Posted by Derek Yu
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:19:00 GMT
Quoth Alex May:
Zombie Cow just released their sequel to Ben There, Dan That!, [called]
Time Gentlemen, Please!. The original was a charming, hilarious, and distinctly British point-and-clicker that paid homage to the classic Lucasarts point-and-click adventure games. The sequel does much the same, carrying on directly from where the previous game left off. This time the graphics have been created in a higher resolution and there are swoony particle effects and stuff, and I’m told there is a full musical score and nearly three times as many sound effects. There are all manner of cunning chronological conundrums and hilarious historical hijinx, and I just made that alliteration up! Not bad!
Alex notes that what he’s played so far seems to be just as funny and even more professional than the original. The full version of the game can be had for a mere $5.
Posted in Adventure, Windows | Tags ZombieCow | 14 comments
Posted by Paul Eres
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:39:00 GMT
Enter the Story: Les Miserables: The Game of the Book by Chris Tolworthy is an adventure game adaption of the book by the same name. It’s quite different from the book though: you play Peri’s ghost and have to “suggest” things to people still living by clicking on them and then on something else. Through solely this mechanic of suggestion from the afterlife, you solve puzzles and progress through the game.
The game has very nice silhoutte-style graphics, which remind me of the art in Chris Crawford’s old game Balance of the Planet, but that’s the only comparable style I can think of; it’s pretty unique.
One bit of trivia that I love is that this game was made by a Georgist, and all profits from the game go into researching a way to end global poverty. This is also the first in a series of games: the next is, coincidentally, The Divine Comedy.
It’s $14.99, and the demo seems to only have the sewers, which is a shame because it’s confusing to navigate and because doesn’t get to the really good parts of the game.
Posted in Unique / Bizarre, Adventure | Tags ChrisTolworthy | 21 comments
Posted by Xander
Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:11:00 GMT
After a failed start this monday, the IGF 2009 winning Blueberry Garden has finally been released by Erik Svendäng. This is notable especially because I can’t recall the last time a grand prize winner was released in the same year that it actually won the prize! I kid of course, and truthfully it’s interesting for something like this to have earnt such a prestigious award as unlike previous titles such as Aquaria or Crayon Physics it’s pretty hard to talk about. You play the bird-man pictured above and simply explore the world however you desire in an attempt to partly play around with the world and experiment with it, and partly to figure out if there is some sort of conclusion. As play begins you are given an image of a tap flowing water, and from there on your task is to do what you will with that information.
It plays similarly to a platformer however you have the ability to pick up and eat different kind of fruits which bestow extra abilities, such as an air bubble around the protagonist. You can also fly, which takes away some of the usual expectations of a platformer clearly. You can’t fly straight upwards though, only on roughly a 180 degree angle with a little leeway on either side. Similarly to Takahashi’s ‘Noby Noby Boy’ its hard not to suggest to people to buy because of the incredibly cheap price point of $5, and whilst it’s hard to really tell people specifically what there is to do in the game there’s certainly a lot to enjoy here. The atmosphere is great and the music is a complete joy, as well as the sheer surreal juxtapositioning of a minimalistic terrain crossed with wonderfully vibrant vegetation and the occasional gigantic block of swiss cheese.
There’s a demo on Steam at the moment, which I hear mixed reports on whether it actually works or not, so at the very least you should play it to see whether you find it interesting or not. Ultimately though at just $5, no bad can come of that purchase, and if its really your curiosity that’s pursuaded you to play the game then that’s exactly the kind of mindset the game desires of you. It’s a game that fully deserves the recognition it received at GDC, and it truly deserves just as much today.
Posted in Adventure, Windows, Swedes, Abstract | Tags ErikSvendang | 38 comments
Posted by Xander
Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:24:00 GMT
Little Wheel is a delicate point and click adventure where you play the role of a robot who is jolted alive by a bolt of lightning and tasked with finding out how to revive the rest of his robot civilisation. It seems perfectly pitched as a coffee break style game, with the relaxed atmosphere and jazz music along with the cool visual style and smooth gameplay. There are no ‘hidden pixel’ puzzles, most interactive elements are highlighted and usually it’s simply a case of just hitting the correct buttons in the correct order.
It’s an experience which is all too brief, but as I said there’s something quite amicable about its brevity. Everything about it just seems so delicately formed, even the protagonist who goes through a suprising amount of physical stress despite the short ride. It’s a wonderfully relaxing little game, so if you’re having a rough day at all now’s the time to put your feet up, get a mug of your favourite brew and of course, save the world.
(Source: Indiegames.com)
Posted in Browser Games, Adventure, Freeware | 19 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:28:00 GMT
Reality-On-The-Norm is a long-running episodic series of adventure games started by members of the Adventure Game Studio (AGS) community. Conceptualized in 2000, the first official game, Lunchtime of the Damned, was released in early 2001 by none other than Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, the creator of the Chzo Mythos and Zero Punctuation. The latest game, Edge of Reality, was released in January 2009. In total, there are an impressive 82 games and over 100 characters listed on the website!
The best part is that anyone and everyone may contribute a game to RON, so long as you don’t violate the community’s rules, such as killing off other people’s characters or revealing the bum’s true identity. The RON website has various resources, including an extensive character line-up, to help you get started. Playing the games is probably the best way to start, however.
(Source: Andy Hull, via TIGForums)
TIGdb: Entry for Lunchtime of the Damned
Posted in Highly Recommended, Adventure, Community, Windows, Developers | Tags Yahtzee | 8 comments
Posted by Xander
Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:35:00 GMT
Runner is a freeware game released today, made by three Destructoid Staff Members. Ashley Davis and Johnathan Holmes created the artwork, whilst overall design and programming was handled by Anthony Burch, who as I’ve mentioned before is a major supporter of the Indie Games scene and provided a lot of coverage during GDC.
Runner is a short game, roughly the length of Judith which we’ve covered previously. The controls are simple (Arrows move. Space jumps. The classics.), though it’s suprisingly challenging given the distractions that appear to impede your progress. Also like Judith it’s certainly more balanced towards thematic concerns and aesthetics than gameplay. That said anyone who was annoyed by the lack of ‘interactivity’ in Judith will be a little more satisfied with this as challenge, and indeed failure, are present. Again though, saying anything further is in danger of spoiling things. So play, think. and we’ll discuss in the comments/extended!
(Minor Edit: It apparently takes a little while to load, incase it looks like it’s either frozen or isn’t loading.)
Posted in Games and Art?, Adventure, Windows, Freeware | 26 comments
Posted by Xander
Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:25:00 GMT
Scarygirl finally went live today, and any of you who were once swooned by Eternity’s Child originally and were cruelly mistreated by the final product have nothing to fear here. It’s very good. But how good?
I could start with the way the platforming and adventure game elements work fantastically well together. I could tell you that Toy Cat is simply the coolest animal partner ever. I could explain how the game from the very onset with the lovingly crafted opening video is a visual feast which should turn the heads of any man or woman in this entire industry. I could describe the wonderfully minimalist dialogue trees, where the speech is played out through sketches which animatedly convey your next task. I could simply state how the jump button works more than 33% of the time. I could exclaim that by same manner of miracle this is free to play in any flash enabled browers. I could mention there are a number of sweet retromazing console games to play on the fly as collectibles. I could suggest that signing up in-game with your email address is a good idea as it’ll allow you to save and continue your game wherever you reached last.
I suppose, I could say that it should be annoying that the game has to load each section of the game individually as you reach them. But it isn’t. I could posit that the game would run smoother if there was a downloadable version available, which it might, but human eyes probably wouldn’t be able to perceive any more beauty in each and every frame without detonating. Instead, I know what I will say, which I never expected to come out of my rational mind.
I enjoyed playing an obligatory water level.
(Viva Indiegames.com!)
Posted in Platformers, Unique / Bizarre, Highly Recommended, Browser Games, Adventure, Windows | 48 comments
Posted by Xander
Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:28:00 GMT
Why yes, Increpare is at it again. Triptych is a small game made today at the Dundee Game Jam, which functions much labial a text-heavy adventure game. Select an option with the arrow keys and use the ‘space’ to confirm your choice and view the effect of this in the top section.
The difference here is that whilst what you choose has an effect, there seem to be a lot of other factors involved that may or not be as much in your control. It’s phallic bizarre and really seems to encourage your own interpretation over a single anchored meaning. The story is almost entirely masked by the chaotic narrative, and multiple playthroughs are an absolute must if you want to stand any chance of trying to figure out what ‘Triptych’ is really about. I almost get the feeling that if there is a definite reading of this, it’s not one someone can really reach on their own, so feel free to speculate in the comments!
(Thanks to the ever observant Indiegames!)
Posted in Unique / Bizarre, Macintosh, Adventure, Windows, Abstract | Tags increpare | 26 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:09:00 GMT
Malstrums Mansion is a free, browser-based adventure game from ACE Team, the creators of the upcoming first-person brawler Zeno Clash. Visually, it looks like an old Macintosh game, and the various macabre backdrops are gorgeously rendered in black and white. Not too surprising, considering that Zeno Clash was an IGF Finalist for Visual Art this year.
The game, which is inspired by Shadowgate, is suitably spooky, and even though it doesn’t quite live up to the NES classic, it’s still quite cool. (A save feature would have been welcome, though.)
TIGdb: Entry for Malstrums Mansion
Posted in Browser Games, Adventure | Tags ACETeam | 28 comments
Posted by Xander
Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:20:00 GMT
Okay, probably not what you were expecting to see, but hear me out.
Brass Restoration is a Visual Novel by Japanese based Twincle Drop and translated by Yandere Translations. Unlike a lot of Visual Novels however this was released as a free game, so the translation installer actually includes the full game in its entirety.
The story surrounds a young musician who suffers a cruel accident that robs him of his arm. This leaves you making the occasional choice which slowly affect his life after the accident. Will he be able to mend the connection he had with music now that he can’t create as he used to, or will he instead forge new relationships as a result?
You’ve already left haven’t you? Bugger…
Well if you are still reading, here’s why you should care.
Read more...
Posted in Nerd Love, Adventure, Casual, Windows, Freeware | 42 comments
