Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams

Overview

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a 2D platformer that is the third entry in the Giana Sisters series. The game was created by Black Forest Game which is made up of key members from the Giana Sisters DS development team from the now bankrupted Spellbound Entertainment. Twisted Dreams was funded through Kickstarter and was released for the PC on October 23, 2012. PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, and Wii U eShop ports followed afterwards. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 version are set to release in December of 2014 these version will include all of the original game's content along with the previously PC-exclusive Rise of the Owlverlord and Halloween Level expansion packs.

Story

Giana's sister, Maria, has been kidnapped by a dragon, which has come to be the series' main antagonist. She follows her into the Dream World where she's able to transform between "good"/"cute" and "bad"/"punk" versions of herself. The environment, playstyle and enemies all directly reflect the opposite version of what form Giana current is in. When playing as "cute" Giana she's only able to jump and swirl along long trenches, as with "punk" Giana she's able to hurl herself as a fireball into enemies that are susceptible to defeat. This "twist" mechanic is one of the core fundaments throughout the entire game.

Enemies

Giana is able to take out enemies several ways. The regular jump on top of them works in both forms, but it doesn't take them out entirely. Giana's "punk" mode allows her to fireball herself into enemies, taking them out for the duration of the level or until she perishes and sent back to the previous checkpoint. Some enemies are however armored and require a different approach all together. Spiked enemies are invulnerable and must be avoided, while some presents themselves in a different form based on what version Giana is playing as.

Extras

Found under the "Extras" in the game's main menu, additional levels and content updates can be accessed. These are automatically updated for users that have the game on Steam and GoG, as well as backers versions of the game. So far Black Forest Games have provided owners of the game with two content updates in form of new levels.

Halloween special: On 30th October 2012, a free Halloween themed level was introduced. It is a rehash of one of the existing levels, Enchanted Mountain Path, but adds various Halloween themed objects to the game, along with naturally alot more ghosts to boot. Giana also has a pumpkin mask on her head covering her entire face.

Christmas special: Early December 2012 a free Christmas themed level was added. It features snow-covered environments with several holiday-themed objects where Giana can meet and fight off Santa-Owls. The maximum number of gems possible to acquire here is 750. Additionally, it features lava and snow. Snow can be freely walked upon, whereas lava will hurt Giana.

PC System Requirements

Minimum

• OS: Windows XP
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.8 GHz / AMD Athlon II X2 @ 2.8 GHz
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Hard Disk Space: 3.3 GB
• Video Card: SM3.0 DX9.0c level hardware (Nvidia GeForce 6800, ATI X1800 XT or higher)
• DirectX®: 9
• Additional: Keyboard

Recommended

• OS: Windows Vista / Windows 7
• Processor: Intel Core i5 @ 2.66 GHz / AMD Phenom II X4 @ 3.0 GHz (or any Dual Core CPU)
• Memory: 3 GB RAM
• Hard Disk Space: 3.3 GB
• Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 280, ATI HD 4800 or higher
• DirectX®: 10
• Additional: XInput compatible controller