TOP 10 FREE INDEPENDENT GAMES of 2008 - #5: Rescue the Beagles

I must confess I didn't stick with this for very long. Potentially an interesting dynamic, an auto-scrolling platformer with a nice multi-level effect, it was all a bit too burdensome. Fall too far without a parachute and you die, but parachutes don't open automatically. Plus they are a limited resource, as are the ropes you need to climb back up. Baddies to be avoided and beagles to be caught, aforementioned resources you absolutely must collect - blah. Micro-management in a platformer, no ta.

It took me a little while (and frankly I really should have read the Readme before starting) but it's actually pretty good once you get in the rhythm of it. (Man it helps to realize you can fire the Owls at enemies to kill them!) The main problem is that the game is remarkably unintuitive - owls are ammunition? Double tap up to rope, and down to parachute? Exactly how far can you fall before you die? Not obvious at all.

But once you know all these things, you can get in this fast zone where you're swishing around in all directions. Cool stuff. The micromanagement stuff can get annoying, I agree, but it's not as much of a problem if you can plan ahead enough so you don't worry about depleting your parachutes and ropes (go for the Skyline flow as much as possible).