XBLIG Uprising Preview: “Portal” turned upside-sideways equals “Gateways.”

It’s time for an uprising of the gaming variety!  Indie game fans and developers rejoice, for now is your time to RISE!  Can you hear the chanting?  Can you hear the cries?  Can you hear the Batman?  I’m kidding about that part… or am I?

We here at CBR have set out to provide you with exclusive coverage of the XBLIG uprising.  From previews, to reviews, to fresh made cookies — I’m kidding, I’m terrible at baking — we’ll have everything you want from this year’s event.

In 2007 David Johnston decided to take a side project and turn it into a XBLA game.  After self-publishing a number of titles, Johnston’s pet project, “The Adventures of Shuggy,” was not only published by Valcon Games, it received critical acclaim and got a PC port in 2012.

It’s Portal… to the EXTREME!

Now Johnston and Smudged Cat Games returns with a new puzzle platformer.  Imagine yourself as a scientist with big glasses and wild hair.  You’ve done quite a few experiments in your 2D platforming wonderlab, but what happens when those experiments break free?  “Gateways” takes a page from traditional platformers.  You’ll have to traverse across moving platforms, avoid spikes, and jump on the heads of your enemies.  However, unlike platformers of the past, Professor Ed has a huge weapon to use against his foes: the gateway guns.  Think “Portal,” only skyrocketed with possibilities.  You can create two gateways to pass through at the start of the game, but as the game progresses you’ll acquire different kinds of guns that have different functions.  There’s one that creates gateways of different sizes, the small one shrinking Ed and the large one increasing his size.  There’s another gun that takes the laws of gravity and turns it upside down, letting Ed walk on walls and on the ceiling itself.  There’s even a gun that creates gateways that’ll let Ed travel back in time.  When he does this, he’ll encounter different versions of himself, something that can create multiple Eds on the same screen.

Hello human. If you would be so kind as the pick up that gateway gun over there…

In “Gateways,” you’ll have to survive the dangers of your own lab.  Can you overcome your experiments and make it out of the lab alive?  Grab a hold of your gateway gun and step through the solid walls of adventure today.