Blinx the Time Sweeper Preview

The Xbox has, to date, been a bit thin in the "cute platformer" department. Munch's Oddysee and a port of Crash Bandicoot have done a fair job of offering Xbox owners something cute to chew on, but things have been a bit barren overall. While both games have solid gameplay, only Crash possesses the slick mix of cute and cool that is befitting of a mascot. Abe and Munch have their own appeal to be sure, but the duo's voodoo chic is, more than likely, a bit much for the masses. Fortunately the Japanese developer of Pinobee fame is cooking up a showcase for a lively cat that seems tailor-made for the bright lights of mascot fame, Blinx: The Time Sweeper. We spent some time with a previewable build of the game and have come away pleased at how the plucky cat's exploits are shaping up.

Here is our furry hero.

You'll take the role of Blinx, a cat whose career path has led him to the time-sweeping occupation of the game's title. The game's intro fills you in on the specifics of the career with an opening cinema that's one part Orwellian future and one part Meow Mix commercial. It seems that at some point in the future, a race of bipedal pastel-colored cats will be entrusted with making time and ensuring that it runs smoothly. As fate would have it, a massive disruption in the time stream occurs when planet B1Q64 is invaded by the Tom Tom gang, which results in some freaked-out cats and their decision to quarantine the planet. (We'd like to believe that if dogs had been in charge they probably wouldn't have been so quick to give up.) It is during the ensuing chaos that our boy Blinx decides he has more stones than his coworkers and jumps into the portal leading from headquarters to planet B1Q64 just before it closes with the intention of saving the planet and its hot princess. Blinx's mission is complicated by a rapidly growing time monster population, which makes venturing through the planet hazardous at best. Apparently the Tom Tom gang's booty of pilfered time crystals have passed their "sell by" date and are turning into monsters. As the population grows, the monstrous residents draw dangerous amounts of energy from the environment. The power leeching will result in the mother of all explosions, destroying the planet and its comely princess.

While Blinx: The Time Sweeper's gameplay can be generally categorized as a platformer, the game stands as one of the most unique entries in the genre to hit consoles in quite some time. The game's structure will require you to explore themed stages broken up into four levels of exploration and a boss level you'll have to clear to gain access to the next stage. The exploration levels will require you to dispose of a set number of time monsters and make it to the exit before time runs out. Each exploration level will have a few secrets to uncover as well. At the end of each stage you'll be graded on your performance and awarded cash. The cash you earn can be spent in a shop that will let you purchase useful items. You'll be able to buy a wide range of stuff such as upgrades and ammo for your sweeper, or you can use the cash to increase the number of retries or time powers you can hold at one time and the number of items your sweeper can hold, which is invaluable when dueling bosses and time monsters. The boss levels will throw you into an enclosed area with a surly boss character and a smattering of items you'll have to creatively use to send the boss speeding toward the afterlife. You'll also be able to revisit previously cleared levels to use your newly purchased items to open up previously inaccessible areas.

A crazy time monster takes it in the head.

Now the game may sound pretty typical for a platformer, but Blinx's game mechanics make it a unique experience. You'll move him with the left analog stick and jump with the A button--tapping the A button twice during a leap rewards you with a double-jump. The B button will control Blinx's sweeper, a vacuumlike device that's integral to your survival. Holding B down will trigger the sweeper's suction and draw in nearby time crystals or objects that you'll be able to store. Tapping B will fire your stored items at an enemy. While you won't be able to fire the time crystals at enemies, collecting them is just as useful as getting objects to use as ammo. By collecting the right combination of crystals, at least three of the same type, you'll gain the ability to affect time in one of five ways. By pressing the X button you'll call up a menu that will let you rewind, fast-forward, record, pause, and slow time in the game for a brief period. The effects of rewind, fast-forward, pause, and slow should be pretty self-explanatory to anyone who has ever used a VCR remote. The record function also works as you'd expect, although it's likely the most useful of all the abilities. You'll be able to make a copy of yourself that will repeat the actions you perform during the taping. As a result you'll be able to double your firepower, be in two places at once, or gang up on a particularly tough boss.