Platform: Xbox Indie Games (Xbox 360)
Price: 400 MSP / $5 USD

If the idea of playing a space shmup/tower defense mashup cooperatively with up to 7 other players online sounds good then keep reading as you're in for a treat.

Gameplay:
The game offers 3 game modes that all support up to 8 players online or 2 offline which is great if you're a fan of cooperative games. If you're looking for a competitive experience on the other hand, you'll be a bit disappointed though as the game doesn't really offer that. However, even if that's the case you should still give the game some consideration as the cooperative experience does have some competitive aspects. The biggest is probably the energy collection, each enemy that is destroyed by either a player controlled ship or the main ship that you're supposed to protect (Abaddon, that's where the name of the game comes from) drops green energy orbs that can be used to either repair/upgrade Abaddon or upgrade your own ship as well as restore your own ship's energy to use special abilities which means that while each player is supposed to work together, if they want to upgrade their ship they will have to sort of fight over the resources. It's important not to get too greedy though as if Abaddon is not repaired, it will be destroyed and then it will be game over for every player so at times, you have to suck up pride and use your energy to save the ship.

Also, before I explain each of the game's modes, I'll cover the main aspects of the game's mechanics. Friendly-fire is off in every mode and while your individual ship has a health bar, you technically have unlimited lives provided that Abaddon is still standing. That's why the game refers to your ship as a clone since it's reproduced again after it's been destroyed, additionally, any upgrades that you've made to your ship will also be in the new clone that spawns so there's no need to worry about losing them. Regardless of what mode you're playing, making sure Abbaddon is not destroyed is always a priority and as such, you have to use the energy you've collected wisely to make sure that you have enough to repair it. Every time you repair Abbaddon, the cost of the next repair is increased therefore it's recommended to repair it only when it's almost destroyed to conserve energy. Aside from repairing the ship, you can also repair/upgrade the turrets found on the ship and upgrade the ship you're piloting as well by docking to Abaddon via the "B" button, just hover over it. You can also purchase another ship if you don't like the default one, each ship has it's pros/cons and as such, you should pick the one that's the most suitable for the particular scenario you're in. Sometimes it's better to stick with a faster ship whereas in others, you'll need more power and the slower but more powerful ship is preferred. In addition, you can use orbs that you've earned throughout the game to give your ship an additional boost. The orb system took me a while to figure out but basically, after performing well in certain modes you are given orbs that boost different things. I'd play around with different ones to see which combo works best for you.

Now to get to the game modes which are the same in both single and multiplayer (except for the tutorial). I strongly suggest that you give the tutorial a go first as it will help you become familiar with the game as while it's not hard to figure out, it is a hassle without proper instruction. Even after you've completed the tutorial, you'll be learning new things along the way with time and practice. Survival is the best mode in my opinion as it really puts your skills to the test since you start off with a heavily damaged ship that can't defend itself too well which forces you to use your energy wisely. It's good in both single and multiplayer but unless you're really good, you probably won't survive too long alone (it's time based). Intercept is another mode present in the game that is a bit more objective based, as the name states, you have to intercept enemy ships before they get to a certain destination. These enemy ships are marked in green and after a certain number of them have passed, the match will end regardless of Abaddon's health state. The developer told me this was randomized so the amount of ships to intercept each time should be different. Last but not least, is the what I perceive to be the toughest mode found in the game, Assault, where you have to destroy the enemy base in order to win. I attempted this alone several times and failed, I was only able to complete it in multiplayer when I had several other players helping me.

Every mode, excluding the tutorial, keeps track of your performance and doing better than your previous record will result in being rewarded with some stronger orbs. Also, while there is no leaderboard, you can see how well other players did alone and via multiplayer if you're playing a Live match.

In addition to matches over Xbox Live, the game also supports System Link matches and local coop (maximum of 2 players). I was unable to test out either of those though but I did play several matches on Xbox Live without any problems. I did encounter some minor lag at times but I think it was a problem on my end, occasionally, the game temporarily froze as well but it lasted only for a few seconds and when the game lost connection to other players, it continued locally so I kept my score and everything except that I was alone again rather than with others which I thought was pretty thoughtful on the developer's part.

As far as repetitiveness goes, the game does randomize the enemy spawning as well as the space background color which helps keep it fresh but ultimately, to get the most out of the game you need to play with others. Single player can be fun and addicting at times but you'll need to play with others for maximum enjoyment, surprisingly, the online community for the game is fairly active. There obviously aren't as many players as Halo 3 but you should hopefully be able to find at least one other person to play with, it might even be the developer himself (caedicus) or myself if I'm on (lolman1337).

Graphics & Audio:
The 2D graphics are fairly impressive, they still have an "indie" appearance but are polished - from the ships to the bullets. When the battles get intense, it looks like a galactic fireworks display. As for the music, it's decent and sets the mood quite well. The sound effects were effective as well but nothing to brag about.

Replay value:
Due to the nature of the game, it has an extremely high replay value especially due to it's online multiplayer support as if you don't have someone locally to play with, you can always play with a friend or stranger online. The randomization also helps make the second or even tenth session feel fresh.

Overall:
Xbox Live Indie Games usually get bad rep for lacking originality and Xbox Live multiplayer support but this game is certainly an exception. Abaddon is definitely one of the most original genre mashups and possibly the best space game so far on the XBLIG platform as once you've got the hang of it, you'll be embracing some pretty epic battles. For 400 MSP, it's certainly worth getting, don't let the limited trial discourage you especially if you're a fan of cooperative multiplayer games.

Pros:
+Xbox Live multiplayer (up to 8 players)
+Drop-in coop and multiplayer customization
+Offline multiplayer
+Worth the asking price
+Extremely high replay value
+Upgrade system and orbs give the game a sense of strategy
+Innovative genre mashup
+Nice graphics

Cons:
-While the tutorial is useful, this game's learning curve needs a more extensive tutorial but with practice, you'll get the hang of it and it's a reasonable curve
-The game doesn't indicate how much energy other players have, this is essential to know and is often a problem when other players are not talking via the mic as you don't know if anyone else has enough to repair the ship
-Leaderboards would have been nice
-Some sort of alien enemy type would have been badass

After playing several hours of Abaddon, I can say that it deserves it's 8.75/10 rating. The first two cons I mentioned affected the score negatively especially the second one as that made the game a bit of a pain at times but it's nothing that detracts from the overall fun therefore, you should rush to your Xbox right now, get the trial, and consider buying it to join in on the galactic fun.

This game was obtained from the developer rather than purchased, for review purposes.

There is quite a bit to learn but once I got the hang of it I started to really enjoy the game.

Yeah it's a bit confusing at first as there's quite a bit to do but once you've come up with a strategy it's definitely fun. Feel free to add me if you want to play sometime.

**UPDATE**

The game now costs only 80 MSP / $1 USD which is a ridiculously good deal as it supports online multiplayer and has a great deal of replay value.