Deathmoose is a game where you play as a carnivorous moose who is being attacked by a medieval army. And ninjas. You can punch, block, summon boulders from the sky, and eat corpses to restore health. I am not 100% sure what the objective of the game is, as levels seemed to end without any explanation and no goal was ever given. I'm not even sure if I beat the game or died the first time I played it. I had a very hard time finding out who made this game. It appears to have been made for a GameJolt contest, but the page of games that were entered in the contest gives me a 500 Internal Server Error. The only other thing I was able to find was this youtube video, which is from yesterday (probably from someone else who got it from the bundle) and which has only been watched by me and the uploader.
My opinion: Well, while the game itself might be mysterious the gameplay isn't. It's not hard but you will lose eventually since it keeps throwing progressively more enemies at you and all your attacks require you to stand still for an unreasonable amount of time.
Deathmoose is by Aran Koning. You can find it here.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Cycle
Cycle is a game where you need to run around the world 7 times, fighting monsters and ghosts of yourself. Each time you complete a cycle you will spawn a ghost of yourself from the previous cycle. You must beat the ghost around the world, and when you kill it you will heal back to full health. This is easily exploitable by simply not moving at the start of each cycle, and indeed if you wait for the instructions to appear the first time you play the game that's probably what's going to happen (in fact, I think that the game was balanced around the idea that the player would stand still for a while at the start).
My opinion: Cycle is very pretty. The gameplay isn't very deep though. If you actually try racing yourself from the previous cycle instead of exploiting it the game is very nearly impossible, since each cycle has more enemies than the last time so it will take you longer to complete. The dev tried countering this by putting in enemies that make you run backwards some but that only works if you've already dealt with the ghost from last time, otherwise you have to jump over them and continue chasing. The only feasible way to beat this game is to exploit this system and while I think the idea was to make sure to adjust your playstyle while running to let yourself catch up next cycle that's far more complicated than just standing still for a few seconds at the start of each cycle. Other than that the game is reasonably fun, kinda challenging towards the latter levels while not being particularly hard. It's interesting and probably worth a try.
Cycle is by Matt Rix. You can find it here.
My opinion: Cycle is very pretty. The gameplay isn't very deep though. If you actually try racing yourself from the previous cycle instead of exploiting it the game is very nearly impossible, since each cycle has more enemies than the last time so it will take you longer to complete. The dev tried countering this by putting in enemies that make you run backwards some but that only works if you've already dealt with the ghost from last time, otherwise you have to jump over them and continue chasing. The only feasible way to beat this game is to exploit this system and while I think the idea was to make sure to adjust your playstyle while running to let yourself catch up next cycle that's far more complicated than just standing still for a few seconds at the start of each cycle. Other than that the game is reasonably fun, kinda challenging towards the latter levels while not being particularly hard. It's interesting and probably worth a try.
Cycle is by Matt Rix. You can find it here.
CrissCross
CrissCross is a game where you are stuck in a pacman like maze trying to get five keys to open the door to the next level. The game is full of a variety of enemies, who can also pick up keys. If an enemy picks up a key you have to kill that enemy with your gun (or wait for another enemy to kill them) to cause to key to randomly drop somewhere in the level. The sides of the levels loop around, and one of the main dangers is shooting a passageway and having the bullet come out the other side and hit you in the back. As you progress through the levels, more enemies and mechanics are introduced, but the core concepts of the game never change.
My opinion: This is a great game. I found it very hard, but unlike most of the "hard" games like this I've played it was remarkably free of bullshit. There are no sections that you straight up can't do or that are unfairly balanced. In fact, the only piece of bullshit in the game is the enemy spawning. Since enemies spawn randomly it's possible to have them spawn on top of you. This was a problem while I played, but because it was obviously random and given how many empty spaces are in each maze I can only assume I was profoundly unlucky. I was also surprised by how strategic the game got after I played it a while. Choosing which keys to go after became really important, especially when a few additional mechanics were added on after a few levels. One final thing I'd like to add here is that I got noticeably better the more I played. I know this is sorta a "Well duh!" thing to say but in a lot of games like this you really can't claim that. There's either too much bullshit or not enough depth to allow any kind of real growth. CrissCross is a really good game and I highly suggest checking it out.
CrissCross is by Arthur Gould. You can play it here. Arhtur also very nicely responded to my questions about if there was a downloadable version anywhere by putting this up on his website!
My opinion: This is a great game. I found it very hard, but unlike most of the "hard" games like this I've played it was remarkably free of bullshit. There are no sections that you straight up can't do or that are unfairly balanced. In fact, the only piece of bullshit in the game is the enemy spawning. Since enemies spawn randomly it's possible to have them spawn on top of you. This was a problem while I played, but because it was obviously random and given how many empty spaces are in each maze I can only assume I was profoundly unlucky. I was also surprised by how strategic the game got after I played it a while. Choosing which keys to go after became really important, especially when a few additional mechanics were added on after a few levels. One final thing I'd like to add here is that I got noticeably better the more I played. I know this is sorta a "Well duh!" thing to say but in a lot of games like this you really can't claim that. There's either too much bullshit or not enough depth to allow any kind of real growth. CrissCross is a really good game and I highly suggest checking it out.
CrissCross is by Arthur Gould. You can play it here. Arhtur also very nicely responded to my questions about if there was a downloadable version anywhere by putting this up on his website!
Cripple Apocalypse
Cripple Apocalypse is a game where you run down old people in your and eventually you will crash into enough obstacles that your car will break.
My opinion: I said I was gonna do this for all the games in this bundle (that I can get to run) and I will, even the really bad ones. This game isn't really a game though. The sheer speed at which you move if you ever hit the right arrow key makes it impossible to actually see what's happening or aim your vehicle to dodge obstacles or hit old people. Regardless of the poor taste of this game's premise, I was actually hopeful when I saw the picture that appears when you start. The art style looked weird and I liked it. I was hoping for a Rampage like title about causing mindless destruction and while that was kinda what was delivered here it wasn't done well at all. This game could have been pretty good in a creepy and messed up way had it taken advantage of it's artistic style and been more playable, but its lack of a background and any real gameplay force me to say that there's really nothing redeeming about this title.
Cripple Apocalypse is by Bizarre wound. You can find it here.
My opinion: I said I was gonna do this for all the games in this bundle (that I can get to run) and I will, even the really bad ones. This game isn't really a game though. The sheer speed at which you move if you ever hit the right arrow key makes it impossible to actually see what's happening or aim your vehicle to dodge obstacles or hit old people. Regardless of the poor taste of this game's premise, I was actually hopeful when I saw the picture that appears when you start. The art style looked weird and I liked it. I was hoping for a Rampage like title about causing mindless destruction and while that was kinda what was delivered here it wasn't done well at all. This game could have been pretty good in a creepy and messed up way had it taken advantage of it's artistic style and been more playable, but its lack of a background and any real gameplay force me to say that there's really nothing redeeming about this title.
Cripple Apocalypse is by Bizarre wound. You can find it here.
Connect
Connect is a connect the dots game. Each dot on the screen has a number, and when you connect two dots they cancel out each other's number. This means that if you connect a 4 and a 2 you will be left with a 2 and a 0. A dot that is out of numbers cannot be connected to anything. If you want to undo a connection, draw a line through the middle of the connection to sever it. The game has a 60 second time limit since it was designed for a mochimedia (R.I.P.) contest.
My opinion: I really enjoyed the concept for this game. Interestingly I think it's biggest weakness is the time limit, despite the fact that the idea of making a 60 second game was what motivated it's creation. The time limit means that the only way you'll really beat the game is by memorizing the solutions instead of solving them as you go. I think it each puzzle had it's own individual time limit the game would be way better, since you would still have a sense of urgency without the game being constrained the way it is currently. The puzzles are still fun and I'd love to see a larger version of this game made and put on ios and android.
Connect is by Amidos. You can find it here.
My opinion: I really enjoyed the concept for this game. Interestingly I think it's biggest weakness is the time limit, despite the fact that the idea of making a 60 second game was what motivated it's creation. The time limit means that the only way you'll really beat the game is by memorizing the solutions instead of solving them as you go. I think it each puzzle had it's own individual time limit the game would be way better, since you would still have a sense of urgency without the game being constrained the way it is currently. The puzzles are still fun and I'd love to see a larger version of this game made and put on ios and android.
Connect is by Amidos. You can find it here.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
CatShow
CatShow is one of those WTF games you sometimes find. Actual gameplay is somewhere between a VN, Warioware, and a lot of QTEs. The game is made in Gamemaker Lite (at least the version I played was), which means there is an annoying watermark on the upper left hand corner and you get a popup asking you to buy the full version after closing the game.
My opinion: Umm, I don't really have one. The only word to describe the art is shitty and the soundtrack consists of one maybe 20 second loop that's both annoying and slightly disturbing. Gameplay is odd and kinda bad, since it really is all QTEs and microgames with no chance to replay after failing them once. However, all that shittiness (including the annoying watermark and barely readable text) come together in a way that, while it doesn't make any of it any less shitty, makes it amusing to play. Nothing except the soundtrack sticks around long enough to become annoying and the game's attention span is just too short to let any of the awfulness start to stink. I'll have to give this one a recommendation, if only so you'll play it and try to form an opinion yourself.
CatShow is by NoxiousHamster. You can find it here.
My opinion: Umm, I don't really have one. The only word to describe the art is shitty and the soundtrack consists of one maybe 20 second loop that's both annoying and slightly disturbing. Gameplay is odd and kinda bad, since it really is all QTEs and microgames with no chance to replay after failing them once. However, all that shittiness (including the annoying watermark and barely readable text) come together in a way that, while it doesn't make any of it any less shitty, makes it amusing to play. Nothing except the soundtrack sticks around long enough to become annoying and the game's attention span is just too short to let any of the awfulness start to stink. I'll have to give this one a recommendation, if only so you'll play it and try to form an opinion yourself.
CatShow is by NoxiousHamster. You can find it here.
BunniesBackInYourCage
BunniesBackInYourCage is a 2D block based puzzle game where you need to lure the bunnies back into their cage. You do this by constructing a path to the cage with blocks then holding a carrot block to get the bunnies to follow you. The challenge comes from your inability to interact with anything that isn't touching one of the sides of your character. You can also only jump one block high. When you pick up a block you must hold it over your head, which when combined with gravity makes digging tunnels impossible.
My opinion: This game isn't hard, but it's also not as easy as it sounds. Dig wrong and you might find that you won't be able to access enough dirt to complete the path to get access to the carrot, cage, and bunnies. I quite liked it and think that while it isn't particularly original it's loads of fun and all difficulty comes from your own stupidity instead of arbitrary bullshit thrown in by the dev.
BunniesBackInYourCage is by Friedrich Hanisch. It can be found here.
My opinion: This game isn't hard, but it's also not as easy as it sounds. Dig wrong and you might find that you won't be able to access enough dirt to complete the path to get access to the carrot, cage, and bunnies. I quite liked it and think that while it isn't particularly original it's loads of fun and all difficulty comes from your own stupidity instead of arbitrary bullshit thrown in by the dev.
BunniesBackInYourCage is by Friedrich Hanisch. It can be found here.
Blockman gets More
Blockman gets More is Pac-Man with a twist. instead of trying to eat all the pellets in a level you're trying to reach a quota of pellets eaten, but if you move into a space without a pellet for you to eat you die.
My opinion: The concept is both interesting and my worst nightmare. It's as simple as the summary makes it sound and I'm awful at it.
Blockman gets More is by AGameAWeek.com. You can find it here.
My opinion: The concept is both interesting and my worst nightmare. It's as simple as the summary makes it sound and I'm awful at it.
Blockman gets More is by AGameAWeek.com. You can find it here.
Bullet.Collect
Bullet.Collect is a bullet hell game where you have very, very, very limited ammo. However enemies also shoot out ammo alongside their bullets.
My opinion: I am simply awful at bullet hell games, so I can't say if this one is any good as I can't even survive the very first section. The concept interests me, in a sort of "That sounds cool but no way in hell am I touching that with a ten foot pole" kinda way.
Bullet.Collect is by Edit Mode Games. You can find it here.
My opinion: I am simply awful at bullet hell games, so I can't say if this one is any good as I can't even survive the very first section. The concept interests me, in a sort of "That sounds cool but no way in hell am I touching that with a ten foot pole" kinda way.
Bullet.Collect is by Edit Mode Games. You can find it here.
Blockage
Blockage is a game where you play as a snake in a box. As you move towards the exit you leave a trail behind you. In the next room, that trail will still be there, only it will be made of solid blocks and is one of the tools you need to navigate your snake to the next room. You can backtrack to the previous room at any time if you find you need to redo old work.
My opinion: The concept here is pretty cool, but the game itself is very frustrating. The game shows you the layout of the next room so you can plan for that, but what it doesn't show you is the layout of rooms ahead. This means that more than once you'll find out that you need to completely redo 4 or 5 levels because otherwise you're not able to get to the exit. There's no real way to plan for this and there are quite a few puzzles where you essentially have a completely open room with no obstacles where the trail you leave only really matters a few rooms down the line, which is quite frustrating since it's simply not possible to figure those out on the first try short of a lucky guess. The other big issue I have with this game is it's controls. I understand that its hard to make decent controls for a grid based game as seen diagonally, but none of the options are really any good. Using the arrow keys is frustrating because you'll probably go the wrong way plenty of times since your brain has trouble reassigning "up" to "up and to the left". The default keys are E, R, D, and F, which have the benefit of actually being in the right alignment for the game but have the disadvantage of being super cramped and really hard to use (at least on my keyboard). I think I'd love this game if I had the option to try out different key bindings until I found one that worked and if they showed me all the rooms ahead of time so I could plan properly, but without those features the game is too frustrating for me to really recommend.
Blockage is by Gabo Gaete, John Nesky, and Ashley Zeldin. You can play it here.
My opinion: The concept here is pretty cool, but the game itself is very frustrating. The game shows you the layout of the next room so you can plan for that, but what it doesn't show you is the layout of rooms ahead. This means that more than once you'll find out that you need to completely redo 4 or 5 levels because otherwise you're not able to get to the exit. There's no real way to plan for this and there are quite a few puzzles where you essentially have a completely open room with no obstacles where the trail you leave only really matters a few rooms down the line, which is quite frustrating since it's simply not possible to figure those out on the first try short of a lucky guess. The other big issue I have with this game is it's controls. I understand that its hard to make decent controls for a grid based game as seen diagonally, but none of the options are really any good. Using the arrow keys is frustrating because you'll probably go the wrong way plenty of times since your brain has trouble reassigning "up" to "up and to the left". The default keys are E, R, D, and F, which have the benefit of actually being in the right alignment for the game but have the disadvantage of being super cramped and really hard to use (at least on my keyboard). I think I'd love this game if I had the option to try out different key bindings until I found one that worked and if they showed me all the rooms ahead of time so I could plan properly, but without those features the game is too frustrating for me to really recommend.
Blockage is by Gabo Gaete, John Nesky, and Ashley Zeldin. You can play it here.
Rising Angels Reborn
Rising Angels Reborn is a sci-fi visual novel about Natalie Puccile, a Special Investigations and Tactics Officer who has just been given her first real assignment. She must go after a group of researchers who were hunting a relic from a lost empire. This is also a romance story, although it is not a dating simulator. There is only one possible romance and it will play out pretty much the same regardless of which of the five endings you get. Additionally, dialog choices that do not directly result in getting a particular ending have no effect on what ending you receive, although they will change various dialog that happens later in the game. The story isn't branching. Each end will happen as soon as you make the choice that locks it in, although there will be some screens of dialog between the choice and the ending.
My opinion: I liked this VN. I found the romance sweet and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens plot-wise in the sequel. The characters weren't bad (ranging from very good to cheesily predictable), although it was blatantly obvious who the love interest and main villain were around as soon as you were introduced to them. One thing I will say was that there was a strong sub-plot around 3 supporting characters that I still can't say I understand 100%, but I think I know the general gist of it. This game did have a predecessor (and also apparently a few novels the author wrote and has publicly called bad) and when I found out a little about it a lot of things became clearer and I can way with confidence that I understand at least one of the things that happened in the 10 years between the two games. There are still some things that are unexplained but for the most part you can get a general understanding through some dialog lines they drop. However there are some things that people do towards the end that don't make all that much sense without the exact context, which is something I don't think you'll ever get. All in all the game is quite excellent, with better art than some full price VNs I've seen for sale and writing that's not half bad.
Rising Angels Reborn is by IDHAS Studio. You can find it here.
My opinion: I liked this VN. I found the romance sweet and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens plot-wise in the sequel. The characters weren't bad (ranging from very good to cheesily predictable), although it was blatantly obvious who the love interest and main villain were around as soon as you were introduced to them. One thing I will say was that there was a strong sub-plot around 3 supporting characters that I still can't say I understand 100%, but I think I know the general gist of it. This game did have a predecessor (and also apparently a few novels the author wrote and has publicly called bad) and when I found out a little about it a lot of things became clearer and I can way with confidence that I understand at least one of the things that happened in the 10 years between the two games. There are still some things that are unexplained but for the most part you can get a general understanding through some dialog lines they drop. However there are some things that people do towards the end that don't make all that much sense without the exact context, which is something I don't think you'll ever get. All in all the game is quite excellent, with better art than some full price VNs I've seen for sale and writing that's not half bad.
Rising Angels Reborn is by IDHAS Studio. You can find it here.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Kernel Panic!
Kernel Panic! is a RTS built in the Spring engine. It has a ton of different features such as online multiplayer, has quite a few built in missions, multiple different game modes, a built in hero mode where you take control of a unit, and according to the readme it's very gimmicky.
My opinion: I don't play RTS games. The little I've played of Kernel Panic has been very interesting and I'm probably going to keep playing it, but personally I don't think I'm qualified to say much about it. Try it yourself and see if you like it, after all it's free!
Kernel Panic! is primarily by Boirunner and KDR_11K. You can find it here.
My opinion: I don't play RTS games. The little I've played of Kernel Panic has been very interesting and I'm probably going to keep playing it, but personally I don't think I'm qualified to say much about it. Try it yourself and see if you like it, after all it's free!
Kernel Panic! is primarily by Boirunner and KDR_11K. You can find it here.
You Have to Win the Game
You Have to Win the Game is an exploration platformer based on old Commodore 64 era games. You jump from screen to screen, attempting to collect items that will allow you to progress farther in the game and reach 100% completion. The game features no combat, although you are likely to die a lot.
My opinion: This game overall is very fun. It's hard, but fair. That said there is one really, really stupid jump you have to do at one point that involves three different things that all move out of sync with each other. That one always takes forever and really sucks. I love the graphic style though.
You Have to Win the Game is by Pirate Hearts (J. Kyle Pittman). You can find it here.
My opinion: This game overall is very fun. It's hard, but fair. That said there is one really, really stupid jump you have to do at one point that involves three different things that all move out of sync with each other. That one always takes forever and really sucks. I love the graphic style though.
You Have to Win the Game is by Pirate Hearts (J. Kyle Pittman). You can find it here.
Shadow Warrior Classic
Shadow Warrior is a classic FPS made by 3D Realms. You slice, shoot, and detonate your way through levels filled with demons and secrets in your quest to take out the Zilla corporation. This game was released for free a little while back when it got a remastered version (not the awesome reboot that happened last year). Some people may be slightly offended by the sexism and racism present in this game, as well as the puerile sense of humor. Others will find these elements completely hilarious.
My opinion: This is a great shooter. The level design is quite good and the shooting is very tight. The sense of humor is straight up dumb, which leads to it sometimes being charming and sometimes rather offensive. Still, assuming you're not too put off by playing a game whose main character's name is a penis joke you'll probably really enjoy this game.
Shadow Warrior Classic is by 3D Realms. It is available for free on Steam right here.
My opinion: This is a great shooter. The level design is quite good and the shooting is very tight. The sense of humor is straight up dumb, which leads to it sometimes being charming and sometimes rather offensive. Still, assuming you're not too put off by playing a game whose main character's name is a penis joke you'll probably really enjoy this game.
Shadow Warrior Classic is by 3D Realms. It is available for free on Steam right here.
Kingdom of Loathing
Kingdom of Loathing is a mmo-ish comedy RPG. Gameplay is fairly simple turn based combat. There is a limit to the number of actions you can have a day, but they actually use it as a fairly reasonable gameplay mechanic. The game does feature microtransactions, but they are not used in conjunction with the action limit and the game is far from pay to win. Instead you must increase your amount of actions by either getting shit-faced drunk or through other means in-game.
My opinion: KoL is a great way to waste a few minutes of your time each day. I personally find it quite funny, although I could understand why some people might not like it's rather odd sense of humor. I suggest you give it a try.
Kingdom of Loathing is by Asymmetric Publications. You can play it here.
My opinion: KoL is a great way to waste a few minutes of your time each day. I personally find it quite funny, although I could understand why some people might not like it's rather odd sense of humor. I suggest you give it a try.
Kingdom of Loathing is by Asymmetric Publications. You can play it here.
Maldita Castilla
Maldita Castilla is a single player platforming adventure in the style of Ghosts and Goblins. You play as a knight who must fight his way through a cursed land to save his kingdom. You can find different weapons and items throughout your travels, each one changing your attack. Depending on how you do while playing through the game, you can unlock one of four different endings. The game features a great retro style and is based on a Spanish novel about honor and chivalry.
My opinion: I love this game. It might just be because I loved Ghosts and Goblins, but I think this is one of my favorite games I have on my computer, even though it's fairly short (it can be beaten in around 50 minutes). Everything in this game is super high quality and I can't really recommend it enough, especially for the low, low price of free.
Maldita Castilla is by Locomalito. You can find it here.
My opinion: I love this game. It might just be because I loved Ghosts and Goblins, but I think this is one of my favorite games I have on my computer, even though it's fairly short (it can be beaten in around 50 minutes). Everything in this game is super high quality and I can't really recommend it enough, especially for the low, low price of free.
Maldita Castilla is by Locomalito. You can find it here.
Black Ice demo
Black Ice is an FPS in which you attempt to hack as many buildings as possible to find loot. Hacking a building only requires that you step up to it and right click. This will spawn a wall around you that defines the area of combat, leaving the area cancels the hack. While hacking enemies will spawn. They come in three varieties: spider, ranged thing, jumping spider. You must defeat all enemies to complete hacking a building. There is also a battleship guarding the final building that will attack you if you approach. It is the only enemy that will attack you without being provoked. As you hack buildings you'll pick up loot in the form of weapons, hacking devices, and movement upgrades. Because this is a demo, there is a restriction in that you can only level up to level 4, meaning you can't equip much of the loot that you find. Multiplayer is also disabled.
My opinion: Black Ice is fun, but it also got really repetitive really fast. There's a lack of enemy variety and gameplay only consists of hack, fight, loot, repeat. The battleship was interesting until I realized that the AI was dumb and just stood around a corner and shot it down while it kept shooting the wall. That said the game also has serious promise. Shooting is a lot of fun, weapon variety is interesting, and the movement abilities are criminally unnecessary. The game is surely worthy of a few minutes of your time and I've actually purchased the full version and can say that a lot of it's issues are kinda fixed when you're able to get above level 4, although I would still like to see more content.
Black Ice is by Superdupergc. You can find the free demo here.
My opinion: Black Ice is fun, but it also got really repetitive really fast. There's a lack of enemy variety and gameplay only consists of hack, fight, loot, repeat. The battleship was interesting until I realized that the AI was dumb and just stood around a corner and shot it down while it kept shooting the wall. That said the game also has serious promise. Shooting is a lot of fun, weapon variety is interesting, and the movement abilities are criminally unnecessary. The game is surely worthy of a few minutes of your time and I've actually purchased the full version and can say that a lot of it's issues are kinda fixed when you're able to get above level 4, although I would still like to see more content.
Black Ice is by Superdupergc. You can find the free demo here.
Into the Underdusk
Into the Underdusk is a MetroidVania-esque platformer where you move around the world attempting to collect 18 orbs and find out what happened to your lost memories. Gameplay involves jumping through platforming puzzles, finding secrets, and navigating through both the world of the living and the world of the dead. There is no combat of any description, although there are enemies who can kill you.
My opinion: I have mixed feelings about this game. On the one hand it's quite well crafted and when it's good it's fun. On the other hand it's hard, but not necessarily in a good way. Enemies have random attacks, so expect to die a few times because of RNG deciding to screw you over. That in and of itself isn't a bad thing, but when combined with the game's other problems it can take a fun experience and make it very frustrating. The biggest issue I had with this game was with the timing of events. The problem is that the timing is global, and different events are not necessarily in sync. If you die the clock still ticks, so when you come to one of the many Heatman style jumping puzzles you've got to wait for it to cycle through because there is no way of knowing for how much longer the blocks will remain in existence right after you enter a room. That's just a minor annoyance though, the big issue is that in some puzzles (one in particular) there are different events that are happening together that have different timers. The biggest offender is a section where you have to jump past a skull that is floating up and down while 2 fireballs orbit it, both of which are slightly out of sync with one another. This means that there are some times where this puzzle is doable, and sometimes it is nearly completely impossible, and when it gets impossible it takes a long while for the puzzle to become doable again. Other than those issues the game is basically fantastic, minus the slightly unreliable collision detection, and it's definitely worth a bit of your time.
Into the Underdusk is by Almightyzentaco. You can find it here.
My opinion: I have mixed feelings about this game. On the one hand it's quite well crafted and when it's good it's fun. On the other hand it's hard, but not necessarily in a good way. Enemies have random attacks, so expect to die a few times because of RNG deciding to screw you over. That in and of itself isn't a bad thing, but when combined with the game's other problems it can take a fun experience and make it very frustrating. The biggest issue I had with this game was with the timing of events. The problem is that the timing is global, and different events are not necessarily in sync. If you die the clock still ticks, so when you come to one of the many Heatman style jumping puzzles you've got to wait for it to cycle through because there is no way of knowing for how much longer the blocks will remain in existence right after you enter a room. That's just a minor annoyance though, the big issue is that in some puzzles (one in particular) there are different events that are happening together that have different timers. The biggest offender is a section where you have to jump past a skull that is floating up and down while 2 fireballs orbit it, both of which are slightly out of sync with one another. This means that there are some times where this puzzle is doable, and sometimes it is nearly completely impossible, and when it gets impossible it takes a long while for the puzzle to become doable again. Other than those issues the game is basically fantastic, minus the slightly unreliable collision detection, and it's definitely worth a bit of your time.
Into the Underdusk is by Almightyzentaco. You can find it here.
Xaxi
Xaxi (translated as "learning", I think) is a first person exploration simulator designed to teach the fictional language Traumae. It is also an experiment on if the 'memory palace' technique can be translated to a virtual 3D environment. The environment features no interaction that I can find, and control is limited to wandering around and a jump button that appears to be useless.
My opinion: I have no idea if Xaxi is an effective teaching aid for Traumae or not. Without knowing it's intended purpose it's just confusing and even after learning what on earth it was designed for I've had immense trouble actually finding out anything about Traumae itself. Assuming you're interested in learning Traumae and can find some resources about it this game could be very interesting.
Xaxi is by Orihaus. You can get it here. Traumae was created by Devine Lu Linvega (I think). You can find out more about it here.
My opinion: I have no idea if Xaxi is an effective teaching aid for Traumae or not. Without knowing it's intended purpose it's just confusing and even after learning what on earth it was designed for I've had immense trouble actually finding out anything about Traumae itself. Assuming you're interested in learning Traumae and can find some resources about it this game could be very interesting.
Xaxi is by Orihaus. You can get it here. Traumae was created by Devine Lu Linvega (I think). You can find out more about it here.
Daggerfall
Daggerfall is an open world first person adventure RPG and the second game in the Elder Scrolls series. You adventure through a world that contains over 15000 locations of interest for the player to explore. The world is built out of a combination of pre-designed and randomly generated terrain, and some people have claimed that it is the largest overworld ever to be featured in a single player game, although some claim that due to the randomly generated nature of much of the terrain it shouldn't count. You can generate your own spells at the mages guild, a feature that is absent in future games in the series. Depending on your interactions with various factions in the world, your reputation in the game world will change, altering how different factions react to you. Combat is all in real time and features a mix of melee and magic powers. The game is very old and therefor only runs on DOS, however Bethesda kindly includes very specific instructions on how to install an emulator and get the game running. For those of you who don't want to go through the bother of installing an emulator, DaggerXL is a mod being developed to make Daggerfall run natively on modern machines. As of right now DaggerXL is not feature complete, although the site does claim that it is 98% of the way to being a playable alpha.
My opinion: Daggerfall is fantastic, just like all the other games in the Elder Scrolls series. The games amazing size and scope are both it's greatest virtue and it's greatest weakness. You will never run out of things to do in Daggerfall, but you will also probably find that most of what you're doing is fairly repetitive. Large portions of the game look nearly identical due to the way the game is generated, and while there are over 750,000 NPCs the amount of actually unique NPCs is far, far less. I enjoyed playing it though, and I think it's pretty cool that one of the largest games ever is being given out for free.
Daggerfall is by Bethesda. You can get it here. DaggerXL is a mod created by the XL Engine team. You can get it here.
My opinion: Daggerfall is fantastic, just like all the other games in the Elder Scrolls series. The games amazing size and scope are both it's greatest virtue and it's greatest weakness. You will never run out of things to do in Daggerfall, but you will also probably find that most of what you're doing is fairly repetitive. Large portions of the game look nearly identical due to the way the game is generated, and while there are over 750,000 NPCs the amount of actually unique NPCs is far, far less. I enjoyed playing it though, and I think it's pretty cool that one of the largest games ever is being given out for free.
Daggerfall is by Bethesda. You can get it here. DaggerXL is a mod created by the XL Engine team. You can get it here.
Zork
Zork is the text based adventure game. In it and it's sequels you explore the underground kingdom of Zork, attempting to solve mysteries and find secrets. The only way you can interact with your environment is by typing in commands, of which there are many. The game itself is rather short, but actually figuring out how to beat it and collect all the secrets can take a very long time.
My opinion: It's Zork. It's the defining game of it's genre and it's free. Everyone should at least try it.
Zork is by Infocom. You can find it here.
My opinion: It's Zork. It's the defining game of it's genre and it's free. Everyone should at least try it.
Zork is by Infocom. You can find it here.
NetHack
NetHack is a critically acclaimed Rougelike that fully deserves that title. In NetHack you explore a procedurally generated dungeon attempting to survive, collect loot, and find secrets. The game is turn-based in that every time you do something everything else gets to take an action as well, in the style of the original Rouge or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. The game features perma-death, so every time you die the dungeon is remade and you start all over again. You also get to customize your character by choosing between a variety of races, classes, and obviously m/f. The game has pretty good depth, but it's all very well documented on the website. Documentation can be found here. It should also be noted that the game can be rather difficult and you will probably die quite a bit.
My opinion: I love Rougelikes and Rougelites, and NetHack is a very good Rougelike. It's got essentially infinite replayability and more depth than you're likely to find in any other game in this genre out today. The only issue I think more current fans of Rouge-inspired games would have is ironically enough the turn based aspect of it, despite that being how the genre originally started. However nowadays the way most people know games like this are as Procedural Death Labyrinths with a focus on precise movement and kiting over in depth RPG-style combat. So, while this game might be completely perfect for long time fans of the genre I'm not sure how it would go over with people who prefer the direction more modern games like this have taken.
NetHack is by Stiching Matematisch Centrum and M. Stephenson. You can find it here.
My opinion: I love Rougelikes and Rougelites, and NetHack is a very good Rougelike. It's got essentially infinite replayability and more depth than you're likely to find in any other game in this genre out today. The only issue I think more current fans of Rouge-inspired games would have is ironically enough the turn based aspect of it, despite that being how the genre originally started. However nowadays the way most people know games like this are as Procedural Death Labyrinths with a focus on precise movement and kiting over in depth RPG-style combat. So, while this game might be completely perfect for long time fans of the genre I'm not sure how it would go over with people who prefer the direction more modern games like this have taken.
NetHack is by Stiching Matematisch Centrum and M. Stephenson. You can find it here.
Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is a drunken dwarf starvation simulator and is infamous for having what is quite possibly the highest learning curve in any videogame ever. Gameplay consists of two separate but connected parts, the first being attempting to found and maintain a functional dwarf colony and the second being to venture out and explore. You cannot win Dwarf fortress, so don't even bother trying. Your colony will die out, the goal is just to see how long you can maintain them and seeing what silly misadventures they will have along the way. I cannot even begin to describe all the different mechanics in this game, so instead I'll just describe some of the things that can happen. If a dwarf loses all their arms, you can train them to hold weapons in their teeth. A minotaur can beat you to death with a sock (although that takes a while). Your craftsdwarf can get in a mood and create a diamond and lama wool encrusted toilet seat. You can trap and train dragons and use them to fight of invading elf and goblin armies. Essentially, this game has the silliest level of depth of any game you've probably ever played and everything you can possibly imagine doing is possible, as well as many things you probably couldn't imagine.
My opinion: I still suck at this game, but I imagine most people do. You've probably heard of it before, either from someone who's actually managed to play it or because of the fact that it helped inspire Minecraft. The very depth that makes it so great is also it's biggest issue, as learning what on earth you're supposed to be doing is so difficult that people have written books about it. Still, I can't think of any other game that is more worth getting into than this one.
Dwarf Fortress is by Bay 12 Games. You can find it here. I strongly recommend finding a tutorial before you start playing.
My opinion: I still suck at this game, but I imagine most people do. You've probably heard of it before, either from someone who's actually managed to play it or because of the fact that it helped inspire Minecraft. The very depth that makes it so great is also it's biggest issue, as learning what on earth you're supposed to be doing is so difficult that people have written books about it. Still, I can't think of any other game that is more worth getting into than this one.
Dwarf Fortress is by Bay 12 Games. You can find it here. I strongly recommend finding a tutorial before you start playing.
Iji
Iji is a platformer shooter made by Daniel Remar of Ludosity games (makers of Ittle Dew and Card City Nights). You shoot/platform throughout the game, attempting to deal with an alien invasion. The game features multiple endings you can achieve by playing in different manners, as well as in game character interactions changing depending on your actions in game. The game features surprisingly interactive environment, allowing you to do things such as shoot out lights to hurt enemies below with the shower of glass. As you level up you can put points in different skills while at charging stations, but since you're only allowed to level up a certain amount of times each level you can't max out every skill. Your skills not only determine your stats but also what weapons you can use, with one skill even allowing you to combine weapons together to make whole new weapons.
My opinion: I love Iji, just like most things that come out of the people at Ludosity. I always love it when games make pacifism a legitimate way of progression, and Iji is probably the closest a platforming game will ever get to Deus Ex. While Daniel Remar has repeatedly stated that he's none to happy with the script I found it to be better than scripts in plenty of games I've paid money for. I also enjoyed the actual gameplay more than I expected. The first time I used the environment to take out an enemy without facing them directly was tons of fun. Iji is somewhat short, but it has very good replay value and is probably one of the best free indie games you can find.
Iji is by Daniel Remar. You can find it here.
My opinion: I love Iji, just like most things that come out of the people at Ludosity. I always love it when games make pacifism a legitimate way of progression, and Iji is probably the closest a platforming game will ever get to Deus Ex. While Daniel Remar has repeatedly stated that he's none to happy with the script I found it to be better than scripts in plenty of games I've paid money for. I also enjoyed the actual gameplay more than I expected. The first time I used the environment to take out an enemy without facing them directly was tons of fun. Iji is somewhat short, but it has very good replay value and is probably one of the best free indie games you can find.
Iji is by Daniel Remar. You can find it here.
Bite Me
Bite Me is a silly game. You are a hero about to be eaten by a giant. You need to convince him not to eat you. All the options of things you can say are silly, and all of the responses are sillier.
My opinion: This one was loads of fun. There's no way of knowing what the giant's response would be to anything you say, so while there really isn't any way you can to know what the best thing to say is, all the options are equally likely to produce funny results. I managed to say literally everything I could before I finally got eaten. I fully recommend this game, it's great.
Bite Me is by McNostril, Seventy Sevian, and Technobeanie. It is available here.
My opinion: This one was loads of fun. There's no way of knowing what the giant's response would be to anything you say, so while there really isn't any way you can to know what the best thing to say is, all the options are equally likely to produce funny results. I managed to say literally everything I could before I finally got eaten. I fully recommend this game, it's great.
Bite Me is by McNostril, Seventy Sevian, and Technobeanie. It is available here.
Betasuppe
Betasuppe is a very short text based adventure game with some simple graphics. You give instructions to a little blue guy named Colin. If you've ever played a text based adventure game before you should already know the kinds of commands you can give. If you haven't the readme explains them to you. I advise trying all the different commands out on every object. There are some funny responses.
My opinion: I really liked this game. It was very short, but it had some funny dialog and reminded me playing around with silly commands in Zork. It's worth the 5-10 minutes of your time it will take you to finish it.
Betasuppe is by Kamjau. You can find it here.
My opinion: I really liked this game. It was very short, but it had some funny dialog and reminded me playing around with silly commands in Zork. It's worth the 5-10 minutes of your time it will take you to finish it.
Betasuppe is by Kamjau. You can find it here.
Battletrack
Battletrack is a 2D combat racer. You drive around a series of 4 tracks trying to both win the race and take out the other cars. You have a gun, but it's only activated after the first lap and has a limit of 180 shots that never get replenished throughout the entire race. You start out in 8th place, which puts you around half a track behind, at least in the first race. You have a health bar that is divided into 2 sections; when the first section runs out you you slow down and spill oil that causes all cars the drive over it to skid, and when the second section runs out you get a game over. The game suffers from rather serious framerate issues that seem to clear up around halfway through a race.
My opinion: Aside from the crippling framerate issues this game is hard. I was unable to even complete the first race, although I imagine I'd have been able to if I hadn't spent the first half of the race crashing into things because I couldn't stop focusing on the FPS issues. The controls are also kinda inaccurate and the gun does very little damage. I think that game is too difficult for the small amount of depth provided. There's no real reward for actually trying to master it and no real way to get better aside from repeatedly losing until you get the hand of the awkward controls.
Battletrack is by Robbert Prins. You can find it here.
My opinion: Aside from the crippling framerate issues this game is hard. I was unable to even complete the first race, although I imagine I'd have been able to if I hadn't spent the first half of the race crashing into things because I couldn't stop focusing on the FPS issues. The controls are also kinda inaccurate and the gun does very little damage. I think that game is too difficult for the small amount of depth provided. There's no real reward for actually trying to master it and no real way to get better aside from repeatedly losing until you get the hand of the awkward controls.
Battletrack is by Robbert Prins. You can find it here.
Akasa
Akasa is a spaceship game in the style of Xevious. You fly along a path using lasers and bombs to destroy enemies in the air and on the ground respectively. The goal of the game is to destroy the nuclear warheads at the end of each level. To accomplish this you must destroy the power cubes in each level to weaken the warhead's shield wall. Akasa is slightly different from other games like it in that you can turn around and you have limited ammo for your primary weapon. The game features an online leaderboard, which is still being maintained by the dev even though the last update to the game was in 2007.
My opinion: Akasa is a pretty good game for it's genre, although I am terrible at it. I think some people who like games like this may be turned off by how to move backwards you actually have to turn around, since the turning animation isn't instant so you can't immediately move backwards if you need to. It does have a cool mechanic where you can detonate bombs by firing your laser, which is quite fun to do. The graphics are a little outdated, but that's forgivable seeing as this is a freeware game from around 2005. The font for the menus is awful though.
Akasa is by David De Candia and is open source. You can find it here. Also, the rest of this guy's website is kinda interesting in a weird tech/zen sorta way.
My opinion: Akasa is a pretty good game for it's genre, although I am terrible at it. I think some people who like games like this may be turned off by how to move backwards you actually have to turn around, since the turning animation isn't instant so you can't immediately move backwards if you need to. It does have a cool mechanic where you can detonate bombs by firing your laser, which is quite fun to do. The graphics are a little outdated, but that's forgivable seeing as this is a freeware game from around 2005. The font for the menus is awful though.
Akasa is by David De Candia and is open source. You can find it here. Also, the rest of this guy's website is kinda interesting in a weird tech/zen sorta way.
Ahriman's Treasure
Ahriman's Treasure is a Helicopter style game based on the concepts of "magic carpet" and "treasure". Gameplay involve flying around avoiding traps and collecting treasure. You can also attack flying enemies with a sword.
My opinion: Honestly not much to say about this one. I'm kinda burnt out on these sorts of games after that flood of Flappy Bird clones. The only real opinions I had were that the one music track was pretty good and that the sword's range seemed uncomfortably short. It's not bad though.
Ahriman's Treasure was made by Nik for Indie Speed Run 2013. You can download it here.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
*** Abomination ***
Abomination is a platformer where you play as a monster that just wants it's teddy bear. It's quite similar to Super Meat Boy in how the levels are designed, but it's also very original. Running has momentum and hitting a wall too hard will cause you to be knocked back and stunned for a little while. Your jump is more of a lunge, covering more horizontal distance than it does vertical. You are also able to climb on walls and ceilings. In order to make full use of these mechanics the game has a variety of wall types and powerups that change how you interact with environment. The game features a save system, but has no level select feature, so if you want to play a specific level you either have to save on that level or get back there after starting from level 1. The soundtrack consists of one track, fittingly called "loop" in the game files. The track is in OGG format.
My opinion: This game is actually pretty good. If the dev added in more levels, spruced it up some, and added more than one piece of background music I could definitely see myself paying money for it. The only issues I really have with it are that some of the animations for changing what surface you're hanging on are really slow and the one song gets pretty tiresome after a while (fortunately there's an option to mute it). Everything else is done quite well. You should give it a shot, I'm sure you've all probably payed actual money for worse games.
Abomination is by William James Dyce, the soundtrack is by Henrik Roslund. William Dyce has deleted his website, but he also posted the game here.
My opinion: This game is actually pretty good. If the dev added in more levels, spruced it up some, and added more than one piece of background music I could definitely see myself paying money for it. The only issues I really have with it are that some of the animations for changing what surface you're hanging on are really slow and the one song gets pretty tiresome after a while (fortunately there's an option to mute it). Everything else is done quite well. You should give it a shot, I'm sure you've all probably payed actual money for worse games.
Abomination is by William James Dyce, the soundtrack is by Henrik Roslund. William Dyce has deleted his website, but he also posted the game here.
A Tale About Life, Death, and a Looser
A Tale About Life, Death, and a Looser is a browser game about the many possible ways the life of one man could go. It starts with your birth, and then you are given a series of situations that you can choose to either escape from or continue with. Eventually, you die. Most of the situations are pretty pathetic, but escaping and trying to run away normally only puts you in and even more pathetic situation and speeds up your death. A Tale About Life, Death, and a Looser was made in a single day.
My opinion: The game has me slightly interested, since I want to see how many different lives its possible to live and if there's one that doesn't suck (turns out the guy who made this didn't have time to include the good one). So far I haven't found any. Still, even with that chance the game is still kinda boring, since gameplay consists of mashing C to get through each scenario and to the choice, where you hit either Escape or C. The game also seems to lack many different branching paths, since doing anything but hitting C will normally just end up with you being a bum on the couch and dying of multiple improbably illnesses.
A Tale About Life, Death, and a Looser was made by Deepnight. It can be played here.
My opinion: The game has me slightly interested, since I want to see how many different lives its possible to live and if there's one that doesn't suck (turns out the guy who made this didn't have time to include the good one). So far I haven't found any. Still, even with that chance the game is still kinda boring, since gameplay consists of mashing C to get through each scenario and to the choice, where you hit either Escape or C. The game also seems to lack many different branching paths, since doing anything but hitting C will normally just end up with you being a bum on the couch and dying of multiple improbably illnesses.
A Tale About Life, Death, and a Looser was made by Deepnight. It can be played here.
*** Abandoned ***
Abandoned is a MetroidVania like game where you play as some weird thing that hatches out of an egg and flies around a maze like map before it dies from lack of oxygen. As you explore the dark and creepy landscape you unlock a variety of powers that you can use to break differently colored blocks. As far as I've played the game features no combat and no failure state aside from the timer running out. You can extend the time by picking up O2 tanks. The game can be saved by pressing X at save blocks, but only one save file can exist at a time. The game starts with a save file already loaded in that has everything unlocked, but this will be deleted the first time you save your game. The game also features a very nice creepy soundtrack with tracks for each different environment type, all of which are stored in MP3 format. One thing I learned about the soundtrack is that tracks do not loop if you stay in one area to the completion of a song, although fortunately I don't think that will ever happen to someone in game and the track restarts as soon as you enter the next room.
My opinion: Abandoned is a real honest to goodness videogame, and it's pretty decent. My biggest complaint would be the timer, although I think it's one of the better timers I've encountered in a game since it gives a sense of urgency while still being fairly forgiving with the O2 tanks. I only have 2 other problems with the game, the first being that the map is an upgrade and the second being that it can be hard to know exactly where you're supposed to be headed at any time, since you're never really given any goal. These are both problematic since as a MetroidVania game you're backtracking a lot, but neither of them were really all that bad since I only got lost a few times and never for very long.
Abandoned is an actual game and probably a good way to kill an hour or two if you're bored. The soundtrack isn't bad either.
Abandoned was made by JaJ (Joep Aben) and the soundtrack is by Rachael Please. You can download it here.
My opinion: Abandoned is a real honest to goodness videogame, and it's pretty decent. My biggest complaint would be the timer, although I think it's one of the better timers I've encountered in a game since it gives a sense of urgency while still being fairly forgiving with the O2 tanks. I only have 2 other problems with the game, the first being that the map is an upgrade and the second being that it can be hard to know exactly where you're supposed to be headed at any time, since you're never really given any goal. These are both problematic since as a MetroidVania game you're backtracking a lot, but neither of them were really all that bad since I only got lost a few times and never for very long.
Abandoned is an actual game and probably a good way to kill an hour or two if you're bored. The soundtrack isn't bad either.
Abandoned was made by JaJ (Joep Aben) and the soundtrack is by Rachael Please. You can download it here.
A Lonely Moon
A lonely moon is a simple platfomer built in the unity engine. You can move left to right, jump, and do a dash that speeds you through the air. Your dash takes directional input, but the game never tells you that, despite you needing to know that to beat the game. Dashing while pressing up makes most of the jumps in this game easier. As far as I can tell the game only has one level, which is short and contains nothing more challenging than some rising lava and falling blocks.
My opinion: I didn't really have fun with this game. There was no real challenge and jumping felt a bit off. However the game was made in 48 hours, so I'm not sure how much can be expected.
A Lonely Moon was made by Tyrus Peace. It and more games made by Tyrus can be found here.
My opinion: I didn't really have fun with this game. There was no real challenge and jumping felt a bit off. However the game was made in 48 hours, so I'm not sure how much can be expected.
A Lonely Moon was made by Tyrus Peace. It and more games made by Tyrus can be found here.
45 Guys 1 Brain
45 guys is a simple little game where you control 45 little guys and you have to guide them to the end of a level that's filled with traps. Your goal is to get as many out alive as possible, the challenge being that you're using the arrow keys to control them all at once, kinda like in The Swapper. The mechanic isn't really ever explored in any sort of depth since there are only 4 levels, all of which are pretty much the same. Because of this, the game was very, very short.
My opinion: It felt to me like a gimmick based puzzle game with no puzzles. The concept was interesting but the sheer size of the horde made it difficult to do anything with any kind of finesse since it was impossible not to split the clones up and controlling one group was likely to kill a few clones in another group. Still, it was fairly easy to complete and short enough that the gimmick remained novel until the end.
45 Guys 1 Brain was made by Gib. Gib's homepage no longer exists, but the game can still be played here.
My opinion: It felt to me like a gimmick based puzzle game with no puzzles. The concept was interesting but the sheer size of the horde made it difficult to do anything with any kind of finesse since it was impossible not to split the clones up and controlling one group was likely to kill a few clones in another group. Still, it was fairly easy to complete and short enough that the gimmick remained novel until the end.
45 Guys 1 Brain was made by Gib. Gib's homepage no longer exists, but the game can still be played here.
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