Infinite Beyond The Mind

Infinite Beyond The Mind is a retro action platformer with a few horizontal shoot'em up segments. I get the impression that the developers are big fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ninja Gaiden. The sprite work is excellent and varied for the most part. The art throughout the 16 levels is varied and unique. In many levels there are different routes a player can go to find secret health packs, 1-ups, and health bar extending gems. There are multiple enemy types that are introduced throughout the game and each level ends with a boss fight. After defeating the boss you'll have the opportunity to save. If you lose all your lives you'll be able to continue and restart at the beginning of the level. You start off with a horizontal slash attack, an air dash ability, a roll ability, as well as the ability to double jump. You can wall jump along smooth walls and it isn't really demanded much until later in the game. As you progress you'll gain an ability to attack after double jumping. The game slowly requires you to master all these abilities as you fight hoards of bullet firing enemies and unique level bosses. The weapon used during the horizontal shmup sections of the game has a cooldown and can be charged for a more powerful attack. I have a few criticisms. Occassionally it seems like a button press to latch onto a ladder is not recognized by the game. The heroines gain equipment throughout the game that changes their look cosmetically. Surprisingly, the initial faces of the female protagonists are unappealing. When the pink haired girl looks forward, her pupils are at the far corners of her eyes, and the whites of her eyes are jaundice in color. Also, the Steam achievements are broken. I received an achievement for ending the game while playing co-op when I didn't play co-op at all, and I received the achievement for beating the game on easy when I beat the game on normal difficulty. Overall the game's sprite work and audio is great. I enjoyed the game and I plan to play through the game again in the future.