Indie Spotlight - Inferno

The gameplay is simple. You use the left analog stick to navigate your ship, the right analog stick to navigate your weapons, and the right and left triggers for your shield and bombs. There's no tutorial telling you your control scheme, which would have helped when I first started the game, because I played through much of the first five levels without shooting my weapons. But after you get a handle on the controls, the game's weapon systems are fun to shoot and easy to control. At your disposal is a laser, but you must collect protective drones and bombs in order to use it.

In the menu upgrade system you can change the way your laser fires and combine different shooting styles to each level, giving you the upper hand with difficult enemies. You can do the same with the shield. Each weapon and shield has two levels of upgrade capability, which are unlocked by collecting tokens and killing enemies. When drones and bombs aren't available, you can buy them individually or in bulk, but at a hefty price. Your best bet is to buy the drones in bulk, because you get more for your money. Multiplayer is where Inferno really shines. Playing through single-player is fun, but when I had one of my coworkers play multiplayer, a whole new strategic element came about. The ability to flank enemies and bosses becomes available, giving you the upper hand with swarms of enemies. One of you could also plow through the enemies with your shield, giving your partner the ability to shoot from behind. There are lots of possibilities that aren't there with the single-player. That's not to say that the game is not as fun playing by yourself; it's just that it gets even better when you play with your friends, and you can play with up to four people.

For only 80 Microsoft points you can pick up the full game, or you can try out the demo. Overall, Inferno is a fun game that will keep you playing for hours on end. For more games like Inferno, check out the Downloads blog on the GameSpot Downloads page.