Platformer From Hell (XBLIG): "A Man & His Epic Journey For a Pastrami Sandwich"

If you've followed some of my previous indie platformer reviews you'll know that I'm not a fan of the "Impossible" sub-genre. I find myself agitated enough by the online tomfoolery I encounter on a daily basis that tackling such a game would only irritate me further. Regardless of my stance on such games I still like to give XBLIG titles a proper chance, if they are original enough. I think Hoosier Games' latest "impossible" platformer, "Platformer From Hell" is probably the most original one I've seen thus far. The plot, or background story is so off-the-wall that it pulls you in, and makes you want to try over and over to complete it. Thinking back on my brief playthrough, I never really got angry. I think the unique visual design, and overall look intrigued me enough to do my best. Without going on too much further though let us get into the core of this review ...

As the opening intro of pre-game dialogue scrolls across the screen we find that our protagonist, Tie Man was on his way to some sort of sandwich shop via an elevator. Unfortunately for this unlucky fellow the elevator skipped the sandwich shop, and took him straight to hell. Starving for his beloved Pastrami sandwich the Tie Man must now brave his hellish surroundings, and escape with enough gathered cash to secure his feast. As you can probably imagine this task will be anything, but easy. There are numerous traps, hellish flames, and devilish gravity that stands in the way of your ascent. Rest assured you will die, and you will die often. This doesn't mean to much though as Hell is a place of a repetitive nature. Should you gather enough money, and escape with your soul you will be able to partake of that Pastrami sandwich that you long so dearly for.

The gameplay is fairly straightforward in "Platformer From Hell". Using a single button (A) for jumping, and the (D.Pad/L. Thumbstick) for movement you must traverse the multiple worlds, and levels that make up the hell you currently find yourself in. There are platforms with spikes that can be switched over for landing/walking on, devilish gravity waves that act as means to make it from one point to another as well as hellish flames that surround each level's walls/floors. Running into the business end of any of these hazards will result in your untimely demise. Fret not though as you will find that your soul/body can endure a lot of torture in Hell. As such you will immediately be taken back to the beginning point of each level every time you die, and will be allowed to start over an infinite amount of times. Keep in mind though that making a flawless playthrough is the only key to success. You'll should also keep in mind that there is a cash stash placed somewhere within each given level that must be collected before you can exit. Completing each level in essence is done simply by getting the cash, and making it to the exit door alive. There are a total of 5 worlds that each have five levels ending with a final payoff level.

Aside from that basic controls mentioned above you will also find that the (Y) button acts as a means of resetting the Tie Man's position in the levels of "Platformer From Hell". This will come in handy in some levels where it's best to start over than to continue on in the path you are taking. In each world, and level of "Platformer From Hell" you'll find that you are earning score according to how long it took you to complete a given stage. The timer starts at one number, and counts down as time passes by. The three digit timer number acts as the score you receive for completing each stage. As with any "impossible" game you will also find that it keeps track of how many times you die during your attempts to complete a stage. This all makes for an interesting challenge that is good enough for a gameplay streaming video, or something of that sort.

Platformer From Hell features simple yet very effective graphics. The game's protagonist, Tie Man is an intricately designed set of pixels. His pixel composition gives the game an improved visual appeal, and makes the presentation more than just a flat experience. Whenever the Tie Man dies by spikes in the game his head will pop off in a bloody pixelated mess adding some mature themes, to the childlike presentation. If he hits the fire he will ignite in a burst of pixelated flames. The backgrounds on the other hand seem to be more artistic, and less pixelated than the rest of the features. All of the traps, and interactive objects are made of pixels just like the Tie Man himself though. As far as the sound is concerned it is an interesting sort of elevator music that is very fitting of the game's plot.

In conclusion I have found "Platformer From Hell" to be a very solid experience. The story itself, while simplistic in nature was enough to keep me interested in playing through the entire game. I liked the fact that instead of trying to rescue a traditional "Damsel in Distress" you are trying to get your hands on a Pastrami sandwich from your favorite deli. All I can say is that the Tie Man must really like that Pastrami sandwich to use it as motivation to escape from hell. As far as the gameplay is concerned the platforming puzzles were brilliantly designed, and very completable. It took me a while to understand some of them, but in most cases I was able to eventually figure out things without too much brain strain. If you don't mind a serious challenge, and are looking for an quality indie platforming experience then this is definitely worth a buy, if not a try!