Looking for an old-school platformer to pass the weekend? One measly dollar will get you this fine new platformer from the Xbox Live Indie channel.

With nothing particularly striking my fancy on Xbox Live Arcade in the last couple of weeks, I dove into the recent indie releases and was surprised to find an excellent little platforming game that released earlier this week. Inspired by early 8 and 16-bit platformers, Akane the Kunoichi tells the story of a female ninja and her quest to save the man she loves. That's beside the point, of course, which is that Akane has relatively tight controls, bright and pretty graphics, and a nice solid 15 stages of platforming goodness to explore. Over the course of the game, Akane utilizes wall jumping, dagger throwing, and ninja magic to bring down her foes and navigate the increasingly challenging levels. 

If you're looking for a fun distraction in the days leading up to E3, give it a try. The game is available now on the Xbox Live Indie service for only $1. If you're still unsure, check out the trailer below. Or head straight over to Microsoft and make the purchase.