Very cool video games: 3/10-3/17
I record every game I play and I post them weekly. Here are links to week one and week two.
What I’m doing here was once just sloppily saved in e-mails to myself. Posting this publicly has helped me flesh out thoughts and organize more carefully, better accomplishing the goal of creating a memory well for digging up in the future. The most important desire for me, however, is providing exposure for these games.
Game recommendation websites and such are essential in this saturated field of indie games. I don’t think there’s such a thing as too many curators because a systematic way of digging through the sea of interactive experiences is helpful. My favourite sources tend to have a personal slant to them, divulging their preferences and experiences, making them more “human”. I’ll be doing more of that, not only for adding a bit of colour, but again, to jog my future self’s memory of these!
Free games
CUBEISM by sutopat
All you can do in this game is rotate a cube and look at it. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had with videogames in my entire life, and I hope it is for you, too.
Fish Upon a Star by Sayuri Fujimoto & Princess
This is a very cute hide-and-seek game. Essentially, it’s a simple find-your-baby quest without any anagonists. This is great for self-care because you can take your time and the progression a wholly positive experience. Heck, it’s even great if you’re already feeling happy, because it will only enhance your day! I encourage everyone to take time everyday to treat yourself.
Jelly Mario Bros. by Stefan Hedman.
Super Mario Bros. with jelly physics.
What the Golf? (Prototype) by Triband
I’m a sucker for golf that isn’t Golf. I love mini-golf, and I love golf games that don’t adhere to traditional Golf. So this is a really silly golf game that uses the idea of golf to create what are essentially golf mini-games. Pictured above is my favourite section of the prototype, a mix of Superhot and golf.
I’ve actually been wanting to make a Warioware-like “golf” game that also takes the ball-goes-in-hole basis of golf for awhile now, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. The goal is learn how to make games and re-imagine golf in as many iterations as possible, but… I’ve just been lazy and resistant to learning coding/programming. But now I’m beginning to gain more interest in it again because of this golf game!
I’m really glad someone else is doing this pluralistic approach because I think there should be as many interpretations of golf as possible. Desert Golfing is listed below, and another favourite is Cheap Golf. I love the idea of disintegrating the idea that golf is reserved for the wealthy and upper-middle class. It’s for everyone!
Exit84 by probe_31
A platformer with movement dependent on typing! Above, you’d type “ARD” to move to the platform it sits on, but there are green bullets shooting from the cannon on the right so you’ve got to type yourself to the next spot quickly. The concept is wonderful and the style is brilliant, but I found it too demanding for my taste. The difficulty curve is extremely high, and since I’m an average-speed typer, I ended up just needing to memorize the inputs. It is NOT a typing tutor. Since it’s free, I would still highly recommend it, even if you cannot pass more than a couple screens.
stale by Snapman
It wasn’t until stale when I realized that “horror” is less of a genre and more of an adjective to describe the tone of a game, even though there have been well-known examples of that out there for ages! My first thoughs always go to titles with murderguns and/or hiding from unsexy beasties because that seems to be the majority of what is seen in our cultural landscape. It follows that videogames would inherit tropes from cinema, resulting in the bulk involving on-foot action with or without combat instead of taking advantage of what exists exclusively within the interactive territory.
The strongest I felt about stale was attempting to figure out the mechanics of this game because flailing about in the unknown is an integral experience for horror. The realization of its actual genre surprised me deeply and might have turned me away if I knew this bit beforehand. Of course, it would be a shame if I revealed this information to you, so I recommend you dive in without any expectations.
Now, back to imaging what a Warioware-like horror game could be…
Kill the Superweapon Demo by Tales of the Renegade Sector
Twin-stick shooter with the gimmick being the area’s boss being unleashed when the red meter at the bottom fills up, and they chase you around every screen. It’s a scary concept, though the boss in this demo isn’t frightening, just kinda quirky. It’s a pretty cool game with neat style, though there’s no feedback when your character is damaged, which is unfortunate. I included the above screenshot because I think these chubby guys that run after your character are cute.
PiAwk (Demo) by HiWarp
So adorable! This puzzle-platformer is so lovely and beautiful in motion. I’ve been following its status for quite awhile now, but decided to actually try it today since it’s just beautiful outside. My favourite aspect is pressing down to take a nap. Yes, you can take a nap anytime, for as long as you like.
Regulation Pool by J. Kyle Pittman
“Regulation Pool is the world’s most authentic billiards simulator.” It took me four tries to win, but the first three tries were punishing.
Little World by leafo
“leafo” is Leaf Corcoran, who founded itch.io. Little World is a Bitsy-like, in that you move around and talk to other objects/characters. This isn’t grid-based, though, and includes a kind of physics system, but it’s not much different than a Bitsy game. Quite lovely.
Mobile Games
Desert Golfing by Blinkbat Games
This is, in my opinion, a perfect game. You can hit the ball in the cup in as many strokes as you would like without pentaly. The physics are consistent and pleasing. There are virtually unlimited courses, and you can pick up and drop the game at any point and not lose any sense of where you’re at. This is my regular entertainment for when I go big potty, and I usually choose it over everything else 17 out of 19 times. I’ve waffled about golf near the top of this page, and Desert Golfing is the impetus for realizing how much I love the sport in its non-elitist forms! I’m also a big fan of bouncing balls (in both senses).
Vignettes by Skeleton Business
Yes, this game is well-known, and if you aren’t familar with it, well, it’s about cute things that make sounds and shift into other things and you are tickled internally and I love you.
Circle Affinity by Kenny Sun
One of my favourite Video Games of all time is Circa Infinity, which is a puzzle-platformer with overwhelming visuals and some of the best music ever made for a videogame. Circle Affinity is the action-only sibling, and it’s pretty damn good on its own. However, I just can’t deal with virtual buttons, so I recommend the PC version (comes free with Circa Infinity) instead.
YANKAI’S TRIANGLE by Kenny Sun
I was skeptical about this game since it couldn’t be as good as Circa Infinity (both by Kenny Sun), but it’s just not really comparable. I’m starting to enjoy it more and more, and the visual effects & music are incredible, of course.
Paid game
Eldritch by David Pittman/Minor Key Games
I’ll be blunt: the thought of boxing low-poly giant penguins and humanoids is a turn-on for me. Unfortunately, death in Eldritch is quite swift for both parties, so there’s not much of a fight to be had. Plus, bloodshed occurs, and I’m not a fan of that.
Agonophilia aside, I adore Eldritch. Admittedly, the first four or five times I played this, I was anxious just as much as horror games usually make me feel. You start off as a three-hits-and-you’re dead explorer, so stealth is the best (and scariest) way to proceed! Combined with the sighs and other idle sounds from the bad boys, I felt completely unsettled. I stopped playing it for awhile and only returned after playing through a few actual horror games.
I eventually completed the game after 18 attempts (spread out over the course of a year), though not with confidence! The one and only victory was filled with productive anxiety, aware of every step I took, slowly pushing towards the exit with the best tools I could find. Upon the ending screen, I felt considerably lighter.
I’m currently working on The Mountains of Madness bonus mission that was created for the people that thought the base game was a breeze. I’m struggling, but at least I can spar some penguins while I’m at it.
However, the Asylum, overrun with monsters of all varities… that will never not be scary. ):
Bonus
Different Damage by Q and not U
This is music. Q and not U is dead, but not after three spectacular full-length albums. Different Damage, created in 2002, offers a more experimental and textural approach to punk. Though the entirety of the album is phenomenal, the opener “Soft Pyramids” feels like their best work out of everything they’ve created. I treated myself by listening to this CD a few days back and couldn’t help my desire to share it.
LOL (lots of love)
daniel
