Pig & Bullet (XBLIG)

I was browsing the Xbox marketplace recently when I stumbled upon a very interesting XBLIG title. The title of course was none other than 'Pig & Bullet'. The cover art immediately caught my attention as well as the name of the game. It was enough to warrant some further investigation. I went to the description as I usually do when checking out a new game, and found something really interesting. The soundtrack to 'Pig & Bullet' was composed by Yasushi Kaminishi who formerly composed soundtracks for Capcom, and Takumi. After seeing that little bit of info I definitely had to get the game. I purchased 'Pig & Bullet' for a cheap 80 msp, and set out to see what it was all about.

As the title to this game suggests the main theme is based around pig/s and bullet/s. There are four modes (IKA mode, masow mode, wave mode, Flash mode) of play which each have their own unique twist on this former iOS title. All modes involve pigs and bullets in some form, or other. It's an arcade game experience that can be played alone, or shared with up to 3 more players. You'll find that this wacky title is fairly serious when it comes to challenging gameplay, but that it also has it's own brand of pig related humor which will no doubt have you laughing. If you're looking for a fun indie title that will also add some laughter to your day then this game is definitely for you.

The first mode of play you'll happen upon in the title screen is called 'IKA mode'. In this mode you will be controlling a cartoon pig who is (for some unknown reason) plummeting downward through space on a pair of skis. Your goal is to simply collect the correct bullets when prompted. There are two different colors of bullets in this mode. One being red, and the other being blue. If you catch the wrong color bullet at the wrong time it will be an instant game over, and will end with your pig squealing bloody murder (not literally). Accenting this mode is a song that definitely suits it. It is a Japanese song by 'Rama Amoeba' appropriately called "Red or Blue".

Next up is a mode called "masow mode". In this mode your goal is to catch as many golden bullets as possible. You have a limited amount of lives, and the only thing keeping the skiing pig alive is the impact of multiple bullets. To make things difficult the developer has included some kind of airplane, or train vehicle that will plummet downward towards your pig at random locations on the snow filled/cloud filled landscape. This time around your pig moves extremely fast, so holding down the (A) button when needed will help slow him down.

Mode number three is called "wave mode". This is the most hilarious game mode I have ever seen. The aim, or goal for this particular mode is to avoid all of the bullets while collecting various colored turnips. You gain points the longer you survive, and multipliers as well. Whenever you collect a purple turnip you'll not only gain some bonus points, but the game's announcer will say something humorous like "Rump roast, try it or diet". The same goes for the golden turnip only it will turn every bullet on the screen into a purple turnip giving you the opportunity to rack up on some serious points. Like the other game modes this one gets increasingly more difficult as you make it through each wave.

The final available mode is called "flash mode". It is basically a simple flash game version of 'Pig & Bullet'. It has downgraded cartoon drawings of the pig, and the bullets. The goal in this mode is to avoid the massive volley of bullets that come in both small and large sizes. Like the 'wave mode' you can collect certain items (black bullets) that will add to your score, and cause the announcer to say something funny. While this mode is interesting it is definitely my least favorite out of all of the modes.

In conclusion I cannot stress enough how awesome this game really is. If you are looking for a challenging yet fun scored based game then this is a must buy. For 80 msp you are getting one heck of a game with a soundtrack that is quite impressive. The over-the-top pig related humor will have you laughing just as it had me doing. It's not often that you'll find an indie game as unique and fun as this one, so definitely get it if you haven't already.