Orange, from Ceramic Shooter: Electronic Poem and Composition Piece developer Theta Games, is kind of like Ed Logg’s Asteroids, if instead of clearing away hunks of space rock you were being set upon by the Blob. That said, it controls more like Robotron — or indeed Echoes. The game also supports mouse aiming, which is probably the way to go.
The storyline sets you, essentially, in the Vietnam War. The amorphous mass that threatens to smother the player’s ship is supposed to be analogous to the jungle, and the player’s shots analogous to agent orange. The game is set to a tranquil soundtrack, though at times becomes tense as the screen chokes up with obstacles.
(July 21st, 2010 @ 4:38pm)
Courtesy of the mysterious Tipp and the same game jam that brought us Whale of Noise, we have this bonkers party game.
Pigeon Racing might best be described as multiplayer NiGHTS by way of Cactus. It’s an aerial racer supporting up to four players. Player one uses the arrow keys; player two claims WASD; player three, IJKL; and player four is on the keypad with 5123. For any of the players, left and right spin the entire screen; up flies; and down, well, defecates. The game supports computer rivals, and allows the player to set laps before playing. Hit the rings to propel yourself forward and get a score bonus.
The most remarkable element here is the presentation. The game looks and sounds like an assembly demo from the mid-1990s. Even if you’re prepared, it takes a few minutes to adjust to the screen’s motion. Once you have found your gyroscope the controls are responsive and fluid. It’s just a bit of a mental overload.
(July 21st, 2010 @ 4:36pm)
You probably know Kloonigames from Crayon Physics. So hey, here’s a pseudo-sequel called Cut It. As with the original Crayon Physics, and indeed most of Petri Purho’s games, Cut It is brief, simple, a bit tenuous-feeling. It’s more a rough idea of a game than a complete and polished project. Then again, that’s the idea behind Kloonigames.
At least once a month, Purho makes a new game. Every game takes seven days to make. He’s been doing this for a while now, and has built up a large and varied back catalog. The point isn’t polish; it’s to throw new ideas at the wall and see what patterns they make. Sometimes, as with Crayon Physics or Sticky Notes Shooter, they’re remarkably inventive. Other times, as with The Truth About Game Development or Grammar Nazi, it’s more chin-stroke fare.
Rough as it may be, Cut It fits in the first category.
(July 15th, 2010 @ 12:03am)
Probability 0 designer Alexander “Droqen” Martin has developed a new puzzle platformer for Newgrounds. Fishbane is a little like Miles Drummond’s Jigsaw, except weirder, tougher, and stricter.
You play as… I guess a diver guy, throwing harpoons at walls and collecting incidental goldfish. At the end of every level is a golden harpoon; snag it to move on. The main mechanic involves the harpoon; lodged in a wall, you can use it to clamber up and over surfaces. If you run and jump on the harpoon in mid-air, you can ride it like a broom. The levels will introduce gizmos and complications, but these are the basics.
(July 15th, 2010 @ 12:02am)
Jason Rohrer, of all unlikely yet worthy candidates, has been making a few recent motions to the mainstream, with a DSiWare anthology of his early art-narrative games and a hugely successful pay-what-you-want sale for Sleep is Death.
A couple of months ago the Latin America-based Sabarasa Inc. announced, alongside the aforementioned anthology, a DSiWare port of Rohrer’s iPhone puzzle game, Primrose. That port has now materialized.
The game is a bit like a single-player Go or Othello, in that it involves surrounding tiles with tiles of an alternative color. The developer describes Primrose as a relaxing, free-form experience.
(July 15th, 2010 @ 12:00am)
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