Described as a “Twentieth-Century Cyberpunk”, Quadrilateral Cowboy is a bizarre combination of hacking, stealth and first-person platforming. Armed with my deck (a portable hacking device), and creator Brendon Chung over my shoulder, I climbed headfirst into the first-person hacking simulation.
To this point most games that have featured hacking have represented it largely as a series of abstracted mini-games. In Quadrilateral Cowboy when you hack you’re greeted with a command prompt and little else – in fact, Chung said he created the in-game OS from scratch. Even though I had watched a few people complete the demo prior, the first time the DOS-like window opened on my screen I felt completely and utterly helpless. At this point Chung leaned in and alerted me that I wanted to type DIR (for directory) to find out what programs were installed on my deck. Amongst the list was a program called Telnet, which Brendon said I might want to open up.
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Tagged as:
blendo games,
brendon chung,
indie megabooth,
pax prime 2012,
Preview,
quadrilateral cowboy
When you’re first dropped into Wizorb it’s apparent that you’re too late. Whatever the mysterious evil was that beeseched the Kingdom of Gorudo, it’s clear that it’s already won. Tarot Village is in pieces, the beleaguered villages stand in front of what used to be their homes and lives, and all they ask for is a little help, and any gold you might be able to spare.
Wizorb is a traditional brick breaker in every sense of the word. Hidden under its clever RPG trappings are the same mechanics and power-ups you’ve seen and used in Arkanoid or Breakout. But, disguised as a fantasy title, the entire experience feels fresh, but still warmly familiar. Stages are littered with doors and switches, unveiling bonus areas and item shops, which are stocked with the usual assortment of brick breaking goods (wider paddles, sticky paddles, the multi-ball).
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Tagged as:
beatshapers,
minis,
paul robertson,
playstation 3,
psn,
psp,
tribute,
wizorb
Living on a diet of prawn crackers and irradiated fruit salads, I did it. It took 21 days, a couple nervous breakdowns and the companionship of a stuffed cat, but I survived.
Lone Survivor is as much a sim as it is a horror title. Beyond the mere task of surviving his environment, the main character – referred to as ‘You’ in the game – is in constant need of maintenance. Every day is punctuated by a play-by-play of his physical and emotional health. When he needs rest, you sleep; when he’s hungry, you eat. Though these solutions may appear obvious, they require a certain level of planning to ensure you can return back to your apartment in short order, or you’re carrying an effective meal. Managing resources isn’t exactly a new concept for survival horror, but these extra layers of depth create a symbiotic connection between you and You.
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Tagged as:
jasper byrne,
lone survivor,
superflat games,
Survival Horror
Like its older episodic siblings, Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is not an RPG you play strictly for its gameplay or story even. While the stories are always interesting, the Penny Arcade games have been mostly memorable for their wit and clever parody of RPG tropes. Though Rain-Slick 3‘s development changed hands from Hothead Games to Zeboyd Games, developers of Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World, it’s still the writing and irreverent humor that carry the experience.
Like Hothead’s previous work, Rain-Slick 3 is what I like to refer to as a diet-JRPG. Other than combat, which there is a lot of, there isn’t a whole lot else to do. Where previous episodes sprinkled in some lite adventure mechanics between prolonged stretches of dungeon crawling, Rain Slick 3 doesn’t have anything to break up the veritable slog of combat – save for story exposition. One dungeon may trade the derelict streets of the iconic Hobo Alley for that of a high-fantasy game, but little is done throughout the entire game to alter the progression loop of fight enemies, proceed down corridor, then fight the next batch of enemies.
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Tagged as:
16-bit,
on the rain-slick precipice of darkness,
penny arcade,
retro,
RPG,
zeboyd games
Trauma comes across as more of an art project than a “traditional” videogame. Through live action cutscenes we learn that the protagonist has been hospitalized after a car accident. Through a series interactive photographs and point and click adventuring, we abstractly learn about her past life, from the death of her parents to her recent work on a college thesis.
Each of the four stages represent a dream rooted in the victim’s reality. Hunting for new areas to click is necessary for finding all the items that eventually make puzzles solvable. Drawing certain shapes – such as a line to turn left or a curve to turn around – leads to new places and creates a sense of discovery. And that’s about it for the gameplay.
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Tagged as:
Trauma
Call of the Ninja is a curious take on the puzzle formula created by Lemmings many moons ago. Like the inept, suicidal creatures of Psygnosis’ iconic puzzler, these hapless ninja will march happily toward their inevitable deaths. That is, without your help.
To save the ninja a specific number (amount is level dependent) of the absentminded assassin must be safely navigated to the dojo. Piranha plants, sentry towers and other nuisances block the way, but the most nefarious obstacle is often the physics-based gameplay itself. To assist the ninja in their travels, “discs” can be placed on the board to grant the ninja who pass through with an ability. The abilities allow the ninja to traverse various obstacles and be, well, more ninja-like.
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Tagged as:
call of the ninja,
lemmings,
Puzzle,
terabit software
Don’t be fooled by the cartoonish characters (complete with catchy theme songs) and beautiful 2D visuals. Awesomenauts is an intense and difficult multiplayer action game that requires teamwork and fast reflexes in order to succeed. When everything gels the game is rewarding. Often than not there are problems – either stemming from the game or poor teammates – that mar the fun.
Awesomenauts features 3 vs. 3 battles and a host of unique characters rounding out the roster. Strong turrets are set up throughout the 2D maps and the goal is to break through them all and eventually destroy the enemy’s base. Each kill is a small victory, since it grants the team points to buy powerups and worsens the enemy’s respawn time. Each death is a mark of shame that hinders the team, although perhaps not immediately.
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Tagged as:
Awesomenauts,
Ronimo
