Team Indie (PC) Review

Team Indie is home to a handful of indie characters, ranging from some in well-known games to those that are from lesser known titles. To start off with, probably the most recognisable character in Team Indie is Commander Video from the Bit.Trip series, but there's also J. Jitters from The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic, Clunk from Awesomenauts, Super Crate Box guy from Super Crate Box, "Black Fluff Ball" from Badland, Tiny from Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers, Mi from Knytt Underground, Dustgirl from Dustforce and finally Tim from Braid. That sure is a lot of games!

Leading this pack of indie heroes is Brightside Games' original character, Marvin the cat who also happens to be the only one in this group who lacks possession of any unique skills; he can just run, jump and well… that's it really.

Commander Video plays just like he did in his own games; he runs constantly but can also slide and jump over hazards, which will clear the way for the next character in line. Jitters can create platforms for himself and the rest of the crew, but must collect small yellow orbs if he wishes to create more in the current run. Super Crate Box guy can shoot and attack enemies, whilst Clunk can blow obstacles up. Tim from Braid can still manipulate time, so when they all work together, this team is a useful bunch!

The objective is to get Marvin to the exit portal of a level, each being split up into several runs. This works out by playing through a certain portion of the stage as one of the familiar (or not so familiar) indie characters, making a clear path for the feline protagonist. These characters can then pick up an item with Marvin's face on it and control will be given back to him. This time, ghosts of any previous runs with other characters will show up, allowing Marvin to follow the heroes and navigate his way through the environment safely.

Sometimes runs can require pinpoint routes and jumps in order for Marvin to progress, but thankfully there is a rewind feature that will undo the previous run when activated. This feature can be triggered at any time and can also be used to return to the starting run of that level.

Like with most platformers, the difficulty increases at a steady pace and due to precision platforming in later levels, it is recommended to play Team Indie with a controller. There is native Xbox 360 controller support, but other pads should also work.