Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet -- All-In-One.

Here I am late again. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is the third title in this year's Summer of Arcade promotion. It's a metroidvania style action game that was developed by Fuelcell Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is an almost perfect game in my opinion. I truly enjoyed it. It has a simply gorgeous art style. It might be the best looking Xbox Live game I've played. You're playing as an alien in his ship trying to prevent a malicious shadow life form from corrupting an entire planet. The alien's ship has an arm that enables you to use weapons and tools. It's classic metroidvania in that you'll explore the world and you'll find your path blocked until you can acquire and use the weapons and tools that enable you to continue. The game's art style and graphics are second to none. The music is minimalist and works great with exploring an unknown planet. The controls are great with simple twin stick controls and radial menus. The game features some strong puzzles and some impressive boss battles. The only sort of flaw in the game is it's a bit short. Around five hours or so to one-hundred percent completion. And that's arguably not much of a flaw considering it's a downloadable title. I'm giving Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet a 9.5. You might balk at the $15 entry fee, but when this game goes on sale down the line on Xbox Live Marketplace, it'll be a steal.