Point and click gaming is one of those game styles that has seemed to run it's course long before The Walking Dead came knocking. Anyone who has been gaming for a while will remember point and click masterpieces like Myst and Riven, which kept players enthralled in a rich visual world requiring a click here and there to move your player or solve a puzzle. 

Small scale downloadable titles seem to be taking over and with good reason. Some believe the cost has a lot to do with it on top of accessibility. It only takes some beers and a demo to get me pulling out the old credit card and plunking down the $5-$15 bucks. In the past I would be lucky to play these cheapo titles more than a few times and at such a minimal cost I am ok with that. 

Enter a slew of top notch small scale downloadable titles like Limbo, Braid, and Shadow Complex to name a few and now you have a serious problem. The issue here is the fact that these games are fun, inexpensive (when compared to a retail title) and instantly playable. More and more of these titles are releasing with critical acclaim while many retail releases score low and ultimately fail (I am looking at you movie tie-ins). 

Studios are now paying more attention to the avenue of digital distribution and it shows in the games that are coming out. Our review game today was announced at the beginning of 2012 and Tequila Works has been busting their butts to hit fans with a AAA small scale title. So does Deadlight hold a match to other recent critically acclaimed digital titles? Let's take a look and find out.

The year is 1986 and you are tasked with the role of Ex Canadian park ranger, Randall Wayne. Randy is on his way to Seattle looking for his wife and child amidst an epidemic that has the dead walking and wiping out the human race. 

The plot is very typical for this type of game, show or movie. If you have seen The Walking Dead on AMC or played a zombie game you will have no issue following along. The world is almost all gone with the occasional survivor or radical group coming along. Nothing new to see here and even Randy's dialog at times seemed forced like when he finds an air freshener and says it reminds him of the Canada he left behind.

The game utilizes the Unreal Engine with its 3D/2D side scrolling game play. This type of simple play can be a lot of fun because there is not a load of controls to master. You will move up, down, left and right through various dark levels. At times this feels a lot like Shadow Complex which uses the same engine to feed the same style of game play. Both were 2D side scrollers but things become a little different when mentioning controls.

Deadlight's overall controls seems sluggish and a bit out dated. Having to nail a jump on the very edge of a pit will take a few tries. Be prepared to restart a more than not. If the controls don't force you to restart, a lack of light may be just the ticket. There were so many times I died or walked off an edge because I had to run and could not see a damn thing. Sometimes I got lucky and noticed an on screen cue saying to smash a door and other times I just died. Most times the game is fun enough to warrant the many restarts. 

At the core this is a puzzler much like Limbo without the polished controls and unique art look. Not to say this game is bad but Limbo was good, really good. You will be expected to utilize different pieces of the environment including the undead to open a path to the next area. One room or path may have you luring zombies in to crush them with a hanging crate, while others require the shooting of locks to open new areas. The game play is varied enough to keep most players attention all the way through to the end.

The game looks good and the use of a 3D landscape adds depth to a 2D playing field. I loved watching enemies shamble in from the background. If you love a dark and dreary post apocalyptic world, this game is for you. The detailed hand drawn look was also very cool and happens to give the game a bit of an artsy comic book vibe only re-enforced by the comic book tile like cut scenes. 

The 80's feel is there not only in the look of this title but also the audio. The game carries a nice 80's horror/Sci-Fi synth score. The effects and music are done very well and provide yet another layer to keep you drawn in as the world attempts to expire. 

Was it just me or do first aid packs only appear when your health is full? I noticed this a lot early on but maybe that is because I was dying over and over so I would restart with full health only to find a nearby pack. Dealing with the "shadows" or zombies as we call them was a real mess if anymore than 2 appeared at one time. If you are up against 4 or more there are two things you need to know, first, you probably messed up and missed a switch or something that would have laid these pricks out, and secondly, you will probably be dead because combat is useless, even with a weapon. 

The name of the game here is avoidance. Do everything you can to keep away because to put it plainly, hand-to-hand combat sucks. I am chalking the bad combat up as intentional on the developer's part. They want me to get the hell out of dodge. This is no Left 4 Dead, run while you can.

My last complaint lies in the game's length. Initially I was kind of pissed because it takes a sitting or two for completion. Then I stopped to think about it. That timer is counting play through not the 900 restarts. I was worried for a second because either I was going insane, stuck in a time warp or someone was stealing my time. None of the above was true and with all my restarts I think it is safe to put this title at 3-4 hours. I know still low right? Well how about full retail releases like Prince of Persia that took the same amount of time and costs way more? Nuff said case closed, I retract my complaint. 

So how does the latest XBLA title fare in a very crowded world of the undead?

Pros

Cool look and 80's vibe

Nice use of the Unreal Engine

Loved the score and sound effects, very effective

Cons

Too damn dark

Controls lack polish

Some may feel it's too short

If you like zombies and gore you may want to look elsewhere as this game is more akin to I Am Alive than Left 4 Dead. If you want a solid side scroller with some decent puzzles and an excellent score, welcome home.

Deadlight is an XBLA exclusive available now for $15.

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Every now and then I crave a pure 13 year old boy type experience. Before anyone calls the cops or fires off some hate mail, let me explain. From the eyes of an average 13 year old boy things do not get much cooler than: zombies, blood and guts, hot chicks and loads of action. With the announcement of Grasshopper Manufacture's (Suda 51) Lollipop Chainsaw, it looked like my prayers were about to be answered. 

Lollipop Chainsaw has players assuming the role of super hot zombie slayer Juliet Starling. Not only are you an ultra popular cheerleader dating the captain of the football team but your entire family hunts zombies. Swan, the local Goth outcast at school has somehow opened a portal between reality and an evil world filled with zombies. Juliet must clear 6 crazy levels, each with a Dark Purveyor boss battle. Her boyfriend Nick has fallen victim to a zombie, so before he turns into the undead she removes his head to save him. Nick is now just a talking head that is attached to Juliet's belt for the duration of Lollipop Chainsaw.

As the title might suggest, there will be a chainsaw involved and it is pretty awesome. Juliet's main attack revolves around the use of this power tool along with some ninja like kicking and punching. Players will be expected to combine various chainsaw moves with jumps and kicks to defeat the enemy. As you progress, the coins picked up can be used to unlock new moves, upgrade Juliet's attributes and purchase various costumes. 

Players have the choice of Single player and Ranking mode. The later is pretty self explanatory and Ranking mode carries a leader board type set up. The objective is to complete each zone as fast as possible and increase your ranking. There is no Multi player in this title at all. Suda 51's focus here in the Single player experience and I for one am ok with that. 

Initially this hack and slash game has a nice variety of ways to dispatch the enemy. After about an hour in things start to feel a little repetitive. Jump, dodge, slash, pick up coins, rinse and repeat, is probably the easiest way to explain the game play. Luckily there is a pretty entertaining story and some hilarious dialog to enjoy throughout this title. The addition of Nick as the body-less boyfriend adds a perfect amount of humor. This title is adult oriented so please make sure you know what you are getting into. 

Controls here are responsive and forgiving. Usually if I missed a button press I could quickly tap it again to complete the on-screen task or combo. As Juliet gets stronger you will have the opportunity to pull off some "Sparkle Hunting". The objective is to kill as many enemies as possible with one final shot, at least 3. The more you kill the better the reward and score. There is also a nice little animation each time you pull the move off. 

Zombies come in all shapes and sizes here. Some will fly, some go boom and others just plain frustrate you. The last group I am referring to are the zombies that turn blue and then charge, knocking you down. No big deal right? Well, you end up having to hammer a button to get up each and every time. So when encircled by a group it only takes a few of these pesky little blue suckers to keep you down as your health rockets towards empty. With the ability to focus your attacks on specific targets I was able to take the "knockdown suckers" out first.

So who the hell was going to tell me what to do with these damn lollipops I keep finding all over the place? Oh, no one was? Let me reference the 2 page manual for more info. Nope not there either. Let's jump into the options menu and check controls for a clue. Well, that told us nothing. I guess the suckers are just a collectible. I went online only to find that these lollipops are utilized to regenerate Juliet's health. No where, and I mean no where does it say or tell you how to use these. Thank god for the world wide web. 

The boss fights are down right awesome. Does anyone else remember a time long long ago when we had those cool multi-tiered boss battles, and it was fun? The ones where you wear one aspect of the enemy down and then move onto the next until someone wins? Lollipop makes these fun and also creative. Each Dark Purveyor battled is super unique and you never know what the next move will be. These types of battles can also be a massive frustration and seem cheap, which this title never does. I would have loved to see a mode that focused solely on the bosses and their battles.

The game looks great. Detail was taken to make sure each character comes to life and pops off the screen. Some levels feel like retreads and the hallways connecting battle areas are kind of boring. I could not shake the feeling of going from room to room waiting for a mob/boss battle. Luckily Suda 51 is known for adding weird little games and quick time moments to break things up. I especially love the basketball mini-game, which has me cutting off zombie's heads while they defend a basketball hoop. I am required to shoot the head in and score a certain amount of points before a timer runs out. Just crazy, "who the hell thought this up" fun. 

People will complain of stereotypical and somewhat offensive characters but they need to understand, this in intentional and so Suda 51. Shadows of the Damned was another title that played heavily on western stereotypes and succeeded, in my opinion. If you have not liked Suda 51 titles in the past, don't expect Lollipop Chainsaw to be your saving grace. 

The single player campaign is pretty short and easily completed in less than 8 hours. The game is meant for multiple play throughs as your character carries over each time you start a new. The completionist in me wanted to get back in there right away and search out all the hidden lollipops. 

So will Lollipop Chainsaw make "the cut" or just be cut?

Pros

Great story and characters.

Fun game play topped off with awesome boss battles.

Immersive and imaginative world (so Suda 51).

Cons

Where the hell are the lollipops and what do they do?

Short campaign and only one other mode.

Very adult oriented, parents beware.

This game oozes character and fans of Grasshopper's games will undoubtedly love this one. The quirkiness of the levels and characters may seem a little off at first but in no time you too will be repeating some of the hilarious dialog out loud. This game is a hard sell at $60 if you are not a fan of this developer's past games. In that case, I recommend renting this title before buying it. The single player campaign is easily completed in one sitting/evening.