clickbliss — Our (late) impressions of Bit Bash: Cool Jazz

Our (late) impressions of Bit Bash: Cool Jazz

After a lengthy gourmet meal at McDonalds we decided to swing over to Bit Bash’s Cool Jazz to indulge ourselves into the wonderful world of indie gaming. It was held at the Bottom Lounge. Despite the cramped surroundings, the atmosphere was very relaxed and upbeat. Realizing there were more than just overpriced drinks here, we decided to talk about games.

Particle Mace

Omar: The first game we checked out was Particle Mace, physics based arena game that uses your momentum to drag a the titular mace as your weapon. I played it at the previous Bit Bash event, but this time I had an opportunity to try it in both co-op and deathmatch. Co-op had us breaking up asteroids while avoiding the debris it created. It tended toward chaos, and we found ourselves dying often. Deathmatch was where the fun was at. Balancing the need to navigate the unpredictable arc of human players and the momentum of your own mace focused the chaos of co-op. It also added an element of player psychology that provided satisfaction it outsmarting your opponents.

RJ: Being the uncultured barbarian I am, this was the first time I’ve heard of this game. Naturally I was looking like a clown as I was trying to figure out the controls while at the same time not getting beat down by the likes of Omar and the others playing with us. The controls were a bit stiff but once I got the hang of them they became second nature. It really felt like you were swinging a giant mace around. Echoing Omar’s statements, deathmatch was where all the fun was. Even though I never won a single game, I enjoyed my time with it.

Redshift Blueshift

Omar: A combination of wall ball and space shooters, Redshift Blueshift was definitely novel. It’s relatively simple as well, which makes it easy to pick up in play. Again, chaos is the name of the game and the challenge is in returning the ball in a confusing way while managing attacks from enemy ships. There’s a heft to it, for sure. RJ seemed to enjoy it anyway, since he was winning most of the matches.

RJ: Redshift Blueshift was one of two games I fully enjoyed that night. The game was just a delight. It felt like a true pick-up and play party game that anyone can enjoy. The game isn’t a walk in the park however. It gets quite tense towards the end especially if you are tied with your friend.

Oh, and I want to let you know I won most of the rounds. You see that fam? I won a multi-player game that wasn’t FIFA.

Videoball

RJ: Videoball was probably the highlight of the night for me. Omar and I just kept coming back to this game (to be honest, it probably occupied half of our night there). So the basics of this game is to shoot projectiles towards the balls to score goals. At the same time, your friend playing on the same team can use the projectiles to deflect the balls or build up a wall around your side of the pitch. Every move that we did was met laughter and anger. It was probably the most engaging game of the night. I personally can’t wait for the final build of the game.

Omar: Yo Videoball is tight. I played it at last Bit Bash and it was probably better this time since I actually had a teammate. There’s an ebb and flow brought about by the timing of shots and the way you control space. It’s intensely tuned and smartly built. I imagine it’ll be a real popular game at parties.

Despite the cramped space, it was fun to have a smaller venue to play in. Games were easier access and although it was busy it never reached the level of noise the larger spaces do. I’d like to see more events this size that can focus on tighter knit experiences more frequently.