VGW: There is a remarkable story behind Zeit² and its developer Brightside Games. What started out as a student project at a German university has blossomed into a Ubisoft published XBox Live Arcade game. The VideoGameWriters reached out to Thomas Bedenk of Brightside Games, and asked him about what inspired Zeit² as well as what design concepts were implemented in the development.
10 Shmups That Deserve More Attention
A look at the indie game Zeit², :a neat little entry into the world of schmups."
Is Zeit pure Zeitgeist?
Here is a snippet:
"Lack of story aside Zeit² brings a lot to the table. Numerous mechanics litter the game layered on top of the usual avoid/shoot gameplay of similar titles. Most striking among these is the time manipulation, which allows time to be fast forwarded or reversed using the trigger buttons. While the forward power is primarily used just to amass extra points (scores are higher when time is accelerated) the reverse ability introduces a great deal more and is essential to successfully navigate the game."
Good interview. Gotta be nice to get the support of a major publisher like that.
These guys are definitely some strong up-and-comers. They've developed a really compelling game, with a strong background of shoot-em up influence.
I had a lot of fun playing through Zeit2. I'm very interested in seeing what these guys bring to the table next.