Outland draws ideas from Prince of Persia, Ikaruga and Limbo. While these are undoubtedly interesting sources, the real question is whether they can be combined into one compelling experience.

Outland is a platform game from the people behind the acclaimed Super Stardust HD, this much is obvious from the bright stylised visuals and fast smooth gameplay. But more interesting than the developer's history are the other influences they have drawn for this new downloadable title.

Outland combines the simple two dimensional platforming of the original Prince of Persia with an aesthetic that reminds me a lot of Limbo. The same silhouetted characters and dark brooding landscapes give the game an other worldly feel. There's even a Limbo-esque oversized spider to contend with.

As well as platforming though, Outland also draws on shooting gameplay from another classic game, Ikaruga. Like there, pressing a button shifts your character between blue and red energy alignments, so that you can harmlessly absorb projectiles of a matching colour.

This is rounded off by a co-operative story mode and challenge rooms that will keep most players entertained for a good few hours. With a lot of this sort of innovation falling to the iPhone and iPad gaming platforms these days it's good to see XBLA and PSN still attracting this sort of title.

Outland is released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on 27th April in the UK and 26th April in the US.