Blinx: The Time Sweeper

"Time to sweep up the mess."

Blinx has been labeled as a potential Xbox mascot. Staring in this first Xbox plat former expectation has been high. Welcome to the world of Blinx the Time sweeper.
The game begins with a short but informative fmv sequence. This explains the plot, which is basically Blinx (the cat) has to save the girl. Once you’ve got that out of the way the game begins proper .You see, Blinx is armed with a Hoover which he can use to suck things up and then spit them out to kill enemies. Your job through each level is to destroy 1 or more monsters within a 10 minute time limit. Going back to the Hoover, this allows you to suck up all manner of objects such as rusty old cars ,boilers, bombs, chairs and barrels to name a few items that can be used as a potential missile. Your Hoover is able to hold a maximum of 5 items at once. This can be increased later on in the game by collecting the various amounts of gold lying around and spending it in one of the many shops. The effect of sucking up large objects and then compressing them into a tiny Hoover is quirky to say the least. So this is the basic premise for completing levels.
The monsters themselves are a weird bunch of strange “ blobby” things that can kill with a single touch. Some enemies will charge themselves up before launching their own missile against you, which usually will be a chair or an oil drum. Using your jumping skills, including a sidestepping manoeuvre and double jump you should be able to avoid these, then suck them up and shoot them back at your foe. Every forth level you have to beat increasingly menacing bosses which prove quite a challenge. With a little thought and sheer madness these bosses can be defeated with relative ease. The use of Blinx’s unique time control abilities are the only way to win here ,if you want to live.

Blinx has various time abilities at his disposal. This was initially hailed as something new and unique, let me explain. Blinx is able to control the passage of time. In the style of a VCR Blinx can manipulate time using fast forward, slow motion, pause, record and rewind. To use these abilities Blinx must collect time crystals which correspond with the relevant time ability. For example, stars are slow motions, crescents are pauses etc. To actually use these you must collect 3 of the same type to gain 1 time ability or 4 of the same type to gain 2. However if you mess this up then you lose your crystals and have to start again. This feature adds some basic tactics to the game as usually some crystals are hard to grab. Crystals are plenty throughout the levels and are dropped by defeated monsters. When you begin the game you can only hold 3 time abilities at any time. This can be increased by buying time holders from one of the many shops.
Moving swiftly on to the abilities themselves. These are used to either navigate through the levels or to help destroy troublesome monsters. A good example being, a bridge collapsing before you, making it impossible to cross. Using your rewind ability will restore the bridge back to its former state. Pausing at the right moment may also save you from death or freeze an enemy, allowing you time to position yourself safely to get that first attack in. The use of the time abilities are obvious in certain places, whereas other places the use of them is entirely up to the player. With a little skill and thought you can actually discover new techniques that will aid you on your adventure. If you find yourself a little short of a certain time ability or cash then you are encouraged to replay earlier levels.

Blinx is an original plat former puzzle game. The time abilities are fun and innovative. How the game is structured is also commendable. Blinx also has its fair share of problems, oh dear! For starters, as with all plat-formers it seems, the camera is really bad, and will often cause many a death due to not seeing what is around you. The problem lies with the overall zoom of the game, which remains close to the action at all times. Blinx also moves at a painful speed, which given the 10 minute time limit can prove rather frustrating. The shop system also seems strange, as when you are buying a new Hoover you loose your old one. Certain Hoovers work better on certain levels and so, If you want to play an older level and you require a Hoover that you used before, you would have to buy it again thus losing your existing Hoover. This literally sucks as these babies cost a fair amount of cash. The levels themselves also seem too similar in the sense that you generally complete the same task on each one. These problems can be overlooked but really don’t add to the overall experience.

Blinx is a rather good looking game utilising the Xboxs raw power. They said that this game could not be produced on any other console maybe that’s a good thing. The overall music and sound effects are all quirky as you would expect from a game of this type. Blinx is a good game but not a great game as it has been billed. I found it a different and enjoyable experience. With a little more refinement this game could become the revolution the platform genre needs. Seeing as this is the only Xbox plat former, its well worth a look.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/03, Updated 06/09/03