There's a bit of gold buried in the mostly forgettable indie games ghetto of the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Ancient Trader, an indie already released for the PC, crept onto Xbox Live with little fanfare last Sunday. The turn-based strategy game puts players in charge of a tall-ship and sets them to seas thick with monsters. Players must explore the world, find ports to buy and sell goods and earn gold to upgrade their ship for battle.
Combat is simple, but unpredictable enough that encounters with enemy ships and mythical beasts remain interesting.
Ancient Trader is worth the $3 price of admission for its art alone. The game, utilizing a style borrowed from centuries-old maps, is more handsome than any other game you'll find in the Xbox Live indie category.
A tip of the hat to strategy enthusiast Tom Chick for bringing this lovely game to my attention.
Image courtesy Fourkidsgames
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