Procedural Pipes: Tiny Plumbers

Beep, bloop, boppity-beep goes the music. Jump, splat, zap go the Tiny Plumbers. Goombas didn't burst into a shower of garish red pixels when Mario jumped on their bonces but otherwise, a quick look at this odd little indie platformer could have you thinking it's little more than a tired spoof. There are even different suits to change into, pipes to travel through and princesses to rescue. However, beyond the obvious references, which are not simply aesthetic, there is plenty to discover. Most importantly, it's not obvious from the trailer that the levels are procedurally generated. And wait 'til the sky police chase the hovering plumber, their sirens/screams drowning out everything and betokening doom.

It's yet another game that's still in alpha, with a $5 preorder giving access to this and all future builds. The final release will cost $10, making an early purchase equivalent to five entire dollars materialising in your pocket. Perhaps I should also tell you that the game is from RobotLovesKitty, who made Neverdaunt 8Bit. Yes, I will tell you that.

The controls feel a little loose but I think this is shaping up quite nicely. There aren't enough procedurally generated platformers so they all remind me a little of Spelunky and then I'm happy for the rest of the day. I just wish there was a demo. I always wish there was a demo.