Prismatic Solid Yoi Kimori

There are certainly enough shoot'emups on the XBLI service, and there are quite a few that are as challenging as a trip to the toilet.  Sometimes, you run out of paper.  Prismatic Solid is one of those that makes you sit up and take notice.  First, it's created by a small team, the credits list 4 people on the team, that includes the one person who programmed and designed it.  Second, it's beautifully designed with music that doesn't get in the way, and sound effects that fit the situation perfectly.

There are 6 levels in Prismatic Solid, and each looks great.  The graphics are beautiful for an indie title, and that goes double for the backgrounds.  Just check out the Water Level, where every ship skims off the top of mercurial water with the grace of a water bug on the surface of a pond.  Amazing.  The controls are fairly simple- it's a shmup, after all.  The left mushroom controls direction, the triggers fire your standard weapons, the left and right shoulder buttons scroll through your 6 different standard weapons, and the X,B,Y buttons fire your special weapons.  The Special Weapons are color coded and will be positioned on different sides of your ships, depending on your standard weapon in use.  Each of your Special Weapons is like a smart bomb, and will deal lots of damage when detonated, and even more damage if you build those special weapons up by collecting bullets and enemy ships.  Your standard weapons are: Homing, Split, Three-Way, Rainbow, Shower, and Snow, and each one has a unique graphical style to it.

The above shot may seem confusing, but your Special Weapon pods collect bullets which grows their destructive power.  That's not to say you won't die- you will die often, but this at least gives you a fighting chance.  The enemies will sometimes completely overwhelm you, which could piss you off or could make you come back for more, determined you can get past the next time.  If you manage your Special Weapons properly, sometimes the overwhelming level will be a little easier for you to handle.  Not in a cake-walk kind of way, but in a "Damn, I'm gonna make it!" way.

There isn't much there beyond the basic game with regards to the story of Prismatic Solid.  In a word, there is no story.  Thank God!  I'm a bit tired of some of the story lines of many videogames: Defeat them before they defeat us, then chase them back to their planet, and blow the shit out of them!  No thanks, put me in a lane, tell me to go, and where to shoot.  Sometimes it's that simple.  This title will set you back all of a dollar, the price of a Milky Way bar.  As good as Milky Ways are, this is a better value.  Even better, it won't rot your teeth!