Go Fanboy - Everyone Has A Favorite

Xbox Live Indie games are slowly but surely becoming a successful 'hub' for small developers to share their genius with the world. Whether through artistic direction or clever gameplay, small games can do big things. Some of the very best of these titles can be found for free on your PC, and some of the worst can be bought on Xbox for roughly a dollar. “Breeze” is a recently released Indie game which costs 240MSP ($3.00).

The goal of Breeze is to guide a flower through mazes and tunnels safely to the finish. Touching any obstacle, wall or hazard will instantly kill the flower. To propel said flower, the gamer takes control of a magical fan. Not a 'fanboy' mind you, but a spinning metal fan that can push the flower upwards using wind energy. Distance, power, angles, and time all alter the path of the flower. If you are far away, then lots of fanning will only levitate it slightly. Keeping the fan directly below the flower seemed to be the best idea, but fanning directly above or to the side can be useful at times- albeit very dangerous.

I really do like the idea behind Breeze. It's extremely clever, and a nice spin on the 'guide the helicopter through the tunnel' classic. However, once you add in some extra elements, the fun starts to whither. If at any point your fan touches the flower, it will bust into pieces and die (Disabled in 'Easy' Mode). While realistic, this can prove infuriating during speedy stages. Very early in the game, collectible orbs appear. In order to activate the finish line, you must acquire every orb. Sure, it adds difficulty- but controlling your flower is hard enough on its own.

That's where the game becomes acceptable for only one specific audience. Gamers who love a challenge. As once you complete the long list of levels, the only reason to replay is to achieve better & faster scores. Sadly, Xbox Live Indie games rarely have Xbox Live leaderboards. Meaning the scoreboard becomes a useless war against the developers.

Believe me I wanted to love Breeze. The opening title screen is gorgeous, but is in my mind the best thing about this game. Only one song is present, and it's great at first. Thirty minutes of endless loop later, the cheerful spirit has long faded away. Sound effects are fine, but graphics are clearly the better half. A blurred background compliments well illustrated 2D objects. Breeze really does stand out as a pretty title, but the fun factor was left out somewhere along the line.

If you're going to ask gamers to pay three dollars for an Indie title, it better be damn worth the money. With no Achievements and a rare chance for online multiplayer, it all boils down to gameplay. If I can purchase an award-winning, addicting, beautiful game for a dollar- why pay three times that for a boring game? The production value is certainly present in Breeze, but the bland and frustrating gameplay drove me away.