This eye-catching indie from Fuel Cell Games will be available via Xbox Live Arcade, and already looks to have some of the most stunning artwork this side of “Limbo”. This 2D shooter features an atomic age-esque flying saucer attempting to evade all manner of alien dangers, including sentient, oversized drills, giant eyeballs, and the obligatory tentacle monster. On top of all that, the game’s music is being handled by none other than Norway’s Dimmu Borgir, whose symphonic take on black metal is sure to bring a demented allure to a most intriguing project.
GenreOther Shooters
Platforms xbox360
DEVELOPER Fuelcell Games | PUBLISHER Codemasters | RELEASE DATE
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet Reviews xbox360
impulsegamer.com review
Our hero is off minding their own business, doing whatever other worldly being do in their spare time…when wham! Some rogue planet causes the systems sun to go all weird. Worse, the dark planetary virus seems to spread. It blasts debris onto our heroes’ world and the aggressive planetary virus starts to spread. Setting off in our flying disk that is decked out with a scanning device, we hope to find out what the heck is going on and perhaps even a way to stop it.
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gamecritics.com review
Placing the player inside a nimble flying saucer, the adventure spans a number of environments filled with outstanding puzzles, and the top notch puzzles are supported by an abundance of quality power-ups, each with functions significantly different from the rest. With both aspects being exceedingly clever (and with a little help from the virtuoso art) it’s not overstating the case to say that Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is the perfect storm of its genre.
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gamerevolution.com review
Truly, ITSP’s best gameplay comes in the varied boss fights, each requiring fine control of the game’s weapons. Some are dauntingly large, others intricately small, and still others requiring skills beyond what you’ll learn during the level. Fortunately, you’ll never find yourself frustrated or defeated. Bosses typically have some hook that’ll keep players coming back, although they won’t keep you too long.
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planetxbox360.com review
To start with, ITSP has its own unique art style, which I think you can grasp the overall feel from the very title of the game. It can best be described as dark but cartoon-like: there are plenty of scary elements like the usual tentacles, spikes, and other visual cues representing danger, but they’re all rendered with a charm and softness that does more to invite one in than repulse, as if the designers knew how to stoke morbid curiosity. I don’t know how much of ITSP’s animation and graphical content is hand-drawn, but all of it certainly looks that way in-game, and kudos should go to the graphical programmers for their efforts. Perhaps the best aspect about ITSP’s graphics, though, is that they are the epitome of the artistic maxim of “show, don’t tell†– they are most effective when telling the fantastical story that drives the game forward. That story is one that drives a game that is just a joy to play. The best way to describe how the game plays is that ITSP is Limbo meets Super Metroid. In other words, picture a game where puzzles are the key element driving the game forward, but in order to solve those puzzles, you must continually explore every nook and cranny of the gameplay area and increase your powers by finding collectibles. These collectibles are not only useful in solving these puzzles but also help out in combat, should you find the right creative application. Add to that that you’re in a flying saucer the whole time, restricted in movement only by the barriers that you have to find the right tool with which to take them down, and it creates a really mind-bending experience that takes the best of gaming, combines it, and delivers a darkly blissful package to the senses that lures you in like the Sirens of Greek myth.
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eurogamer.se review
No Synopsis Available
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gamestyle.com review
Along the way to salvation you’ll encounter many worlds from ocean to ice, mechanical to magnetic, with each providing its own unique challenge in the shape of diverse enemies and puzzles. Insanely combines Metroidvania exploration with twin-stick blasting and puzzle-solving that also evokes memories of the classic Defender. In fact if Defender went on a few dates with Limbo, their relationship progressed until the point they felt secure and steady enough to raise a child, then Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet would be their offspring. With a look that is charming as it is stylish, Insanely initially stands out because of its appearance: truly this is love at first sight.
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gamingxp.com review
No Synopsis Available
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gamechronicles.com review
Sadly, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is a rather short game, lasting only about six hours, but to explore the entire map and find every last item will take about ten. And then you have some pretty fun and inventive multiplayer for up to four players in a Survival mode called Lantern Run. In this mode each player drags a light through randomly-generated labyrinths while being chased by a giant tentacle monster. Given the relatively short game length (even for an XBLA title) and little incentive for replay, I think 800 points would have been a much fairer asking price. Regardless, this is one XBLA title you don’t want to miss.
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gameshark.com review
But unlike Portal, most of these puzzles feel conventional, with just enough of a physics skew to feel true to the world. You’ve seen these gimmicks in other games, so it’s ultimately a familiar grammar involving water, gravity, light beams, and so forth. The charm comes from the execution and the funky artwork. Like I said, not insane or even twisted. But, to be fair, Charming Shadow Planet doesn’t have quite as much punch. So maybe when someone mentions it a year from now, I’ll remember that I played it after all.
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1up.com review
Even the boss fights in ITSP require a bit of lateral thinking to figure out. The fights rarely devolve into a "avoid fire and then shoot the weak point" kind of mechanic. Instead they require you to use all the tools at your disposal to accomplish goals while under fire. In one particularly tricky fight, I carry an electrically conductive key to each of a series of capacitors. After attaching the key, I then charge it while enemies come at me from all sides.
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gamereactor.dk review
No Synopsis Available
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game-over.com review
Despite those screen-filling enemies also bringing with them smaller underlings, there’s no slowdown. The whole adventure is a smooth one outfitted with some really sharp visual design. The blend of background and foreground colors is tremendous. You’ll go from black in the foreground and blue in the background to blue in the background, then a striking blue background with white in the foreground and then an orange and black color combination. The colors used not only reflect the environments well (like white and blue for the oceanic one), but are very impressive to behold. Even the game’s most mundane sections are at least a treat to look at thanks to the boldly-colored visual style.
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gameblog.fr review
No Synopsis Available
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vandal.net review
No Synopsis Available
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multiplayer.it review
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digitalspy.com review
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is another highly entertaining and incredibly satisfying Summer of Arcade title. It features lots of excellent puzzles and some really memorable bosses, while the additional Lantern Run game mode ensures that there’s enough here to warrant another visit. The stylish visuals compliment the well-executed action, resulting in a game that resembles past SOA favourites Limbo and Shadow Complex. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet isn’t the most original game, but it offers a unique take on the formula found in classic platformers such as Metroid and Castlevania and is therefore a great addition to your digital library.
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gamesradar.com review
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, from the look of it, might make you think it’s trying to skate by on charm. Even if that were the case, its minimalist beauty that piles upon itself endlessly would allow it to skate pretty far. Yet the game is solid in its mechanics to the point where it would be worth playing even if it were butt-ugly. If Bastion isn’t quite what you’ve been looking for in the latest download bunch, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet may turn out to be the blackest, shiniest gem in the Summer of Arcade for you.
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joystiq.com review
I have tunneled through rock, encountered masses of strange and wonderful creatures, delved the deeps of an underground sea and literally turned the world upside down. Having done this, I want more. I say this not because I am unsatisfied but because, like one of its own bottom-dwelling denizens, I am hungry for everything Shadow Planet has to offer.
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ign.com review
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet leaves you wanting more. With such a well-conceived and beautiful world to explore, it’s a shame we can’t spend more time in it. But a great short game is more welcome than a mediocre long one, and I do highly recommend you investigate Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. Despite its brevity, it left a lasting impression on me.
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