Indie Spotlight – Armed With Wings: Rearmed

Today we are setting our search lights to shadow, with us drawing our attention to Armed with Wings: Rearmed, a game as challenging to play as it is to say.

Made as a follow up to the three Armed with Wings flash games that preceded it, Daniel Sun of Sun-Studios had created a polished and fully fleshed out experience for both newbies and fans of the previous games. Rearmed is a side scrolling platforming fighter with an incredibly deep combat system, as well as power ups and upgrades. The graphics are silhouette style much like Limbo, with very clean lines and great animations and design. When you mix the striking graphics with the awesome soundtrack, you really do have a recipe for success. But of course, that doesn't matter if the game isn't any fun, and thankfully it is.

Jumping in, the first thing you notice about the game play is the tight controls—when you push a button, the game does exactly what it's told with no delay. The second thing, and maybe it's just me not being the greatest brawler player, is how damn difficult the game is. I struggled to get past the first few levels, and really failed at the game's survival mode. The survival mode adds a nice element of challenge with a horde mode with massive boss fights interwoven, which gives you the chance to practice and try out new items and power ups, as well as earn points towards them without having to grind out the main game.

The difficulty may be tied into the levelling up aspect of the game, much like a rogue-like where the more you play the more powerful you become, but that is a question that can only be answered with continued play, which I will be doing.

The graphics are also something to behold. The silhouette characters on the white and gray backgrounds are truly striking, with very clean animations and overall just great graphical design—it's hard to not have this game catch your eye from across the room, which is what happened with me when I first spotted the both at PAX Australia 2015. When tied in with the impressive electronic soundtrack, it really is a treat to watch and listen as much as it is to play yourself.

My recommendation for this title is simple: you should check it out. It is an early access title, which usually gives me pause, but considering the positive experience I have had so far with it, I have no problems offering up my recommendation for anyone who likes side scrolling brawlers. As with my previous spotlights, this is a game I discovered through my time at PAX Australia, and I was able to grab Daniel to shoot the breeze about music, flash, making games, and how much wub a TechRaptor should have in their diet. If that is something that interests you the video is below.

If this game is something that appeals to you, there is some good news! It is currently in early access on Steam for 7.99USD. It is early access, so the general buyer beware should apply, but this game is at a very polished and complete state, so you may get your fun out of it either way.

This was honestly one of the more striking games at PAX, and is a game that's design, from across a room, draws you in. But what do you think? Do you have any suggestions for a future spotlight? Let me know in the comments below, or even tweet me @kotmfu.