Cavernous Conundrum- Lazy Raiders Review

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenMarch 11, 2010
98 1,430 2 minutes read

Developing a successful game demo is not unlike fishing. Tantalize potential prey with a captivating mechanic, drawing their focus to the dazzling display in front of them. At the moment they are mesmerized by the bait, lure them in quickly. I was as weak as a walleye when recent release Lazy Raiders throw out its line. The title’s seductive synthesis of simple action along with pleasing puzzle elements is certain to be irresistible to fans of each respective genre.

Like Cameltry (also known as On the Ball and Labyrinth) gamers don’t directly control the game’s portly protagonist, Dr. Diggabone. Instead the move the entire stage, sending the archeologist rolling and bounding through each of the title’s eighty levels. Pushing right or left on the analog stick rotates the stage in the desired direction, allowing Diggabone to roll down hills and imperviously fall down any open shafts. Additionally, a tap on the ‘A’ button will instantly invert the map, turning the floor into a ceiling. Although this simple mechanic is perpetuated through the whole game, each level brings a variety of interesting obstacles- from color-coded keys which open corresponding doors, to volatile TNT boxes, and spikes.

Each map’s primary goal is to retrieve a golden pick. Additionally, players longing for leaderboard status will want to sweep each stage clear of treasure or alternately, complete the level as quickly as possible. Having multiple objectives for each level secures Lazy Raider’s replayability- often I found myself clearing the level, then instantly replaying in an attempt to secure a disregarded trinket.  These motivations are also heightened by the aforementioned scoreboards which track both worldwide and rankings among your Xbox Live friends.  Lazy Raider’s even tracks the net worth of all your archeological unearthings, giving players a keen sense of accomplishment through the game.

Easily frustrated gamers who typically avoid single-solution challenges should appreciate Lazy Raider’s difficulty. Not only are players given unlimited lives, but participants can instantly reset any stage with a press of the back button. Fortunately, Dr. Diggabone’s hearty girth allows him to be more than a one-hit wonder; touching any of the title’s impediments will flash the hero red, only killing him if the player maintains contact with the object.

Visually, Lazy Raiders shines thanks to its unwavering framerate and adorable art style. The game’s later levels not only require a bit of strategic planning, but also quick reflexes to navigate the labyrinthine environments and avoid abundant obstacles. Thanks to a speedy refresh rate, any Diggabone deaths are instigated by the player, rather than a languid display, or unresponsive input system. Although each stage takes about six seconds to load, the results are worth the short wait- each character and obstacle is drawn with noticeable detail from the craggy edge of a granite block to each shimmering gold artifact. Players that are tired of combing mazes with the game’s main hero may alternatively use their own avatars.

By adeptly combining uncomplicated arcade action with a robust dose of puzzling, Lazy Raiders has the potential to appeal to a wide swath of gamers. I encourage players remotely interested in either genre to give the title a try; they’ll likely find themselves defenseless against the game’s profuse charms.

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenMarch 11, 2010
98 1,430 2 minutes read
Photo of Robert Allen

Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

98 Comments

  2. Really? I tried the demo and thought it wasn’t that interesting. I guess I was expecting a Loco Roco knockoff.

  5. I bought it, and like it, up until I saw that that had a hook for additional levels.

    I guess all will be forgiven if they give them out for free.

  7. I just tried the demo, and I do really like it. But my one worry is that the levels will get repetitive. Do they?

  12. I bet they’ll patch this once NATAL gets out. Seems like the simple control scheme and low processor requirement would be perfect.

  15. Sounds like a fun game. Thanks for letting us know about a smaller release.

  17. Honestly, they need to make a treasure hunting platformer that looks like this. Forget the spin, just let me hunt for jewels and gold.

  20. haven’t heard of this one, but I like puzzle action blends. thanks for the info.

  28. “You spin me right round, baby right round”

    This came on the radio as I was playing it, totally perfect!

  32. this game looks simply amazing it looks so different than a lot of the other arcade games on xbox live and seems so fresh and innovative i can not wait to play this game

  34. I’ve been reading a lot about this game. Downloaded the demo, but haven’t had a chance to try it out yet. After reading this review, I think I’ll go ahead and load it up…

  48. I like the game but the menu navigation is a bit confusing. When you select levels sometimes it jumps around a bit.

  49. Nice review. I thought this looked like something I’d enjoy— well, this review only confirms it. 😀

  56. looks intresting, this reminds me of almost every early game on the iphone though, not for me thanks

  57. Man, why did you get me hooked on this demo? It’s like a digital crack pipe- here take this hit, you’ll like it.

  58. I really dig the art style and presentation for this game. I supposed anything involving silly old Englishmen is simply exquisite.

  61. Hadn’t heard of this one till now but looks like it could be a fun little puzzle game.

  63. Looks like a really interesting game! Haven’t had a chance to try out the demo yet, but I’m looking forward to it once I get some free time.

  65. I’ve spent more hours with xbla and xbox indie game releases than have with retail ones. Hopefully this will add to those hours 🙂

  66. Lazy Raiders looks like a great game. It is a great idea for people that want to be Lara but don’t want to do all that walking, running, and jumping.

  69. Cool art style. Reminds me of that old PSX game Blast Chamber where you have to turn the arena around to get to the goal.

  70. This will go great with my life size poster of David Hasselhoff! Oh, avatar awards are awesome!

  74. The game looks really fun, and it’s a nice change from all the FPS’s coming out now.

  75. The game looks interesting, Really curious about it gameplay wise, but I dig the art style.

  79. You make it sound like the last levels are pretty hard. I’m not sure how much I like that. Maybe this game isn’t for me. But at the same time, I like puzzle games as long as the answer isn’t so impossible to find that I’m always wishing I’d just look in a guide.

  80. This review pushed me to try the demo, which is easily my favorite part of Live Arcade: every game has a demo. I probably wouldn’t have bothered otherwise.

  83. I just finished the game, and yeah they do get hard, but are never impossible. You can complete them just by getting the gold pick axe.

  85. Taking a verb like raiding and coupling it with lazy which denotes lack of verbs.. brilliant!

  86. Looks interesting, thanks for the review. I’m going to check out the trial version 😀

  87. Interesting, worth a demo download at least. I can’t decided if I’ll love it or hate it.

  91. Wow! I totally forgot about this game! The preview looked awesome! Hope I can win a copy!

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