After dumping countless hours into nailing all 50 spectra in PixelJunk Eden (and the rest in Encore), it was safe to say that Q Games darling PixelJunk line had my full attention. Their follow-up to Eden, PixelJunk shooter, was one of my most anticipated games of E3, and was undoubtedly the apple of my eye when we finally made around to Sony’s booth tour.

Stylistically, Shooter doesn’t look all that dissimilar from Eden. Simple 2D visuals are complimented by minimal, but highly functional methods of input. Initially Shooter doesn’t seem all that different from beloved downloadable genre, the ever-present (and altogether tired) twin stick shooter. While Shooter abides by the twin stick input, complete with a charge shot, that mechanic exists merely to support the gameplay, not define it.

You see, Shooter is all about search and rescue. Your ship’s only other function is a grappling hook, which can be used to rescue trapped cave dwellers and, occasionally, contextually specific items. Some people are out in the open and easy to get, but others often require a bit of thought. Usually this means going through two other videogame staples, water and lava

Water and lava are both intrinsically linked to the gameplay. Your ships energy is tied to overheating which, of course, increases with your proximity to lava. Water, as one might expect, cools your ship down. Much of the gameplay revolved around blasting away dirt that contained pockets of water, and allowing that water to cool over the lava, which transformed the lava into passable, non lethal material, or helped it fall away and create a new path for your ship.

There were also a few items that helped us proceed through the caves. The most amusing of which was a sponge, which, after it was left in a pool and absorbed enough water, could be taken over to a lava puddle and used to build a land bridge across the formerly lethal path.

Physics also play a significant role in Shooter. You’re free to trudge through pockets of water, but if it falls on you expect it to dynamically impede your progress. It’s also possible to react too hastily and, essentially, screw yourself over so bad that you can’t finish a level. As of this writing there was no time limit, but Matt Morton, the producer guiding me through the demo, implied the game was very much a work in progress; the amount of players (currently it was limited to two), the number of lives, and even the difficulty of the puzzles could all be tweaked before the game is due to release later this year.

The demo concluded with a tease of a boss fight, which, I was told, would be a far greater occurrence than the mind bending freak-out that was the end of PixelJunk Eden. Weak points appeared to be abound on the boss, but I hope the final product involves some creative use of water/lava manipulation.

Q Games thrives on creating an astonishing, in depth experience through uncharacteristically minimal input. Their games are the interactive equivalent of something out of nothing, and typically are just as much fun or all together outshine high budget titles with half the inspiration. The art direction is absorbing, the mechanics are simple, and the depth is, typically, revealed to go further than the initial impression implies. My impression after a 20 minute demo was mind blowing, so I can’t imagine what the full release will feel like when Shooter finally drops later this year. Count me in for another mesmerizing PixelJunk experience.