1000 Amps

Watching video footage of 1000 Amps can be a bit confusing; it sure looks like a tile-based puzzle game, but there's a lot of simultaneous real-time action. There's a simple answer for this: 1000 Amps isn't really much of a puzzle game at all -- it's actually a charming little platformer that takes place in a tree-shaped electrical system. There is an element of figuring out how to "solve" a room, but the majority of the game's challenge is in the execution of that plan.

The game world has a clear Metroidvania vibe to it, with named, interconnected rooms, and powerups that allow you access to previously-unreachable platforms. 1000 Amps executes this formula very well, although I did find myself frequently wishing for a form of fast-travel across the map (and the pause screen map image is way too low-res). Being able to find alternate routes through the system, and discovering new secrets in previously-traversed areas, makes for a compelling map.

The platforming isn't without its flaws, in particular the too-frequent level design of falling through the bottom of a room, and the occasional reliance on what feel like timing-specific exploits to e.g. jump through obstacles before they appear. But it works, and it's pretty consistently fun through the game's handful of hours of exploration (in spite of a clunky boss fight at the end).

Oh, and the music is kinda bad. But it only plays in rooms you've solved, so you never have to sit and listen to it for long.

Better than: Splosion Man
Not as good as: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Would be even better: if there was a higher resolution option (all you can do is scale the 640x480 window up to full-screen).

Progress: 100%, missing one hidden room