So we were just wandering around in befuddlement at the EA Indie Bundle when the Indie Royale May Hurray Bundle came out. Out of nowhere we now have a bundle with Dungeon Defenders and some other very good looking games. However the Indie Royale May Hurray bundle has left me a little confused personally.
The Indie Royale May Hurray Bundle Games
- Dungeon Defenders is a game that you all probably know very well. This game combines some of the best aspects of 3D action games with RPG mechanics similar to Diablo.
- Containment: The Zombie Puzzler is a new take on the old formula of Bejeweled. It also has some unique environmental aspects that set it apart.
- Data Jammers: Fast Forward has gameplay similar to Audiosurf.
- Brainpipe – A Plunge to Unhumanity plays similarly to Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
- Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space plays similar to games in the Orion series.
- You can also get a bonus game called Dr. Blob and big contributors get the Voodoo Interface OST.
Viewing the current bundle with bemusement
This bundle has the very good Dungeon Defenders and Containment, but they are paired up with some poor games. All of the entries from Shrapnel games are poorly disguised rip-offs of better games. Some would say that about all the games, but Dungeon Defenders and Containment actually add something to the formula and bring more content rather than less. The thing is, we do not even dislike all the games in and of themselves. We dislike the fact that previous titles have done what they do better.
Why we are bemused with some Indie Royale May Hurray Bundle games
- Fastforward takes the formula of Audiosurf and switches it up a bit. Instead of pure music you are blasting things and collecting bonuses. Overall though, it brings less to the player than pretty much any game of the type. The game is also quite frustrating, with controls that do not keep up with the pace of the game.
- What can we really say about this game? It has been done before since the days of arcades. It would not be so bad except for the fact that Aaaaaaaah! A Reckless Disregard for gravity does everything it does, but better and with more content.
- We do not actually dislike Weird Worlds, but it does not really stack up to the game it is based on, nor with contemporary competitors like S.P.A.Z. and Gratuitous Space Battles. Overall their modern competition has better controls, more content, and better overall gameplay.
- Out of their lineup, every game made us want to go play a different but similar game instead of it. The bottom line is that each of these titles brings less to the genre and industry than titles that came before them.
We are a bit sad to see such a bad set of games being propped up in Indie Royale by some much better ones. But this happens all the time with bundles, creators do a bad job on the game but it sells anyway due to the games it was bundled with. They then think they are actually good developers, something that needs to be dispelled. It is not really fair for one developer to make a good game and receive around the same amount of success as someone who just rips people off blatantly.
