Lightfish Review

Lightfish, Lightfish Review, Xbox 360, X360, Xbox, XBLA, XBLIG, Xbox LIVE, Indie, Game, Video Game, Review, Reviews,

There’s a lot you can do with retro games. Titles like Pac Man Championship Edition, as well as some of the HD remakes of titles like Space Invaders, and Breakout have proved that it’s possible to add gameplay elements while keeping the heart of the game, thus modernising a title and allowing a new generation to appreciate a little of the history of our media.

Sometimes, however, titles don’t need to be updated, and can simply get by with a glossy new sheen of sparkly skins and a reworked soundtrack. Lightfish is just such a title. Based on one of the first videogames, Qix, Lightfish will hopefully bring retro enjoyment to the masses.

Lightfish, Lightfish Review, Xbox 360, X360, Xbox, XBLA, XBLIG, Xbox LIVE, Indie, Game, Video Game, Review, Reviews,

Now, it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t really your standard indie game. It’s been released on Steam, and is a fair grade above what I was expecting. In essence, all you have to do is create boxes around certain features on the screen, and once you’ve covered a certain percentage of the board, you move on to the next level.

It is highly addictive, and without the jarring soundtrack of the original, it works amazingly well. I haven’t seen many reworkings of Qix, despite its obvious appeal, and with this being for sale for the measly price of 80 points, this is something that every Xbox owner should buy.

Lightfish, Lightfish Review, Xbox 360, X360, Xbox, XBLA, XBLIG, Xbox LIVE, Indie, Game, Video Game, Review, Reviews,

There are a few nice touches that separate it from being simply just a fancy skin over the original, such as the different types of enemies and a number of subtle changes such as the addition of reefs, that can hinder your progress and prevent you from being too cheap in your strategies. It’s actually a surprisingly well thought out title in terms of mechanics, especially given that proficiency with the original often made for some pretty dull gameplay.

Lightfish is a title that has made the most of the original, brought it up to modern-day pace and, importantly, stands up against the modern casual titles of today. To my mind, it sits with a select few retro remakes that can say they have done their originals justice, and for that alone, it deserves your cash.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox 360 code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.

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