Addictive and hypnotic hybrid
If you like you games bizarre and which combine genres, you might find Vaxine to be of interest. It's far from perfect but it contains enough ideas to warrant taking a closer look. It's a sort of driver/shooter hybrid that plays out in first person perspective and which is set inside a human body that is under attack by aggressive cells (although you wouldn't know it to look at the game). The player takes control of the body's defending cells and must repel the assault by destroying the enemy and with the battle playing out on what looks like a chess board, with the invaders grouping together to attack your cells and which can be defeated by throwing antidotes at them. However, to destroy them you have to match the colour of the antidote with that of the cell while adding to the challenge is the fact that you only have a limited selection of ammunition of the various colours so when you run out, it's game over. Also thrown into the mix is a Baron von Blubba-style enemy (from Bubble Bobble) which appears if you take too long to finish a level. Vaxine might not be for everyone but if you can attune yourself to its strangely hypnotic gameplay and style, there is much to enjoy here. It's kind of like a combination of Columns and a very simple shooter and the concept generally proves quite successful. While the visuals are nothing special, and bear little resemblance to what the game would like you to believe, the gameplay itself is addictive and compelling. It's not overly complex but it does have that one-more-go quality in abundance so if you fancy something a little abstract and unusual, then take a look at Vaxine.
