Genre: Platformer
Developer: Ishisoft
Publisher: Ishisoft
Players: 1
Retail Price: 80 Microsoft points ($1)
Availability: Xbox Live Arcade Indie Games
There aren’t many games available for a dollar, much less good ones. Chances are you’re looking at the PS2 version of Madden 2004 in a bargain bin somewhere at that price point. That’s what makes Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp so refreshing. It’s a perfect example of what’s right about Microsoft’s Indie Games initiative.
Extra lives are gained by drinking copious amounts of coffee
The game started out as a homebrew project for the Nintendo DS, but it plays wonderfully on the Xbox 360. Johnny Platform, the game’s titular character, controls perfectly. Leaping from platform to platform is as easy as pie thanks to the tight and responsive handling. The first few levels teach the player how the game plays, and while the mechanics are simple it’s nice to learn what you can do. And as the game teaches you the basics, the levels are fairly simplistic. Still, certain aspects the game are left up to the player to figure out and its here where the game truly shines.
The game teaches players how to jump, which is something of a given in a platformer. It doesn’t teach you how to push objects, however, or how you’ll need to use them to reach your goal as the game goes on. It becomes more of a puzzle platformer in this regard; almost a toned down version of Klonoa: Empire of Dreams on the GBA. The game never makes the player scratch their noggin, but completing the levels sometimes requires presice jumping and exact planning. The best part is the game never resorts to cheap deaths — if you die you know it’s squarely on you.
Protip: You will not win by jumping on the spikes
Each of the 55 levels are one-screen affairs, and it’s impressive how much creativity Ishisoft pulled out of such a limited set of mechanics. There are several of these, things like platforms that sometimes break away after being jumped upon, or cookies which can be rolled away and will continue with their own momentum until stopped. These mechanics are mixed in to provide maximum variety and are never overused.
The classicly pixelated graphics, chiptune soundtrack and intentionally compressed low-quality audio complete the package, cementing it as a love letter to an era gone-by while proving that you don’t need bump-mapping and bloom-lighting to create an entertaining experience. Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp isn’t exactly a revolution, but it’s a no-brainer for anyone with a dollar to spare and any interest in platforming, no matter how massive or minute.
