ambrosia-software posts

The mighty Ambrosia Software keeps churning out great games for the Mac, never resting on its laurels. However, there is one title in its roster that continues to iterate, and that's a genuinely good thing, because it keeps getting better with each pass. The Escape Velocity series, originating on the Mac for the now-Classic OS in 1996, has seen its third version drop in 2002, called EV Nova. It has only recently been made available as a Universal Binary, hence its inclusion here in Mac Monday. Even if it weren't for that, however, this game deserves to be brought to the attention of an audience who may not have had the pleasure of playing its earlier incarnations.

At its heart, EVN's gameplay hasn't notably changed from the first version. You take command of a low-level spacecraft, and attempt to rise to power by trading goods throughout the galaxy, indulging in some combat along the way. The graphics are still glorious 2D, which in this case is a welcome deviation from the typical trait seen in game series that run for a while -- the Ambrosia devs know not to mess with a winning strategy.

Bit Blot's Aquaria is a breath of fresh air ... even if it's a breath taken through gills. It's a gorgeously-drawn 2D adventure that feels disarmingly old-school in these days of 3D over-the-top action. This game feels fresh, from its identity-seeking hybrid protagonist to its slew of nimble and colorful adversaries. Although it's dual-platform, Aquaria could not have arrived at a better time for Mac gamers who might have been giving up hope for unique new titles. Of course, it's being published by none other than Ambrosia Software, a Mac mainstay for many years, so it's in good hands.

So, exactly what is Aquaria, and why should you love it?

SketchFighter 4000 Alpha, from Ambrosia Software, is a fiendishly difficult game. It's a top-down shooter in the style of the old vector graphics-based games like Asteroids, Gravitar, and Omega Race. However, the standout element (at least at first) is its graphic style: the game is rendered as though drawn in a grade-school student's tablet of graph paper. This extends not merely to the background (gray grid against plain white), but to the player's ship, the game's enemies, the obstacles, everything. This isn't just a refreshing change of pace -- the retro feel is inherent it the game's actual gameplay as well. How? Read on!