At the beginning of this year, I wrote that one of the most anticipated puzzle games of the year is certainly "Life Goes On." This game takes a new spin on the traditional mechanics of a puzzle game resulting in something like a tragic comedy. The game is available for purchase online (www.lifegoesongame.com -$12) and quite cheap for average users.  With only a few days to try the game, I must admit, that it is maddeningly addictive and actually quite comic.

Players are tasked with guiding what seems to be a limitless legion of heroic knights through levels filled with the sadistic instruments of death. The goal, of course, is to find the Cup of Life (a pity that it involves so much death) "Life Goes On" certainly puts the emphasis on team effort, as every knight is called upon to sacrifice himself/herself (lady knights featured too) for the good of the mission.

Each a time a Knight is killed in action, another is spawned to take the route many have taken before him/her. Now, this part is not entirely new, there are puzzle games that allow players to hop across the remnants of their previous attempts. However, what is different about Life Goes On, is the fact that players are encouraged to actually cause casualties in a strategic manner that helps complete the challenges (or quest if you will). For example, when confronted with a long-bed of corpses, the first knight ventures forth only to be impaled by the spikes, but his armour-clad corpse becomes a stepping stone for the second knight who meets a similar fate, so on and so forth until players have created a bridge of human corpses. To be honest, this is a bit counter-intuitive, especially if you play more traditional puzzle games. But after awhile, suicide self-sacrifice becomes second nature once you realise that it is the only way you are going to complete those challenges.

A comic feature is obviously the game is obviously the comically impressive traps that are designed to kill even the most purest of hearts. You'll come across such things as swinging pendulums, cannons, ice, ramps, conveyor belts, lava lakes and even little monsters. The game also gets full points for presentation. Clearly the game has put a lot of effort into the environment and stage of the game with super lighting and design. Even your legion of heroes come with their own unique and funny names, sometimes you might realise that you've sacrificed an entire generation of knights on a single quest (but we are not keeping count). I also enjoyed the bit where at the end of each challenge, the surviving knight is seen pushing all his dead brothers and sisters in a wagon. It's sad but really funny.

The eternal supply of knights does not mean the game is a breeze. Solving the complex challenges requires more than a willingness to send forth your knights as fodder.  One clever addition is the inclusion of special spawn points. Once,  a player reaches this spawn point, that place will become the new place to spawn knights. Now this might seem straight forward but in many cases the puzzles will force players to abandon new checkpoints or avoid them entirely. That is tricky but not impossible because players have full control over their knights.

The game comes with 50 unique levels and also sports two gaming modes - speed-run times and death minimums - that add a more challenging twist to the game. In addition, you also have the standard list of achievements and special secrets of the game. If you are someone who believes the game is not over until you've uncovered every possible secret and searched under every crack and crevice, you are going to enjoy this. Unfortunately, you may also notice that the game recycles a few tricks and traps, that may give the impression of déjà vu every now and then but overall, the game retains a sense of freshness.

Whether you want to kill time at work or at lectures, or if you are just someone who loves new and interesting puzzles, I would highly recommend “Life Goes On”.

By Navam Niles