Aban Hawkins And The 1001 Spikes is currently only available on the US store of Xbox. This is a huge shame as this platformer has so much to offer gamers it’s tantamount to robbing the developers when you buy it. Aban Hawkins is a man on a mission, quite a big mission in fact, in which you basically have to get through these catacombs of death the best way possible while leaving you the player with some hair by the end of it. Platform games are one of the simplest and oldest genres we have in the world of gaming, but don’t be fooled by this statement if you intend to purchase 1001 Spikes, as it turns this simplicity into menacing death with every leap. Aban is, in my mind, an 8bit version of Indiana Jones, one that faces more danger in one level sometimes than that whip slinging hero faced in all his movies put together. I have to say I like Aban, he’s a man’s man, takes no crap and gets up after every knock down – and in 1001 Spikes he gets knocked down a lot.
1001 Spikes will frequently make you feel like quitting, but sticking with this gem is the way to go, no matter how frustrated you get. It’s a simple matter of taking a few breaths and applying the correct moves at the correct time. Simple enough to say it, but undoubtedly harder to put into practice when you have already made it half way through a level on nothing but pure unadulterated luck. This comes down to the controls implemented in the game, as you have two jump buttons instead of the normal one. A high jump and a shorter normal jump, both of which are useful in their own way. Don’t be tempted however to use the longer jump to solve your problems of getting over those traps all the time, 1001 Spikes often lulls you into this sense of security only to end up ripping your heart out. Luckily enough 1001 Spikes gives you 1001 lives and believe me you will use them, also acquiring more is a matter of collecting the golden skulls that you find on each level. These are positioned in such a way that you might lose ten lives getting there, but it is all worth the effort as these will take you ever closer to unlocking levels and hidden characters that you can use in the game.
As simple as the concept of 1001 Spikes is, it never fails to come up with a whole new way of killing you, just when you think you have
seen it all it throws a curve ball that hits you on the side of your head like a mallet. Simple thinking and fast reactions work well in 1001 Spikes, as it does give you a split second warning before a trap is sprung and you find yourself impaled on yet another spike. The fact of the matter is, you will die and die a lot in this game, it’s something you have to adjust your mentality to accept and then you will start to enjoy all that it has to offer. Finally after you have mastered the first few levels, where the developer starts to show you how to use your jumps, attacks, and the environment to your advantage. You progress onto what I like to call ‘the slaughter house levels’, just because of the amount of blood and guts I left behind on these. While watching my 1001 lives dwindle away, and my hair slowly formed a pile beside me on the chair. It does not stop there for this game as you have plenty of other modes to try if you get a little too frustrated in the campaign on your own, you can always ring up for a friend to drop in to the game. The campaign supports a drop in and out style of play for up to four players, where you can use those unlockable characters from games such as Halo. However, the costumes change to support different platforms, so playing it on PS will give you a different set to playing it on a Wii and so on. These characters actually change the way in which you play as they all move like their counterparts, even the music and cut-scenes fit them perfectly.
1001 Spike does not stop there as you can find some very interesting unlockable game modes, one of which is a vertical adventure that is an entirely new experience with new story, environments and enemies to contend with. Other modes include The Lost Levels Mode, The Golden Vase where you and your friends can compete against each other for gold, but you can play it in single player if you wish. You get all of this and more and they won’t even call it robbery, 1001 Spikes is just overflowing with content. Some gamers may not like the retro 8bit graphics, or how punishing this game can be at first before you find that stride. 1001 Spikes is a game that you just have to own, it gives you more content than many AAA titles on the market for a fraction of the price. Once you get to grips with the mentality of it all, you will definitely be saying, ‘I will stop after the next level’, only to find yourself sitting there 5 levels on. I guess the best way to describe it would be, a rat in a lab, one of those experiment animals that gets a shock every time they touch something, only to find themselves going back time and time again only to be shocked further. That’s it! The developers have turned us all into their very own lab rats, and they are continually shocking us to the point where we start to like it and want more. Buy it, play it and never put it down!
