They Breathe (XBLIG): "An Eerie Underwater Survival Game"

This is one of those games that takes an old concept, and makes it into something totally unique. If you have ever played the old "Sonic the Hedgehog" games then you'll be familiar with the air bubble concept. The developer (The Working Parts) took the air bubble concept a giant leap forward, and made it into an indie game titled "They Breathe". The game has the player taking on the role of a frog who is constantly diving to the lower depths of what seems to be a flooded forest area. Along the way the frog must compete against other living creatures for air that comes in the form of air bubbles. The game is filled with odd land dwelling, and water dwelling creatures (frogs, moose, giant jellyfish). If you can last long enough to make it to the bottom of the flooded plain then you will be met with a surprise ...

Gameplay in "They Breathe" is simple yet quite difficult at times. The controls you will use in the game are a combination of (Left Trigger) for movement, and (A) for darting through the water. The goal, or aim of the game is to constantly gather the small air bubbles that float upward from the bottom of the screen or from dying animals' last breaths. Some animals like the frogs are harmless, and merely compete with you for the air bubbles while others like the moose will attack you. Your descent to the lower depths of the forest flood plain is completed in stages in which you must outlive the drowning animals in that section. When the animals die they will release a large bubble which represents their dying breath. You can get this bubble just like the other small ones simply by running into them. After all the animals in a section have died off the screen will flash, and begin to scroll down until other animals appear. As you progress further down into the abyss the scenery will change, and you'll begin to realize that you are actually in some sort of forest area. The opposing animals are more difficult to kill as you go further down in the water. When, and if you finally make it to the bottom you will be left hanging with what seems to be a unfinished ending. There is no screen, or credits that let you know that you have completed the game.

In conclusion I think 'The Working Parts' had something very interesting going with "They Breathe". The game had an eerie soundtrack that really accented the struggle to survive that was going on within the game. The gameplay itself was kind of fun, but frustrating towards the end where the giant jellyfish were swarming together. I also thought that the game seemed kind of short in length. I would have loved for it to have been an ocean scenario with shipwrecks, a lot more creatures, and more interesting scenery. This may be something the developer could look into doing if they decided to make a sequel, or a game with similar gameplay mechanics. One thing I did really like about the game was the art style. It was unique, and went well with the eerie music and plot of the game. When it comes to recommending, or not recommending this game I'm sort of undecided. It offers an unique gameplay experience, but the seemingly unfinished ending just seems to ruin the whole thing for me.