Exploding Imp (XBLIG): "Wytchlight's Devilish Indie Platformer"

For those of you just now tuning into my blog you may want to go back, and read my post on Wytchlight's first XBLIG title "Lemmy the Lizard vs The Mecha Eggs". While it has absolutely nothing to do with this latest game release it still reflects what Wytchlight (the developer) is all about. In this latest XBLIG title from Wytchlight we are blessed with yet another very interesting platforming protagonist. The lead character this time around happens to be a devilish little imp named "Guff". For some reason, or another Guff is hellbent on the demise of the fairies, and their land. He aims to destroy all the magical plant life, and turn the mystical land into literal hell via plant destruction. All that stands in his way are the fairies themselves, and other creatures such as gnomes who are willing to lend a helping hand to stop Guff in his tracks. Luckily for Guff he is not without means of offensive combat though. At his disposal is a volatile passing of gas, and the ability to claw, and kick his adversaries into a colorful pile of skeletal remains. You'll find that the fairy flowers scattered throughout the land of the faeries are the source of Guff's gassy attacks. Reaping such plant life will benefit Guff greatly in his mission to rid the world of the pansy critters (otherwise known as faeries), and turn there pretty little world into one hell of a nightmare.

Exploding Imp is an interesting platformer that has a lot of things going on. First, and foremost you need to understand that you are in control of Guff, an Imp who can use his gas, and indigestion to release volatile attacks as well as use the energy released to maneuver himself throughout the complex platforming stages. Aside from the gas attacks, Guff also has the ability to melee his enemies to death. Both of these forms of offense are necessary assets used to help in the completion of your ultimate goal which is to rid the land of all magical plant life. You'll find that certain sparkly flowers found throughout the game's terrain can be destroyed using one of Guff's attacks. After destroying such a plant Guff will attract released gas bubbles that will replenish his gas explosion supply. You do have a limited amount of gas attacks available though, so spending them wisely is a must if you hope to finish the stages/levels alive.

The second thing you need to know about Guff's goals is that completing a stage is not as simple as just destroying plants. You will have to avoid/kill enemies such as gnomes, spiders, and other dangerous plants using the attacks that are at your disposal. With that being said though surviving enemy attacks is not that easy of a task. Often times you'll find that your foes are more aggressive than you are able to be, and as such the exploding gas is usually the better choice of attack in such a situation.

The stages, or levels within "Exploding Imp" are a mixture of "Sonic the Hedgehog" time stages, and Metroidvania style platformers. Each given stage has a time limit in which you must successfully destroy all of the faery plants. As you destroy plants, and enemies throughout the small stages you will gain points which are then added to your end of the level score. Also tallied into the final score are the combo kills you got from continuously attacking enemies until they were destroyed. The remaining gas explosions will also give you a point bonus, so sometimes it's actually better to avoid some enemies altogether.

The graphics in this game are somewhat whimsical in nature adding to the fantastical plot that the game is all about. All of the animated characters within feature a sort of puppeteer movement that gives the game a storybook-like appearance. Added details such as the painted backgrounds, and the artistic looking creatures gives this game a unique look that you won't find in a lot of 2D platformers out there today. As far as the sound effects go there are plenty of sound bites that add to the hilarious nature of Guff the Imp's gassy attacks. I think what really caught my attention though was the faeries themselves. If my eyes do not decieve me I swear they looked like they were naked! Not that that's a bad thing though (*devilish laugh ensues*).

After playing as much of the game as I could stand I came to my final conclusion. While this is a very interesting, and somewhat fun game it lacks in certain things that make a platformer truly successful, namely the controls, and movement. The controls within the game honestly felt loose, and not as professional as something you'd find from the 8-Bit NES days. Guff's movements seemed awkward at times, and his melee attacks seemed weak in comparison to the weapon carrying gnomes, or other aggressive foes who could end your life in a heartbeat. With that being said though the game did offer something new to the gamer. It's not often one gets to control a farting Imp who is hellbent on destroying faery plant life with his flatulence. The artistic nature of the game also caught my undivided attention. I like the fact that Wytchlight is using their own brand of hand drawn art to make their platformers. It's a bold move on their behalf, and not one many developers would go for. For that I tip my hat off to them. With the good, and the bad weighed I'm gonna have to say try this one out for yourself. Give the demo a shot. You may, or may not find that you like it, but at least you'll know for yourself. As for me I'm on the fence with this one. It wasn't spectacular, and it wasn't horribly bad.