Square Off – Review

Game: Square Off

Developer: Gnomic Studios

Platforms: Xbox 360

Square Off on Xbox Live Indie Games is a excellent effort from Gnomic Studios. The game consists of a few different play modes from Story mode, Race, and Deathmatch which all allow four players. The story of Square Off is simple, you’re a square and you have to defend against aliens. This is a unique concept for a arcade shooter, and unique is something Square Off does very well.

I cannot stress to you how strong the arcade feel is, and that’s a good thing. For example, you start each level with a pistol with unlimited ammo and a few bombs that you can use. Other than these two weapons you pick up different items and that are only usable for a certain number of shots or a certain time limit. The great thing about each weapon and item is from the Triple Shot, Shotgun, Rocket Launcher, Armour, and Speed Boosts is that none overlap and they all have a purpose.  This brings in a welcomed approach to strategy compared to many games today that use RPG lite elements to give character progression. This also means that any four friends can pick up Square Off and be all on the same footing in the Deathmatch modes.

The visual style of the game from what you can see on the box art, screams Adobe Flash. But, once you start the first level you realize that it has a unique twist. Instead of simply designing backgrounds in Flash, Square Off has well crafted 3D backgrounds that clearly had lots of love put into its creation. The backgrounds combined with the level design give each level unique choke points, and allow for different styles of play to be more effective.

The level design can also at times seem to be against you. For example the mine level makes you feel closed in and without anywhere to run, but once you fight your way to the bottom you get an open area. Each level was clearly designed as a playground. The levels give the option of after you’ve completed the required amount of enemy waves, to stay around and keep killing and try and beat your personal best.

This is where Square Off unfortunately also takes a big shot to the face. The game doesn’t support online play, which for a game designed for co-op play just plain sucks. Square Off forces players to be in the same room with each other, which isn’t bad if you haven’t played console games in 15 years. All of us who have though will be disappointed, because of how much fun Square Off is with friends.

Hopefully this will be fixed with a title update or in the next game from Gnomic Studios, because they can be cut some slack for missing the feature in Square Off. Gnomic Studios was originally going to submit a game to the Independent Games Festival that was much more complicated, but realized that with only two months left before the deadline they couldn’t make that game a reality. Sitting back down it was decided that the game shouldn’t use gravity, and this would allow them to get the game done in their two month crunch. With only a two month time frame it is still impressive that a game of this quality was achieved.

With lack of Xbox Live support, Square Off is a great game for parties or other social events. The ultimate let down of the whole experience isn’t in the gameplay, control, or graphics. It’s that you’re unable to jump into the game and join a Deathmatch game online. Regardless of this though Square Off is a great Xbox Live Indie Game and given a few improvements and more levels, could easily rival the fun factor of Castle Crashers.