©2007 Brian Vigue
Indingo is a simple beast who loves simple games. This product of his inexplicable imagination involves collecting bottles of water in a small room— but it's not ordinary water, mind you. Indingo hired a fairy to transform some of the water into rainbow elixir. Indingo likes rainbow elixir because it "tastes like magic markers."
The object of the game is to collect lots of rainbow elixir, the fresher the better. Indingo will have ninety seconds to do this. Freshly squeezed elixir is worth big points, while the warm and stagnant stuff isn't as appealing. Indingo thinks of a number for each level and writes it backward on his forehead for safe keeping. Help him amass enough "freshness points" to satisfy his quota, and he'll welcome you to the next challenge.
But there's a catch: Indingo can't tell rainbow elixir from plain old water because the differences are undetectable to human and dragon eyes. Thus, it's best to collect as many bottles as possible, then have Indingo taste-test them after the stage is complete. Yes, you might wonder where the skill factor is in collecting random bottles then having them evaluated afterward. Like I said, Indingo is a simple beast. Humor him for a bit.
To satisfy his need for playing fields, Indingo borrowed some not-so-abandoned Skullduggery dungeons. The forces of darkness took exception to this and wish to rid their hideouts of the nuisance— probably in the most horrible ways possible. Lord Critikul and his many multi-talented henchmen are persistent, and there are no power pellets to strike fear in their black hearts. Be careful!
Those are the basics of Indingo's "On-The-Fly." This game, however, is a lot more than basic. It combines overhead and first-person points-of-view with memorizing and head-to-head action— only your opponent is yourself! You must overcome challenges that you design in a unique, multitasking objective.
You see, unbeknownst to Indingo, there is no rainbow elixir ready for him to collect because his fairy friend keeps showing up late for the game. Therefore, you must help the fairy create rainbow elixir "on-the-fly" as Indingo picks up the bottles. The challenge lies in creating a sensible pattern for Indingo to pick up the bottles, then remembering this course so that the fairy can stay one step ahead. Normal rainbow elixir is worth 10 points, but if the fairy can cast his magic the moment Indingo picks up the bottles, 100 points or more can be gained per bottle. In the later levels, knowing Indingo's every move is crucial.
Some helpful tips:
- Beginners should collect the bottles in straight lines rather than clusters. This gives the fairy a better idea where Indingo is going.
- Indingo is on a time limit, but don't let that rush you. Camping out helps the fairy better prepare for a long string of fresh elixir-making. The stage does not have to be cleared of every bottle for you to advance.
- There are times when Indingo can get cornered, or you feel confindent that Indingo has collected enough bottles for the stage. Hit the Escape key to end the stage early. Indingo, however, will think that you don't like his game and will increase the quota for that level.
- Pay attention to the fairy's monster radar, (the icons of the monsters' faces), which shows you where they are located. The blue Indingo icon will grow in size as he gets closer to the fairy. If he comes up from behind, a warning beep will sound.
- To turn, hold down a turn key until the fairy turns approximately 90 degrees. Tapping the turn keys makes the fairy indecisive.
- The fairy makes pivotal turns when stationary but makes wide turns on the move— that's the best way to control the fairy so that Indingo doesn't catch him. Anticipate the direction you want to turn one step ahead of time. Driving takes practice, but expert players will be able to maneuver around blocks and run zigzags fluidly.
- If the fairy rainbowizes all the water before Indingo picks up the bottles, a message appears giving you a forecast of what your score will be. Instead of waiting for Indingo to finish the level, you can fast-forward to the verdict. However, if the forecast shows that you hadn't gained enough points for the quota, you're better off letting Indingo catch you. This way, you only lose one life instead of facing a game over.
There are 16 challenging levels leading up to the finale. If you can't make it that far on three lives, you can continue for a point penalty. In game+ mode, the levels continue with a "twist".