it flys along with a rainbow trailing behind it (kind of like Nyan Cat ^.^). Your goal is to try to shoot down other ships, and get the highest score in the process of doing so. You can accumulate chains (multiple enemies killed without getting hit) that add to your ever-growing score. As you fly through the game your score will gradually rise along with the additional points that you get for destroying ships in your path. Like any shmup you can find power-ups from the fallen enemies/ships that will aid you in your progress. I've actually only found a few of them though. The power-ups I did find included bullet overdrive (rapid fire), double bullets (shoots a wide spray of shots), and a bomb (clears the screen of enemy ships). You have a limited amount of lives in 'Pixelosity', so using power-ups to your advantage will definitely help out.

Pixelosity's appearance is simple. The game itself is presented in a widescreen format that suits it very well. As you make it to different levels (which transition smoothly) the background will change to various colors. I found that everything about the game is done in a pixelated manner. I even noticed some subtle pixel renderings in the background which definitely kept the game from being bland. When a ship explodes in the game it bursts into small, and large pixel blocks. The effect is pretty cool, and stays true to the theme of the game. The ships' designs were also unique, and the bullet spray that they fired were oversized showcasing further pixel rendering. The pixelated look of this game definitely suits the title. While it is a very simple game it still has quite an artistic look about it.

In the end 'Pixelosity' is a very simple game. It's strong point is the quality replay value that it offers. It's the kind of game that you could revisit, and play again multiple times. Score based shmups usually offer the player challenges with scoreboards/leaderboards, and 'Pixelosity' is no exception. I found that the leaderboards feature both online, and offline rankings. I couldn't verify the online leaderboard though, because my name was the only one that appeared on it. If an online leaderboard is actually present in the game then it will definitely add to the game's replay value. For 80 msp this game definitely delivers a solid experience even though it is a very simple one.