Playing Every Game in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
PEGBRJE: ‘MONUMENTAL FAILURE’ and ‘A e r o c r a f t’
The Imagination Wins.
MONUMENTAL FAILURE is a physics building simulator by Scary Wizard Games, an indie duo in of Canada. Players will warp back to different ancient periods to discover how the brilliant minds of the past built the iconic structures of their time. With a little creative liberty, of course.
The goal of the game is to complete each round by placing the piece given in its correct location, or at least getting it as close as possible within the time limit. Blocks are moved by using the characters to push, drag or direct the blocks while fighting against the ridiculous physics. Once the block is as close to the designated location as the player can muster (or time runs out) a score is given out of ten. Scoring takes in to account the orientation and position of the block.
Even getting the block in the wrong direction can give decent points as long as it is in the right place. The important part is that if the player ends the round early, it takes a ‘snapshot’ of the block’s location, meaning it can be suspended in air or at strange angles to eek out any points possible. The round then ends, and the next is started until all the rounds are completed and a rank is given.
Those playing alone will have all the characters to control at their disposal. Multiplayer means fighting not only the physics but against the friends (or strangers) that are also present. The only difference is that in co-operative, blame can be thrown between the players. Multiplayer is an all out ‘brawl’ to see who can get the most points. It is a local split-screen in this case, meaning that there is even less landscape for players to work with — but as they say, some work better when they cannot see.
MONUMENTAL FAILURE is the kind of wacky game that allows you to go all out with just how nonsensical it is, much like Surgeon Simulator. The goal is to be as correct as possible, but we all know that it won’t happen no matter how hard we try. It’s best to just give it as much effort as possible and see what strange works of art will come about because of it.
If you love games that are designed around ‘being in control’ while being very much not in your control, then this is a fantastic game for you and your friends. Perfect for parties or wanting to prove that the Pyramids really did get built by skydiving aliens.
A e r o c r a f t is a relaxing flight simulator created by rackover, a solo indie developer based in France. Players will be thrust in to a low-rez world as a paper airplane-looking glider to simply… soar.
Using the arrow keys or any other configuration of directional movement, players can glide through the skies of a never-ending landscape. That’s it, really. There are no objectives and no goals. Only gliding through the air at leisure. Even the ground is not solid enough to stop the glider. Players can venture under it to see more of the same emptiness if they so desire.
This might be the shortest overview ever, but that is kind of the point of Aerocraft. It’s a game of imagination, a toy to create your own ideas. Think back to when you had a stick as a kid, and suddenly it became a weapon of mass destruction, a chef’s stirring stick, or even just a super powered stick. Imagination can carry the simplest of things far if you are invested and willing to put your mind in to that headspace. If that’s something you have been wanting, or just want a relaxing landscape to put in the background, this game can fulfill both.
Note: The only way I could find to leave the game was by alt-tabbing out and closing it from there. Just like imagination, sometimes you can’t leave in a conventional way, I guess.
