First Look Amiga #2

Inviyya by Tigerskunk / Polyplay (2021) - Amiga

I don't really have time to keep up to date with most indie/homebrew scenes these days and that sadly includes the lively community of Amiga fans, so I'm sure there are tons of great games/projects that I've missed. Even I managed to stumble on Inviyya though, a new hori shmup which looked frankly remarkable from the screenshots I saw. Happily the kind team behind the game gave me a digital review copy (there is also a superb full physical version available) and, after an embarrassing yet characteristic period of procrastination, I sat down to give it a good play prior to writing a full review. Unfortunately, after working out how to get the game running on the rather complicated WinUAE emulator, I soon ran into some as-yet-unresolved technical issues. Until such time as these issues are ironed out, I thought I'd make a quick post to give my first impressions on what looks to be a corker.

As you might've noticed just by the screenshots here, it's a game that, like so many others, was inspired by R-Type and similar games. There are six varied stages featuring a nice mix of smaller craft, often in groups, and (impressively) larger examples, and there are quite a few power-ups for both your main (and only, I think) weapon and ship speed. Both are needed too, as it's pretty tough going at first. Sadly, I have only seen beyond the first stage in pic/video form due to the aforementioned issue I have but I can certainly say Inviyya looks to be an absolutely cracking shooter. The graphics are outstanding and the audio includes both sound effects and in-game music (rare with the Amiga), and it will even run on a standard A500. I felt sure it would be an AGA game at first glance! Suffice to say, if you have any Amiga or don't mind emulating one, grab a copy of this fantastic title... 5/5

Special Note: If you want to buy a digital or physical copy of Inviyya, you can do so from its Itch.io page here. It's worth mentioning that the issue preventing further play of the game on my part is some rather major graphical glitching. However, I'm pretty sure the problem is at my end only and not a problem with the game itself as no one else has reported the problem. I expect I have some setting or another on the wrong option on WinUAE and once I have found/resolved the issue I will present a full review of this excellent shooter here. In the meantime, here's a video of the whole game so don't watch if you want to avoid spoilers!