Sequence is a shining example of what can get done when game genres that appear to have been exhausted are flipped upside down to create something new. Part Puzzle Quest, part Dance Dance Revolution, Sequence is all about delivering a fun, highly polished indie game.
You’re first introduced to the game through the presentation of the protagonist, Ky, and the character who will be his “shepherd,” Naia. I was greeted not simply by text, but by very competent voice actors. Now those of us who have been exclusively playing AAA titles may be thinking “big whoop,” but the fact remains that voice overs add a lot of personality to a game, and poor voice acting, even in the best games, can be a shortcoming impossible to ignore. Sequence doesn’t have this problem. In fact, a good portion of my motivation to continue through the game stemmed from the desire to hear the interplay between the main two characters.
But that’s not to say that the gameplay won’t keep your interest. Set up with three separate DDR style screens, all operating simultaneously, the gameplay can get frantic at times. On the other hand, having streams of notes results in constant engagement. Each of the three screens serves a different purpose: one is meant for defense, hitting the notes there will prevent incoming damage; a second is for mana regeneration; the final one is the spell casting screen, where only hitting all of the scrolling notes will result in a successful spell. Your magic abilities range from simple quick inflicting damage to powerful healing abilities. They also vary in casting requirements, such as low cost spells that require few notes to be hit, or damage over time spells that require dexterity over longer periods of time.
The tracks that you play to all have an electronica feel to them, and, as a result of their faster pace, are exhilarating to play on any difficulty. This excitement is what drives continued play in between the prescribed “floors” that break up the game’s story driven narrative. The RPG elements of the game shine here. The power of better items and increased stats are most apparent as you’re required to fight the same enemies more than once. This repetition is a necessity as the crafting system will require several of a single item in order to craft new equipment, including the devices that are needed to move further through the game. Though this can, at times, leave the game feeling a bit grind-ey, even by the end of the game I was ready, if not eager, to play any track over again.
Sequence, like Decay – Part 4 before it, shows that there’s quality that’s risen above the rest on XBLIG. But by no means are these two examples of greatness all the platform has to offer. Be sure to check out Armless Octopus for reviews on some of the best titles, as well roundups featuring the best new games released in the past week.
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