Newtonian Rebellion: Defy Gravity Demo

Defy Gravity is not an instruction. It's the title of a game. I don't want anyone thinking Rock, Paper, Shotgun has told them to fling themselves out of an upstairs window. But do set fire to your head.

Rather this is a classic-style scrolling platformer, inspired by Metroid, Mega Max X and Braid. It involves firing either gravity wells or anti-gravity wells - orbs that either draw you in or repel you away - in order to negotiate the terrain. More onward.

It very quickly starts introducing clever concepts. Other objects in the world can also be affected by your gravity wells, and as such you can start to manipulate things to your advantage with canny thinking.

It seems to fit a lot more comfortably onto a 360 pad if you have one, and fully supports such controls. Or there's a keyboard and mouse for you, granddad.

However, there do seem to be some issues of finesse. Firing the wells isn't particularly accurate, and getting through the narrower, more enemy-ridden tunnels can sometimes be more luck than skill. The presentation is also very primitive. It certainly doesn't match by design with the decades-old games it mentions as inspirations.

But it's a fresh idea, and certainly a challenge. And it's only £3.30 to get the full game. The demo is here. And there's a trailer below: