Publisher: FlukeDude / Developer: FlukeDude / Platform: Xbox LIVE Indie Games

What is it that makes a game with a name like The Impossible Game so attractive? You want to be the one to prove it’s not impossible!

The first thought that pops into your head is, “What makes it so tough?” When I first saw The Impossible Game on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace in the Top Sellers section, and I just had to see if it truly was “impossible.” With it being only 80 Microsoft Points ($1 USD), I saw no harm in getting it. And let me tell you, this game has the difficulty to back it up its name.

The game starts up with a very simple menu, your only choices being “Start,” “How To Play,” “Medals,” and “Exit.” There is no story mode. You play as a small red square, and you avoid obstacles by jumping on or over them. You only have to press a single button, so even the most novice of gamer won’t have trouble learning to play. But just because the controls are simple does not mean the game itself is easy. It’s a challenging game built to test your reaction time and your ability to learn and remember patterns, as well as to test your patience.

There are no checkpoints, so if you mess up, you start right back at the beginning. And if that isn’t bad enough, there’s also a counter at the top that tells you how many attempts you’ve made so far, as if to taunt you. But for people who are finding this too difficult, there’s also a practice mode. If you press “Y” at any time, you’ll enter this mode, where you can press “Y” again and a checkpoint will be made. You can create as many checkpoints as you like, but the only way to exit practice mode is to return to the menu.

The soundtrack consists of three instrumentals in an electronic/techno style, created by Trevor Dericks, Kid2Will, and SupraDarky. The main menu theme is a very simple and attractive beat, while the main game song starts slow and builds up to a more and more dramatic beat. This song alone gives the player the drive to keep going, trying to get further and further in the game. The practice mode is a mellow song with an almost condescending tone, that can get annoying after awhile.

The only con to this game is that there was only a single level to play. Fortunately, that is now fixed with a recently released level pack, which gives player two new levels to try. I hope this inspires some of you other gamers to get out there and give The Impossible Game a try.

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