Writings of Mass Deduction

I’m purchasing an Xbox Live Indie Game (XBLIG) every day, seeking out the quality titles that got lost in the shuffle and are not well represented in the top 50 lists on the Xbox Dashboard. Today is day #372, and today’s game is “Acid Rain”.

This game managed to slip under my radar. It has an extremely original premise: you’re camping and a nearby volcano erupts. Can you step up to the plate and help the survivors to safety? This is no match-3 puzzle game, “Acid Rain” is definitely unique.

First, from the developer (Allan Chaney):

“In this survival action adventure, a volcano erupts, raining fiery destruction! People are in peril, trapped in the valley by corrosive acid rain and exploding volcanic rocks, seeking refuge in the forest, in caves and in their cabins. You witness the devastation from your campsite in the mountains. Will you lead the rescue effort? Will you make the ultimate sacrifice? Will you become a hero?”

The first thing you’ll notice about “Acid Rain” is that the graphics are quite good. In something that invokes the classic Rainbox 6 games on the PC (before the first Xbox iteration) there’s an element of pre-mission planning where you use binoculars to look at the map to try and plan your escape route through each mission. You have to dodge drops of acid rain while avoiding bears, giant spiders, exploring caves, and dodging flaming debris. The levels evolve around you as you try to survive, which is refreshing. You’ll run around, taking cover in tree lines, finding survivors, and leading them to safety. Those that can walk will follow you, which means you have to not only dodge dangerous wildlife yourself but must make sure those faithfully following the path you draw won’t be intercepted; those that can’t walk must be carried, which represents other challenges. You’re apparently in better fitness (or a reduced state of shock) than those you are trying to help as they walk a little more slowly than you, and you have to keep them within a certain distance of you if you want them to stay on your tail.

“Acid Rain” is essentially a game focused on escort missions, which is not every gamer’s favourite thing, but I would argue it’s escort missions done right (by focusing on it and embellishing it), and it’s worth 80 Microsoft Points for this innovative, non-violent, and (dare I say it) bold game.