Throughout life, everyone has that one unanswerable question which nags at them and never is answered. What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? Well whoever’s running Swampopus, an indie games developer, must have always wondered if Aliens would make good architects, because you’ll learn the answer to that and more in Alien Pyramid Challenge. Okay maybe you won’t learn more than that, but it’s still a big question to finally get some closure on, no?

Regardless of your philosophy on life, you’ll find that if you’re a fan of 2D Puzzle Platformers, Alien Pyramid Challenge is not only an entertaining little game that’ll keep your mind occupied for a good short while, but it’s a charming title that’s well worth its price. You’ll play as an unnamed Alien in an unnamed Pyramid somewhere in Egypt. It’s not explained how you’ve gotten there or why you’d ever want to go there in the first place, but that bares very little relevance to what makes the game so good.

Guided by some unnamed Mummy, you’ll be tasked with finding your way out of this huge tomb, lest it house a new occupant for all of eternity. The only way to do that is to get your hands on some of the conveniently shaped limestone blocks which, when stacked up in just the right way, can become personally crafted platforms to new areas of each level. The only catch to all of this is that you can only lift a block which is directly in front of you and is not under another.

This lack in physical strength is meant to hinder the Alien’s abilities and add a layer of difficulty to each puzzle, but you’ll find that since it’s relatively easy to use different methods to stack blocks so that you won’t lose access to any areas, and there aren’t any enemies, your toughest job will be to refrain from sabotaging yourself.  Another cool difference in this game that you’ll find from the average 2D platformer is its lack of bottomless pits. Rather than vex you with wide, deep chasms in which you’ll only find death, Swampopus designed the levels in the game so that if you fall in certain areas you’ll be stuck there, unable to jump out and forced to restart.

In terms of platforming, the game has it down perfectly. Even on the 360’s terrible D-pad, controls are tight and work perfectly. Unfortunately, if you find the analog stick to be the favorable form of movement, you’ll have more issues. The sensitivity is strangely so high that if you have the analog stick tilted in any small way you’ll move in that direction, regardless of how you try to resist it with the D-pad.

The puzzle side of the game is pretty weak too, so if you’re a fan of Professor Layton, there’s really not much here that will keep your attention for too long. As well as the lack of challenge in the puzzles, each level is pretty quick. The game only has fourteen levels, and each will probably take you two minutes, maybe a minute or so more if you screw up a few times. After that… well there’s nothing.

But don’t let any of this turn you away from the game. It’s targeted at more of a casual audience, perhaps someone looking for a game to jump into for about a half hour before work or school. If you’re interested in an experience such as that, by all means spend your Microsoft points on this title. However, if you were hoping for an amazing deal that would last you an extended amount of time you’ll have to look elsewhere. Here, you get what you pay for. And you’ll have paid for a short, entertaining 7.5 out of 10.

Score: 7.5/10

• Pros:
  • Very entertaining puzzles.
  • Easy to jump into.
• Cons:
  • Puzzles aren’t a challenge.
• Random Fact:
  • Alien Pyramid Challenge! got a rating of zero in sex, violence and mature content level in the Indie Games section of the Xbox Live Arcade. 

Alien Pyramid Challenge! was developed by Swampopus and published by Microsoft Studios on September 30th, 2009.