Glowbz

The funny thing about Glowbz is, I can only really try to explain the literal second to second gameplay, try to give you some insight about its nuances and how it weaves all these different bits of tapestry (meaning strategy) together, as it really needs to be played to be fully understood, and therefore appreciated.

Despite a somewhat 'jokey' premise, Glowbz is much more interested in showing its serious side, stressing precision and bullet-counting. Early on you’re given a wide berth and shown the ropes, helpful powerups like speed and damage boosts showered upon you, but later levels will prove that, like chess, your moves (and shots) must have purpose. The game doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it never really needs to. It comes off in the ‘easy to learn but difficult to master’ category, yet retains a pick up and play feel regardless if you’re coming to it new or revisiting it weeks later.

It starts easy enough, tasking you to shoot orbs, the namesake Glowbz, to shatter them into collectable energy (minus that ‘b’ to make it Glowz), which you haul behind your ship (up to fifteen) then return to the home at the center of the stage to deposit, which goes toward filling the score requirement, like a bank that needs a constant bailout. Drones of the non-shooting variety will be your main impediment, flying predetermined routes and generally clogging up the shipping lanes like an intergalactic version of Frogger. A timer ticks off during all this, at which point a boss ship heads into the area, making your job a lot harder. Imagine sparse yet lovely graphics and backgrounds set to a perhaps-too-epic soundtrack, and you and get the idea.

As you reach higher levels (and higher deposit requirements), the game gently applies the gas pedal, adding different enemy ships to the encounter rate, some which zap and destroy the orbs before you reach them, others that continually stalk your ship like a jealous ex, or drainers, which head for your home base and then casually subtract orbs from your subtotaled score, and can erase a whole lot of hard-fought progress very quickly.

In Glowbz, you’re always doing something and manufacturing your next opportunity, always asking questions before you shoot. The game ramps it up to full-tilt regularly, but it’s never too fast or complicated that it cuts into your fun or has you heaving curses at your screen. It’s a genius setup that refreshes a stagnant genre.


Full Review here: http://gear-fish.com/?reviews=glowbz