The fourth game from Radiangames, Fluid is one of the best (and most unique so far). All three of the previous Radiangames have been related to shooting in some form, but Fluid is more akin to Pac-Man, and is even categorized as a "racing" game on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Fluid is a difficult game to categorize; it is very unique, and retains the inherent quality present in every Radiangame to this point.
Gameplay in Fluid consists of collecting all of the glowing yellow orbs in each level. Each yellow orb that is collected spawns an enemy, so it becomes important to plot out the path before enacting it (so as to prevent yourself from being cornered). Some levels alter the gameplay, with time limits and no enemies and power-ups (such as a slow-moving, but destructive, expansion power-up, and a black hole). The game is 30 stages long, decent length for $1.00 (or 80 Microsoft points), and manages to be fairly innovative from level to level due to these differing mechanics.
The thing about Fluid's gameplay is that it isn't initially interesting. Upon downloading the trial and playing through it, I wasn't incredibly intrigued by the concept. I still got the game (full disclosure: I won it in a Twitter contest, but I still would have bought it due to the Radiangames label), but I wasn't ecstatic to jump into the game. After playing several levels, though, I was hooked. This game's real appeal comes after getting through the easier, more tutorial-like levels. Due to a rating system (up to five stars per level), Fluid is very replayable. The replayability is also aided by several unlockable levels, which can be played after gaining a rating of three or more stars on every other stage. I'm not typically interested in replaying stages, but I jumped back into level one after finishing all thirty levels.
Fluid's graphical style is fantastic. This really complements both the title (as Fluid has a very smooth look) and the gameplay, which requires quick, smooth movements. The main menu is particularly well-designed; it places the player in the menu, where they can move over each stage to select it, or the options/help. Like the rest of the game, this is seamless, and implements fantastically into the overall style of the game. The only thing that I didn't like about the graphics were the pause menus, which felt very amateurish in nature compared to the rest of the menus. It's difficult to explain why, but the combination of the font style and images for buttons makes it not nearly as interesting as the rest of the game.
Akin to the other Radiangames, Fluid has a great soundtrack. The soundtrack really does complement the style of the entire game, with much more ambience than fast-paced music. It sets the tone for the game, combined with the smooth visuals and precise gameplay.
This all comes together to create a very polished feel for the game. It's rare to find a game that manages to combine all of its aspects into something as entertaining as Fluid. Every part of the game is implemented well into the gameplay, and without a single part this game wouldn't feel as complete. One of the best Radiangames to be released, Fluid is an absolute must-buy, and at 80 Microsoft points, it's a steal.