CarneyVale stands above the crowd with its colorful art/aesthetic, addict gameplay, & level-design tool set. Wow!
In CarneyVale: Showtime, you play as a ragdoll (yes, you read that right) named Slinky who's dreaming of being the best circus act ever. In the game, you control arm-reaching mechanisms which grab Slinky and wing him through the air as you climb higher and higher to ultimately fly through the ring of fire at the top of the level. Your play is then graded from 1-5 stars depending on accomplishing certain feats along the way, like popping a certain number of balloons, finding and catching a (sometimes well-hidden) star, meeting a time limit, etc. As you progress through the levels, each one presents higher levels of difficulty. What may be the most innovative thing about the game is that, since Slinky is a ragdoll, you are really in control of the level more than Slinky himself - reminiscent of pinball (where Slinky is the ball and you control the environment or levers to reach the goal). It's a great re-innovation and it works itself to perfection here.
Aside from the innovative and addictive gameplay, what really strikes you from the outset is the high level of polish on the art design. From the outset, you're offered a full-course meal of wonderfully detailed, cartoon-inspired but artistically finished, visual array of the high-top. Gorgeous colorful skylines, circus atmosphere, and even Slinky's circus trailer are all rendered as if Tim Burton was doing the art - but was breathing in some of the helium from all the balloons Slinky's popping, or was on acid. The color palette glows and the producers even award your feats by revealing concept-art as you go along - concept art that's really really interesting and worth viewing.
On top of that, CarneyVale includes a tool-set to design your own levels for play, as well as the ability to play those created by other circus freaks of xbox live. All of which goes to ensure that not only will you enjoy your time at the big-top, but the show will go on even when Slinky reaches stardom.
Bottom Line: You will be hard-pressed to find another indie-game on xbox live that offers so much gameplay, artistic polish, or replayability as CarneyVale Showtime. If 400 MS points (about $5) is any indicator of the high level of production and value here - let me just close in noting that it would be hard to find a better value on xbox live, on indie-games, arcade, or anything else. Do yourself a favor and pick it up!