A lot of games are built around one great idea…then there’s Raskulls. This XBLA title indie dev Halfbrick jams together a series of seemingly incompatible ideas: It’s part 2D platformer, part racing game, part Mr. Driller-styled block-busting puzzle game, and part Mario Kart multiplayer. And surprisingly, it all (mostly) works.
The goal of most levels is simply to beat your opponents (up to four at a time) in a foot race to the finish line. Naturally there are a few wrinkles to make things interesting, the main one involving colored blocks you have to break through by “zapping” them with a wand. Here’s where the light puzzle elements come in: any blocks on top of one you zap will fall (and slow you down if they land on you), and like-colored blocks immediately connect to form bigger blocks. Then there are power-ups you can grab during each race (the Mario Kart influence), and a “frenzy” meter you can fill that gives you a short speed boost when activated.
