Indie Illuminator - Crashnauts

Some games make great thematic decisions, and others make great mechanical decisions. The best games do both. Locally-developed indie game Crashnauts, now available on Steam Early Access, seems to be a game built around one choice that is clever both thematically and mechanically: what if your respawn were another weapon in your arsenal?

Screenshot of Crashnauts (found on the official website)

Any shooter or arena game that isn’t a simple sudden death match will involve some sort of respawn. Most respawns just boringly drop you back into the game a few seconds after your death. But Crashnauts doesn’t drop you back on to the playing field—it hurtles you down to the playing field with crushing force. After dying, players get a targeting laser that lets them aim exactly where they’ll respawn. If they crash on top of another player, they get an instant kill.

If you enjoy fast-paced arena shooters like Quake or Unreal Tournament, or if you’ve spent way too much time (like me) playing arena fighting games such as Super Smash Brothers or Rivals of Aether, Crashnauts might be up your alley. The game is still growing in its Early Access mode, so you can check it out here if you want to add it to your Steam Wishlist or give it a try right away.