Namco Bandai Editor’s Day: PowerUp Forever

There was only one XBLA/PSN game on display at yesterday’s Editor’s Day, but boy was it a doozy. PowerUp forever is what Namco describes as a “fractal shooter”. You fly your ship around an open space taking out the wild enemies all around you. As you destroy the enemies, your ship starts growing larger as the enemies and space around you grow smaller. But, being big isn’t all it’s cracked up. The larger you get, the more enemies realise you are there and soon you may find yourself overwhelmed. Avoiding enemy bullets and contact with the enemies themselves becomes a harder and harder task the bigger you become.

Watching the game being played reminded me a bit of Stardust HD, Geometry Wars and a little bit of flOw thrown in for good measure. The graphics were slick and organic at the same time, giving the whole thing a really cool look that I haven’t really seen in other games of this ilk. It’s set to release in the fall and I’ll be anxiously awaiting its arrival.