Color Bandits: Steampunk Meets Dual-Stick Shooter

Adapted from Lisa’s review on 148apps.com - Contest Closed

Steampunk meets dual-stick side-scrolling shooter in the eye-catching new title, Color Bandits, from Chillingo (available in HD for iPad, $1.99) and it’s action-packed blasting all the time.

Evil bosses – steampunk machines – have stolen the color from the universe. It’s a player’s job to get it back as they blast their way across six worlds, gradually returning color to the great looking game, collecting up to three stars on each level as they go in Chilingo’s tried-and-true progression formula.

But it’s not a choppy game – checkpoints mark progress rather than incremental levels which have to be knocked off one by one. And, worlds culminate with boss battles that issue a variety of serious assaults.

Gamers control the hero, who looks like a little bandit straight of of a 1930′s Bertty Boop cartoon, as he moves left and right via a slider on the bottom left, while fire using a virtual joystick on the right, at a nicely varied set of enemies in the form of anything from missiles from above to robot insects invading from both sides.

Shooting is continuous as longer as a finger is on the dial, and power-ups come along to give the bandit’s gun a boost of time-sensitive killing power.

The controls are fantastic – responsive and intuitive – making progress through the levels a pleasure. The slider and joystick feel like extensions of the player’s hands.

The graphics are inspired – hat’s of to devs at Kiai games.

There have been several mostly monochromatic titles released to much acclaim from gamers who prefer a hand-drawn look over cartoonish primary-colors or glossy animations. Color Bandits, takes up residence in the middle of the spectrum combining ever lusher backgrounds and a cute hero, with enough urban-chic to keep it cool.

Not everything is steampunk, but it all has a retro feel – there are some 8-bit looking space invaders and all sorts of robots and it looks as good as it plays.

The lack of color is more than thematic – it’s worked into the gameplay. Progression through the worlds returns color to them giving each environment a distinct and ever-changing look while providing a visual reward for making progress. The bosses, the most steam-punkish element of Color Bandits, like giant cogs that spew an army of baby cogs, are distinct in both style and challenge.

Check out the trailer:

There is an unlockable survival mode, to vary things up once enough progress is made through the adventure mode. But, the game isn’t all that hard. It’s a credit in to the great controls, but I was able to complete the game, albeit with far from perfect stars-ratings, in two sittings.

That’s a plus for casual gamers, but fans of serious shooters may find this offering a bit light.

Color Bandits plays so well and looks so good, what it loses in gamer-gamers, it should easily replace with those looking for a fun little pick-up-and-play action title that requires minimal investment in money, time and practice, which is Chilingo’s bread-and-butter demographic anyway.

It may not be the most inventive title in their catalog, but Color Bandits redesigns the dual-stick shooter in such a friendly, gorgeous and accessible way, it should amuse devotees of the genre and win over those looking for a quick shooting fix. It’s easy gaming eye candy.

Contest Closed