WiiWare, Nintendo's online service that allows gamers to download new titles straight to the console, has, alongside its retro-based equivalent, the Virtual Console, not only proved extraordinarily popular but has also become a breeding ground for simple, yet innovative, games. A perfect example is Chronos Twins DX, an exceedingly enjoyable if peculiar action-puzzler that offers the chance to manipulate time.
Our hero, Nec, is blessed with the ability to exist within parallel realms; one in the future, the other in the past. Charged with saving his planet, Nec must team up with his pan-temporal self to overcome numerous enemies and intricate puzzles.
Chronos Twin DX's hook is that you must control both of Nec's manifestations simultaneously on a split screen which shows both time zones. Thanks to some well-implemented controls, this impossible-sounding device works and the result is a beautifully minimal game that delivers inspired abstract conundrums and a healthy dose of shooting action.
The original Chronos Twin started life as a cancelled GameBoy Advance title; thanks to WiiWare, it's been revised and refreshed and shouldn't be missed.