Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 14 Aug 2007 08:51:00 GMT
I love games that put you in control of unlikely protagonists. Games are so perfect for that. Take Death Worm, for instance. In no other medium could you so effectively capture what it’s like to be a giant sand worm!
Petri Purho, best known for his great, “under a week” experimental games like Crayon Physics, has made a game that puts you in the shoes (er, dirt?) of a giant rolling boulder trap, ala Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the game you are charged with defending two golden idols from the hoards of filthy archaeologists trying to defile them.
But they’ll run from you. Oh, how they’ll run. These are some of the fastest fucking archaeologists I’ve ever seen. Screw gold idols… these guys could be winning gold medals. (Zing!)
Fortunately, you can do one thing that the original rolling boulder couldn’t – namely, jump. This will let you get to the upper parts of the temple, which is still not an easy task, due to how small and unwieldy the platforms are at the higher levels. In fact, getting to the platform in the upper right corner can be downright infuriating!
But man, is it fun to slam a group of brownhats and send them flying and screaming. Ragdoll physics for the win! This is a highly inventive and entertaining game.
And, of course, here’s the obligatory video of someone completely and utterly destroying the game.
Posted in Platformers, Unique / Bizarre, Highly Recommended, Windows, Physics, Freeware | Tags PetriPurho | 19 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:16:00 GMT
A bit slow on the uptake with this one, but Kloonigames (aka Petri Purho) has released a wonderful game: Crayon Physics. Hot on the heels of Joakim Sandberg’s drawing shmup, Chalk, Crayon Physics lets you draw physical objects to help a little red ball collect stars.
Think Armadillo Run with drawing, and you kinda got it. Crayon Physics is must more simple, though, which is something that works to the game’s credit, I think. The idea is great, and it’s so well put together… it’s really like magic how easily the game pulls you in from the opening tutorial level.
The only problems with this game are a) the ugly black font on the title screen, and b) the lack of levels (only seven at the time of writing). But good news! A level editor is on its way (possibly). Go, Petri, go!
Posted in Unique / Bizarre, Highly Recommended, Windows, Physics | Tags PetriPurho | 11 comments
Posted by ithamore
Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:12:00 GMT
On a whim
On a whim, I browsed through the recent games at the Experimental
Gameplay Project in search of a decent entry that was mostly complete in concept, gameplay, and execution. After a trying few disappointing quasi-games, I gave Petri
Purho’s Pluto Strikes Back a go and found it rather accessible but a bit irritating at times. Luckily, a recently updated version was posted on his blog, which made the game a more pleasant experience.
In it, the Plutans are quite miffed over the dwarf planet
demotion their home world has received. With vengeance pumping through their veins, they
power up the meteor magnet and wield their cosmic bat to reek their wrath upon
the solar system.
Even with its gravity/magnetism mechanics, Pluto SB played much like an old
fashioned baseball themed pinball game in a penny arcade, which made the
background music very fitting. I wish there was a way to control the strength of
the meteor magnet. It was too strong at times, and being able to manipulate it
would enable some interesting slingshoting.
Petri Purho plans to release a new game each month, and his next work will be out
tomorrow. Since each game he has released has been better than those
before, I’m looking forward to it. The style of his artwork alone has piqued my
curiosity, but I’m still hoping for something with a bit more gameplay than his past
attempts.
Now, if only the EGP and its developers would learn from Purho’s experience and
realize that, just like good graphics, a unique concept alone doesn’t make a
game fun. I’m truly thankful for all the quirky development they share and encourage, but I’m starting to get disappointed with the increasing number of “toys” they’re releasing.
Posted in Browser Games, Casual, Windows, Action / Arcade | Tags PetriPurho | 8 comments
