PowerUp Forever First Look

PowerUp Forever is a new dual-stick space shooter that will be jockeying for space on Xbox Live Arcade later this year. The title reflects the ambitious scope of the game, described as a "fractal shooter" by a member of the development team. By offering wide-open spaces and an endless growth system, PowerUp Forever hopes to capture the infinite, increasingly complex nature of fractals and translate that into engaging gameplay.

We recently got a look at a pre-alpha build of PowerUp Forever and were given the caveat that almost nothing, including the ship design, enemy AI, and visual effects, is final. Despite its rough state, it still looked pretty sharp. Your small polygonal ship sails through a soupy, two-dimensional void populated with numerous creatures that all have it in for you. Glossy black insectile enemies stand out against a nebulous red background reminiscent of a magnified bloodstream. Maneuvering through this space, you can blast most anything you want, and you probably should. Destroying foes will earn you energy that goes toward increasing your weapon power. Should an enemy score a hit on you it's not the end of the road, since your ship has health that will regenerate over time provided you can avoid destruction in the interim. Most of your prey will be roughly the same size as your ship, but soon enough you'll come across a massive implacable beast that doesn't seem interested in you or your tiny laser blasts. This is your first taste of the size and scope of PowerUp Forever.

To tangle with these larger foes, you'll need to bulk up. The only way you'll be able to add mass to your ship is by destroying a Guardian ship. Don't worry about finding them--they'll find you. Guardians are much different than normal enemies and have a more sophisticated AI. They will engage you in combat, ducking and weaving while blasting away. If you get the upper hand, they'll have no problem bugging out then coming back around for a second go. Even in the pre-alpha build it's clear that the Guardians are a force to be reckoned with, but reckon you must if you want any chance of progressing in the game. After destroying a Guardian, your ship will grow in a procedurally drawn manner, meaning it'll be different every time. Some ships may grow into larger, stout masses, while others might spread out in winglike fashion. Either of these can have advantages or disadvantages, but rest assured that your firepower won't be affected by how you grow.

As you gain in size, your previous prey will become smaller and more insignificant. Now that large unmoving mass you passed earlier will come alive and become your new enemy. The larger you get, the more enemies will populate the screen, and pretty soon things will get frantic. Special weapons will help you deal death to your foes more efficiently, but you'll need to be handy with the sticks to stay alive. Stay tuned for more on PowerUp Forever as we get our hands on more finalized builds as the game's fall 2008 release date approaches.