Almost.

She can blink all she wants. I still can’t see any spark of life in those eyes. There might be air being sucked in or blown out through those parted lips, but it’s not a sign that she’s breathing.

I check to see if the soundtrack has gone silent, like it usually does before an attack. Putting the earphones on, I take the chance to peek behind me, see where the other ones are. The undead always travels in flocks, like sheep.

Silence, and then a wave of relief as the next song starts to play. It’s a pop song, neutral and harmless, letting me know the next level is loading. The iPod was just in the middle of switching songs.

I lean against the doors of the train, and take two big slugs of coffee. The beeps of the song match my heart containers being replenished perfectly.

By the time I get to my station, I can already make out the stars in the sky. Traffic on the drive home from the station, and as usual someone’s AI is glitching. An NPC tried to make the light but got stuck in the middle of the left turn, blocking the road, keeping the rest of us from advancing.

It’s never fun spending the day at a 9-5 (often 9-6 or 7), but you can’t level up or take care of your clan without gold mining a bit. Normally, I’d be looking forward to going home to my wife, but she’s out of town. I hate it when my princess is in another castle.

Inspired by a random thought and a love of 2D vertical scrolling shoot-em-ups, the beta is a test of the game control scheme.

Edit:
The full Version 1 will be released in early 2010. More detailed write up to follow.

Play the absOrb beta.