Two things the indie gaming community thrives on are experimentation and nostalgia. Some developers push their concepts so far the resulting experience is unlike anything we've ever seen. It may be fun, it may be frustrating, but we love it for the boundless innovation. Other developers take classic concepts and reinvent them for the modern player, resurrecting proven gaming mechanics for everyone to enjoy once again. The selection of games below illustrates both concepts quite well, with a few games blending both nostalgia and experimentation in equal parts. Gotta love indie game creators!

Harmony (Windows, 41.7MB, free) - A great retro-styled first person shooter made by Thomas van der Velden using the ZDoom game engine. Arm yourself with weapons to take out enemies as you work your way through almost a dozen massive areas, collecting passkeys and slowly opening more rooms to explore. Secrets are everywhere in this game, so keep your eyes peeled for anything that looks out of place. You'll also want to visit the options menu to config the controls to your liking. Eight years in the making (wow), the game is packed with original graphics, music, and level designs. Monsters were even molded from clay figures! An impressive accomplishment that's especially awesome for us gamers who grew up with the likes of Doom and Duke Nukem!

Featherweight (Windows, 15MB, free) - Another bite-sized release from adventure game creator Ben Chandler. You play as Thadd, a scout for a rebel group fighting against not-so-nice robots. One of your fellow non-robots has been captured by the machines, and he sets out to rescue her. The game is set up like most adventure games with a point and click interface, and any shortcomings in the puzzles or story are minimized because the game is so short. It's an excellent way to get a casual taste of adventuring without settling in for a marathon gaming session. Also check out some of Ben's other adventure games: Awakener, Heed, and Annie Android.

Dungeon (Windows, 3.5MB, free) (direct download) - A tough, minimalist platform game created by indie stars cactus and Mr. Podunkian. Run through the green dungeon, avoiding spikes, enemies, and falling into that flowing pool of lava (who keeps lava in their castle, anyway?). A story is pieced together at the top of the screen as you move through each area. Be ready to die multiple times in this game, but fortunately you respawn only a few screens back, so frustration never really kicks in.

Devil's Tuning Fork (Windows, 42.9MB, free) - Created by a group of DePaul University students, Devil's Tuning Fork is an experimental design that plays on your sense of visual space and sound. Trapped in an illusory world, you play a child who mysteriously falls into a coma. Other children have suffered the same fate, and as you wander around the pitch black world you must collect stuffed animals to help set them free. Using a tuning fork, you can emit sound waves to temporarily see your surroundings. Different kinds of sound waves can be used to see different things, all shown with a gorgeous water-like flowing motion. The controls are a little sticky, and sometimes it gets annoying being immersed in a completely dark space, but the atmosphere of intrigue is intense and you'll be compelled to see the game through.

Note: All games have been confirmed to run under Windows Vista and are virus-free. Mac users should try Boot Camp, Parallels, or CrossOver Games to play Windows titles, Linux users can use Wine. If you know of a great game we should feature, use the Submit link above to send it in!

Casual games have invaded our lives! They steal our time when we're supposed to be doing homework. They distract us from our jobs. They fill our mobile phones with delicious diversions ready to entertain us at any point during the day. And now, they're ready to invade... your ears!

The JayIsGames staff along with FlashGameLicense have finally gone mad and decided to start a podcast! We call it Way Too Casual because, well, that's what we are. The bi-weekly episodes will focus on casual gaming news, events, reviews, and lots more. We have some great surprises planned for future episodes! It's a great way to keep up on the biggest browser game releases and current events in the world of casual gaming. All while you go on your morning jog!

But wait! There's more! We're not content to just talk amongst ourselves, we want to hear from you! Now you can interact with the JIG staff in an entirely new dimension. Got a question you're dying to toss our way? Want to know our thoughts on the latest casual gaming revolution? Need that recipe for brussels sprout soup? We're here to help. Leave a voice mail on Skype or drop us an e-mail. You never know, we might just use your question for the next episode!


E-mail: waytoocasual@gmail.com

That's it! Grab the podcast below, listen away, and be sure to check out the handy links after the break. Keep up with the latest podcast happenings on the official Way Too Casual website!

Download Way Too Casual #001
"I Can Say Armadillo"
(MP3, 38.5MB, 44:07)
Subscribe via iTunes

This intro paragraph was written under duress. I, a lonely garden gnome, am being held inside the house against my gnome will. I am being forced to eat vegetables, exercise regularly, and weave baskets as a hobby. If you read this, please send help. And cookies.

Rope'n'Fly 2 - Did you enjoy Rope Raider and Rope'n'Fly? I know I did. Swinging from building to building with but the tap of a finger has never been so... well, literal. Rope'n'Fly 2 improves upon the original Rope'n'Fly by adding weather effects and greatly improving the controls. You'll also find a handful of new modes and challenges to complete, along with online high scores that are practically impossible (for me, anyway) to beat. The free Rope'n'Fly 2 Lite is also available.

Red Planet - Walking the fine line between game and interactive multimedia experience, Red Planet is a 3D ambient adventure that features music by Christopher Franke, composer for the TV series Babylon 5. Move around the photorealistic world searching for the transmitter base, taking in the stunning scenery as night changes into day. There are a few basic tasks to complete, but really Red Planet is about experiencing Mars as if it were in your hands.

Edge - Did you miss it before? After a long (and rather pointless) series of legal battles, Edge is finally back on the iTunes App Store. The award-winning, stylistically beautiful platform game features over 40 levels of increasing complexity, plenty to keep you busy for days on end. Move around spacey geometric structures by dragging your finger across the screen to rotate the cube, climb stairs, collect prisms, press switches, ride platforms, and perform gravity-defying acts of awesomeness. The free Edge Lite is also available.

NOTE: Games listed may not be available outside of North America. Prices are subject to change and are therefore unlisted. Please see the individual game pages for purchasing info.

ClickPLAY has returned! NinjaDoodle's crazy mouse-based game of discovery, geometric shapes, and rampant clicking is back for more with ClickPLAY 2! One part puzzle, one part action, and three parts experimentation, ClickPLAY is all about messing with your environment to see what you can accomplish. And, next to eating chocolate cake while riding a roller coaster through a pool of bacon, it's one of the best ways to spend 15 minutes of your afternoon!

So, what's the point of ClickPLAY? To click "play"! In each of the levels, your job is to locate the play button by manipulating items, completing puzzles, or just playing with things on the screen. Maybe you're a duck bobbing its head under the water every time you click the mouse. Maybe you need to shuffle a container while you drop pieces of a puzzle inside. Maybe you're Godzilla eating muffins out of a pizza box (ok, I made that one up). The point is, you click the mouse, things on the screen react. Now you just have to figure out what to do to make that play button appear.

There's no time limit, but the catch is the game counts each click you make. At the end of it all you're given a rank based on that number. The fewer clicks the better, meaning you'll probably have to play through the game twice, first to get a feel for the puzzles, then go back and do everything again with minimal clicking. Don't let the counter discourage you from experimenting on your first time around, as that's where all the fun's at!

From the whimsical music to the black and white visual style, ClickPLAY 2 makes you feel like you're playing an old Charlie Chaplin film. Not that it has anything to do with The Tramp, but the atmosphere of playfulness is the same. It's a short experience, especially once you learn how to complete each level, but it's one of those rare games where you love figuring things out on your own. Simply put, ClickPLAY 2 is wildly entertaining.

Play ClickPLAY!

Alternate title for this edition of Weekend Download: The Balloon Bros. Return of the Attack of the Wrath of the Download: Episode 2 Part 4 - Tetripongfetusausable's Revenge.

The Balloon Bros Tumble-Top Sideshow Spectacular! (Windows, 20MB, free) - Here's something you don't see every day: a match-3 that's actually worth playing! From Charlie Dog Games, creator of the word game Cuba Letra, comes a whimsical take on the familiar genre. Remember how Bejeweled Twist allowed you to rotate gems to make matches? Balloon Bros goes to the next level and lets you rotate the entire playing field! Click balloons to pop them, creating a space that other balloons float up to fill. To create matches, simply make it so three or more like-colored balloons meet. Rotating the screen changes which balloons move where, giving you a ton of freedom in creating strategies and building up chain reactions. A very well-made game that's unique, charming, and great for an afternoon of gaming!

Au Sable (Windows, 8.83MB, free) - A rare game that isn't gross-out shock-value scary but is genuinely disturbing, Au Sable by Amon26 is a dark platform adventure with a focus on setting and mood. Discussing much more of the game would spoil it, but suffice to say, you'll get more than a chill or two experiencing this frightening game. And it's all accomplished with chunky pixel art and a drab palette of white, black, red, and a whole lot of gray. Fantastic work, but keep the kids in another room for this one.

Fetus (Windows, 2.9MB, free) - A clever little puzzle platformer that plays with your sense of gravity and continuity. Remember old arcade games (especially Kid Icarus and Pac-Man) where you could walk off the edge of the screen and appear on the other side? Fetus makes heavy use of this to create maze levels wrapped around themselves, forcing you to rethink your sense of space and direction. A nice, cool visual presentation sets the mood, and the slow, confining controls really draw the blanket of mystery around you. Later levels crank up the difficulty, so be ready with that [R] key to restart the level.

Tetripong (Windows, 2.2MB, free) - I'll give you 18 guesses to figure out what this game is about! Combining Tetris and Pong, Tetripong pits you and your block stacking skills against the bouncing ball of destruction. As the Pong ball ricochets around the screen, your job is to make as many Tetris lines as you can. And yes, it's as wild as it sounds.

Note: All games have been confirmed to run under Windows Vista and are virus-free. Mac users should try Boot Camp, Parallels, or CrossOver Games to play Windows titles, Linux users can use Wine. If you know of a great game we should feature, use the Submit link above to send it in!

It had to be tough growing up with a name like Alabama Smith. I'm sure the mullet jokes practically wrote themselves. But somehow the kid named after the 22nd U.S. state made it, growing up to become a successful archaeologist. Now, following Alabama Smith in Escape from Pompeii, the time-traveling ruins scavenger has returned in Alabama Smith in the Quest of Fate. And this time he has to stop a mysterious nemesis searching for magical relics in Peru!

Alabama Smith is built on an adventure game skeleton, making its central focus exploration, inventory management, and puzzle solving. Most of the tasks you'll complete involve finding lists of hidden objects, making it a fine example of a hybrid casual game. Tasks appear at the bottom right corner of the screen, listing items you need to find, places you need to visit, and other jobs you need to get done. To the left of that you'll find your inventory, and the bar at the top of the screen shows you what items can be found in your current location.

The first few minutes of the game illustrate well what the rest of the game has to offer. Alabama receives an e-mail asking him to gather the relics he's been studying and travel to Macchu Picchu. Can you guess what your first job is? Find all 12 Incan statues! It isn't as easy as studying pixels and clicking in the right place, though. To grab all of the items, you'll need to unlock doors, pry open boxes, reach high ledges, solve mini-games, use items from your inventory, and dig around several rooms to find everything you need.

A forgiving hint system makes the sometimes obtuse puzzles more bearable. Clicking the "?" icon shows you where an item is located, and if it's in another room, it leads you out at no cost. Hints recharge after just a few seconds, so if you feel stuck, don't hesitate to give it a click.

Analysis: Alabama Smith in the Quest of Fate takes a refreshing turn away from hidden object territory with its strong adventure slant. Inventory puzzles are where the challenge rests, and you aren't punished for mis-clicks or for using the hint button. This is not a game about getting a high score because you saw the camouflage snake hidden in the background faster than everybody else. This is a casual adventure game with real puzzles to solve.

Visually polished and a smooth experience to play, I couldn't help but notice the same faults present in the original game were repeated in the sequel. Puzzle construction often lands a bit on the "what?" side of things, making the hint system almost necessary to complete some tasks. It's nice to have your objectives spelled out at the bottom of the screen, but when the steps to completing those objectives don't make sense, you might as well abandon the list and let us try on our own.

Regardless of a few puzzle-related fumbles (and the fact that Peru isn't as epic a setting as Pompeii), Alabama Smith in the Quest of Fate manages to pick up the ball and score. Even though it's more adventure than it is hidden object, fans of both genres will find something to love in this well-made game.

Windows:
Download the demo
Order the full version

Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.

Alabama Smith in the Quest of Fate is available to download from these affiliates:

Who doesn't like popping stuff? Come on, seriously, every time you come across a piece of bubble wrap, soap bubbles in the sink, or a bunch of balloons held aloft by a happy little kid in the park, you just can't resist the urge. See bubble, must pop. Popopopop (or Popopop 2 as my right pinky will insist on typing it) plays on this instinct of ours just like the original Popopop and the Bloons series does. Only now instead of rampant popping, you have to do things with a little bit of strategy. And cannons. Strategy and cannons. And needles!

Each level is filled with colored bubbles spread across a grid. To the left you'll see an inventory bar with a few bubbles you can place anywhere you like. Stick one on the screen and suddenly bubbles pop like dominos, exploding in all directions from where you placed your circle. The goal is to create chain reactions that clear the screen of all bubbles.

Popopop 2 doesn't stop there. Some orbs come with special abilities, such as single-directional popping which forces you to consider the direction bubbles will disappear. There are also power-up-style orbs that let you fire cannons, shoot bolts of lightning, poke things with a needle, and more. Oh, and don't forget the skull and crossbone bubbles. They're mean.

It starts out as a pure popping experience, but just like its predecessor, Popopop 2 reveals itself to be a trial and error game of strategy and timing. And failure. Did I mention that? Because failure is part of the experience. It isn't disheartening at all, of course, but carving your way through a mass of colored orbs only to find you misplaced a bubble ten moves ago makes you pause and strategize before slapping those things on the grid.

And now for the creative part: custom levels. Right from the title screen, Popopop 2 offers an editor that allows you to create your own bubble-popping puzzles. It's as easy to use as you would think, and once you create a workable stage, you can save it for others to play. There are lots of custom levels already available, and some of them are murderously difficult.

Popopop 2 is a game you'll love. Then you'll scream at it. Then you'll probably get mad once more before you realize you're having loads of fun. Then you'll realize half an hour has gone by and you should have started dinner already. Then you'll lean forward to get out of your chair, only to sit back down and play just one more level. The bubble-popping playground now owns you.

Play Popopop 2.

Puzzle games YAY. I like puzzle games because they are puzzles. I also like them because you can play them really fast. I also like them because you do not have to play them a long time. I like puzzle games on the iPod Touch because I can play them laying down on my couch. I also like apple pie ice cream.

Samegame Gravitized - From casual gaming favorite ooPixel comes a slightly tweaked version of the familiar puzzle game, samegame. Tap groups of three like-colored orbs to make them disappear. Gravity pulls them down with each match, but you can tilt the iPhone to change which way things move, adding a new dimension to the classic experience. Comes with two modes in addition to gravitized, including classic play and puzzle mode which challenges you to clear the screen one match at a time.

CREEPYTOWN - Creepsford has been overrun by ghosts, and as the Reaper himself, you must gather the fallen souls to bring peace back to town. This Arkanoid/Breakout game features full touch control that draw lines to keep the ball moving where you need it most. Bust open pots to collect coins and activate the portal that leads to the next level. A beautiful visual presentation makes CREEPYTOWN a joy to look at, and the puzzle-oriented gameplay departs nicely from the brickbreaker genre. A free CREEPYTOWN Lite is also available.

Rope Raider - Similar to Rope'n'Fly in concept, Rope Raider is an action game where you attach your little rope to buildings and swing through town, just like Spiderman. Nab coins to increase your score, hook onto balloons to get an extra lift, and time your taps just right to catch some serious distance. Several modes of play, tons of scenery to check out, solid roping and swinging action, tight gameplay set this one above Rope'n'Fly in almost every way.

NOTE: Games listed may not be available outside of North America. Prices are subject to change and are therefore unlisted. Please see the individual game pages for purchasing info.

Circulate is a physics puzzle game from Pi Eye Games, creator of System Mania and the far-too-cute Kitten Sanctuary. This simple title is built around moving marbles through a circular container so they disappear, whether that be through forming matches, falling into black holes, or even smacking into bombs.

The magic in Circulate happens by moving entire levels. Right click and slide the mouse to rotate each screen around the central axis. Turning the environment stirs things up quite a bit, and depending on obstacles and marbles inside the sphere, you could end up meticulously moving the mouse or shaking it like that Yoo-Hoo you found in the back of your fridge that's been there for weeks. Goals vary for each level, but usually you want to get rid of the marbles by sorting them into color groups and nudging them next to each other.

Things get really interesting when power-ups and level limitations are introduced. Think it's rough making those big gray orbs stay away from the tiny red ones? Try keeping bombs separated while you try and set them off one by one. Or using a magnet to separate metallic orbs from non-metallic ones. Or getting one lone marble to the goal without setting off the tilt sensor that explodes if you move the stage beyond a certain point.

Level design is quite creative, ranging from arcade-style shake fests to strategic levels that require a lot of patience. There's even a maze stage or two. Fortunately, if one puzzle isn't your kind of thing, you can always back out to the select screen and skip ahead to another stage. Circulate is quite forgiving when it comes to nurturing your individual play style.

The premise isn't anything revolutionary (although the fact I got to use that pun scores it a few points), but Circulate executes everything with a simple sense of ease. Nothing feels too gimmicky, and new gameplay elements are introduced at a good pace and are utilized quite ingeniously. The variety of visual styles is also impressive, and it's fun to scope out the scenery even if you can't complete the stage to save your life.

No fluff, just 100 odd levels of spinning, physics, and marble destruction. Quite a simple formula for fun!

Windows:
Download the demo
Order the full version

Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.

Circulate is available to download from these affiliates:

Who needs bajillions of colors, seriously? The games below illustrate that all you need for a visual presentation are a few well-placed shades of gray (or orange and black, for the last one) and you've got yourself a visual style!

ButaVX: Justice Fighter (Windows, 7.6MB, free) - A short but wholly enjoyable RPG that plays out with comic-style cutscenes and action sequences. ButaVX's favorite ball has ended up in the wrong hands. In order to retrieve it, he has to go on an adventure to find the Sword of Justice. Explore the village, head out into the wilderness where you'll encounter discarded cell phones as enemies, and return to complete your quest. Although the setup is standard RPG fare, the manga-influenced action shots and overall art style really pull you in to this pencil drawn world. You'll be sad when it's over!

Umbrella Adventure - The Castle of Cake (Windows, 48.7MB, free) - Just as you wake up, you find your stash of cakes has been stolen. Great. As you head out into the rainy night, you pick up an umbrella that can, eventually, be used for all sorts of things. Work your way through this inventive adventure platformer, smacking enemies and soaking in the surprisingly deep monotone atmosphere. There's a lot of jumping and other action skills required to beat the game, but there's also a fair amount of Metroidvania-style exploration, too.

Home (Mac/Win, 1MB, free) - Home is a brief tale of an old man's daily life. Shuffle back and forth in your room, taking care of your basic needs such as food and rest as the bars at the top of the screen begin to deplete. Talk to the nurse to keep your happiness level high. But... what happens if you let something run out?

Note: All games have been confirmed to run under Windows Vista and are virus-free. Mac users should try Boot Camp, Parallels, or CrossOver Games to play Windows titles, Linux users can use Wine. If you know of a great game we should feature, use the Submit link above to send it in!

If you could rotate the world and change gravity, things like golf, juggling, balancing a spoon on your nose and standing upright after you've been laying down for three hours would be easy. Attracting Twist teases us with that concept by giving you control over the direction gravity flows, allowing you to move the game world and change where things "drop". Using this ability, your goal is to shoot your way to massive chain reactions as enemies slowly spawn near your ship.

You control a turret sitting near the bottom of the screen. Aim and fire using the mouse, charging each shot for a brief second before releasing it. Rotate the game world with the [A] and [D] keys, moving not only the ship but the direction gravity pulls particles as well. Each time you destroy an enemy it bursts into pieces. These pieces can destroy other enemies which will, in turn, burst into particles of their own. By spinning the environment, you can affect where these shards go, taking out as many foes as possible and creating huge chain reactions.

Enemies come in a variety of colors, and each one has its own personality. Orange squares like to appear and disappear all the time, while blue squares zoom around the screen, red squares go ka-boom, etc. Power-ups and game-altering events also occur, such as temporarily increasing your rate of fire, freezing enemies, messing with the visual presentation, and lots more. These are executed with superb style and make the gaming experience a lot more epic.

Attracting Twist comes with several modes of play to suit whatever mood you happen to be in. Challenge mode is all about conquering level after level of increasingly difficult enemies, while Relax and Extreme modes are exactly the way they sound. Each mode comes with several levels of difficulty, so no matter how casual you are, you'll find something that fits you just right. After racking up points and completing each level, you get to visit a store to upgrade bullet size, spread, rotation speed and health. The upgrades feel a bit tacked-on, but I'm not one to argue with a game allowing me to super-charge my character.

It's a bit stark for an arena shooter, but Attracting Twist plays more on the concept of shifting gravity and forming combos than pure arcade reflexes. Even still, moving the screen and changing gravity doesn't have as dramatic affect as you would like, lending a somewhat muted feeling to the entire game. You can shoot. You can nudge exploded enemies with gravity. And... that's all. It's fun, of course, and the number of game modes and stylish visual presentation really help out, but in the end, you're left with the feeling it could have been so much more.

Play Attracting Twist.

True to its mobile gaming promises, this week's Mobile Monday is filled with pick up and play, put down and go away titles ideally suited for gaming on the go. The only exception is Catan, a game you honestly won't be able to put down and walk away from for a while.

Catan - The First Island - If you haven't heard the name "Settlers of Catan", you probably just crawled out of your goo-filled storage tank connected to the power plant on the outskirts of the machine city. The award-winning strategy board game pits you against other players (or computer AI) as you fight for land and resources, but really, it's far more intricate than that. An excellent translation of the board game onto iPhone, and a great introduction to the legendary game for any newbies out there.

Dark Nebula - Episode One - Tilt control taken to the extreme, Dark Nebula is an extremely well-made space-themed arcade game of avoidance similar to the classic Labyrinth maze game. Move the shiny little disc by tilting your iPhone, working your way across twisted landscapes trying to collect capsules and avoid numerous obstacles. The controls are spot-on excellent (though I wish the game had a calibration feature... we're not always sitting straight up when playing iPhone games) and the game has the wonderful ability to pull you in.

Skullpogo - Have pogo stick and skull face, will get game. Originally a free downloadable game, Skullpogo makes its way to the iTunes App Store with facelifts and improvements all over the place. Build combos by jumping on pigs, zombies, bats and other critters with your pogo stick. Power-ups appear from time to time to spice things up, and if you jump off the top of the screen, you get a nice mega-stomp-type move. Three different control schemes let you choose the method most comfortable to you. Definitely one of those "can't put it down until I do just one more round" games!

Boombrigade - If tower defense games gave you more control over combat, they would be like Boombrigade. Spawn, upgrade and tweak various units on the field, each of which has one job: destroy the invading creeps. Tap and drag to set walking paths for your soldiers, making sure they loop back to keep your fort nice and cozy. Surprisingly challenging, if a little awkward to learn to play at first.

NOTE: Games listed may not be available outside of North America. Prices are subject to change and are therefore unlisted. Please see the individual game pages for purchasing info.