Like many, I turn to video games for scientific simulations of the real world. I was incredibly pleased with this video game's depiction of a world, perhaps as few as three to six weeks away from this very post, completely under water due to global warming. If found this to be a very timely and accurate scientific message, and have immediately begun to stock up on survival supplies including various floating canned goods. However, I did not care for the side-scrolling portions of the game. Also, this review is in French.
When you play Ziggurat, you'll find these secret rooms behind breakable walls. Inside these rooms are a random special perk, and a stained-glass window with an image from the game itself, or a game the team previously made. They're very straightforward about what crappy games they made in the past. They look like cheap, embarrassing XBox Indie Game cash grabs. Seeing these, it's hard to believe the same team made this really excellent game. Ziggurat is a fantasy-based shooter with randomly designed levels. It's just hard enough, and has just the right amount of trickling of perks, and is shooty enough to kill time with. The controls are tightly tuned after a moderate period of adjustment. Then you fire it up when you feel like a good quick shooter that's not entirely predictable. That's it. It's good fun, and it's not dumb. Visually, it's really well constructed, given its really simple premise. There's a real show of care here, it won't drop your jaw, but it's clear they cared about the presentation. It's really consistent and attractive. There are even thoughtful little scripts you can find that hint at some meta consciousness about the game. Do you wonder where all these little carnivorous carrots might be coming from to eat you? The game wonders that, too. In all, it's just a pleasure to play, not too full of itself, not too light. Five stars, well deserved in what I'll term the rogue-ish FPS category.
