Bennu (88.4Mb)
This is a stunning action-packed physics based puzzler, where you swing a ball on a chain and try to destroy blocks of matching color. The color of the ball and hence blocks destroyed is determined by swinging the ball through a colored flame to change it from its original color.
This is very much better, as in way much better than yesterday’s GAOTD. It was an Xbox Live Indie game, but the PC release is freeware; so it is well worth giving it a try! Here's what’s been changed in the PC version:- Improved controls (more accurate pointing, faster rolling), Keyboard controls (and mouse on menus), Improved tutorial, New and missing levels (the harsher ones of the first world were removed and have been replaced by easier ones), and some minor changes to the dialogue.
It puts an altogether new swing (!) on Arkanoid break blocks games, and it deserves a lot of credit for its completely new and innovative approach to this type of game! It has a fun menu and excellent game and level intros that can be skipped if you wish. The game’s mechanics do take some (worthwhile!) time to get used to.
Bennu has a blue beak and can only cast chains out at right angles to his beak. The chains to swing from are restricted in length and hence have a restricted reach, and you can only have one chain attached at a time. The chains only stay attached while you keep pressing the ‘O’ letter key. You can rotate Bennu and hence the direction his beak is pointing in by using the ‘L/R’ arrow keys and which also affect the direction of swing while a chain is attached. Using the ‘P’ key rolls Bennu along the floor or platforms as decided by the direction key used along with the ‘P’ key. You can exit the game at any time via the menu. You’ll sometimes need to cling to a wall and climb up it. True Bennu style!
The levels are so cunningly and cleverly designed that what would otherwise be a quick run through of the about 30 levels will take you at least a couple of hours or so, as you try to perfect your way through the levels. To add variety (and difficulty!) the different colored energy flames to change the ball's (Bennu's) color are scattered across the levels, but sometimes also pose as obstacles to pass through with no way back, meaning if you haven’t cleared all of the blocks of a particular color, there may be no way to complete the level without trying again!
Later in the game these color change energy flames are loose, and you can push them along, or have to catch one as it’s falling and swing with it before it disappears below into the nether. In the final stages, some new block types are introduced that I shall leave as a surprise - and that demand considerable skill and accuracy to navigate around.
You can choose levels to play in each 10 level band should you wish to miss out some levels you find trickier at first, and there are two difficulty levels, normal and hard, to give some extra replay value. Further groups of 10 levels on the map are unlocked (and saved as unlocked) as you complete each preceding block of 10 levels. Levels completed are indicated in a darker color and levels not yet tried show as pulsating orbs on the map.
There’s a timer for each level and you’ll have to restart the level if the timer runs out. The first level acts as a tutorial to get you used to moving Bennu about, swinging on chains and rolling left or right; and to getting Bennu’s ball to change color.
The download file is simply named setup.exe, you might want to rename it to whatever suits before you download the file. You can hear other music by ‘The Guilty Ones’ who made the game’s soundtrack HERE. If you’ve a streaming audio recorder program you can make a copy of the game's fantastic soundtrack from the video on the game’s media page HERE. (It’s that good!)
On install, you might wish to change the install to C:\Games rather than the default ’Program Files’ especially for those with Vista. It plays full-screen in XP, Vista and Win 7 but does need a modestly fast (1.8GHz+) CPU and preferably 256Mb of video RAM.
The graphics and sound are absolutely first-rate, based around an Egyptian theme. This may not be one to return to too often, but it’s one to savor and enjoy while you are playing it, and is definitely a keeper for me. If it eventually gets a level editor, it will boost Bennu’s popularity even further!
If it looks deceptively simple, you’ll be surprised at how tricky and challenging even the basic levels are, and it just keeps on getting harder as you go up through the levels!
This is a brilliant game to play, though it does take some practice to get the hang of getting Bennu about the screen. Once you can accomplish this properly, you’ll enjoy the game immensely! Whoever thought ball's and chains could be so much fun?!
Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ_J_uFIuyY
Sorry, no walkthroughs at present.
Download (Game Home Page) HERE
