Case Western University student, John Tantalo, created this elegantly simple game with gratifying and addictive gameplay. Planarity is a Flash puzzle game that is played by clicking and dragging the vertices of a 2D geometric shape to rearrange them such that no lines cross. Simple to understand, difficult to put down.
Hanamushi is an absolutely gorgeous Japanese website filled with beautiful artwork and even a couple of Flash point-and-click adventures to discover. Simply amazing. And yet there is a dark side to the shapes that lurk in the shadows, so watch where you step. For the truly adventurous.
Toby Godden, of Vibration13.com, has made available two different games that are both worth playing: Virus and Treasure Hunt.
Virus is composed of several puzzles that you must solve separately and together to win the game. In other words, the answers you gain from one may be used to solve another.
Virus...
Featuring original and commercial-quality graphics, animation and sound, Mink of 3wish.com has created these cute, point-and-click, cartoon puzzles in Flash. Each episode is rather short in length—just right for some lunchtime fun or a coffee break—and all of them contain humorous and inventive situations and clever puzzles to solve.
Next up is another great little mini-game from GlobZ that offers addictive gameplay with the press of only a single button. Rotobo is a top-down platformer where the object is to find and land on a green ore block hidden in each level through a succession of jumps.
When each level...
Raiden X is an excellent Flash shooter game that is a lot of fun to play, though it was a bit easy for me to complete on Normal difficulty. The trick is in the power-ups, which are many. Tons of enemies and larger boss-types in this game. Excellent Flash work by a talented, young (age 13!) game developer.
Remember those word problems and logic puzzles from school? They probably weren't much fun back then when the fear of failure or a bad grade was hanging over your head. Well now there is a site filled with logic puzzles, complete with handy graphs and tables (made in Flash) that you can use to deduce your answers.
Because the Hapland games are so much fun and unbelievably popular, I wanted to post a link to this similar game for you to try. Although not quite as well done as Robin Allen's games, Puzzleland is much easier and there are more levels to solve. Each level details the...
From the Chevron Cars website comes this action strategy game of collecting pearls. Pearl Hunt is an addictive Flash game in which the object is to drop ten (10) pearls down through the maze to the bottom before time runs out. It's a fun little game that won't take up a lot of time to play a game or two.
Just when you thought you had mastered the art of waddling back and forth in a straight line across the screen using only one button, the folks at GlobZ release 40 new and more difficult levels for you to waddle through. Truly for the hardcore and not for anyone who gets annoyed when frustrated by a game. Level 37 is a killer. Consider yourself warned.
Manuel Fallmann's latest offering on his MINDistortion site is a turn-based strategy game against the CPU, or a human opponent at the same computer. The object of Quarkz is to be the first player to reach the number of points designated as the victory condition by adding particles to the...
A recreation of a WarioWare for GBA mini-game, this lightweight Flash game is good fun for a short diversion. Pyoro is an action arcade game in which the object is to avoid the falling plants by eating them using a very long tongue.
The very talented guys at Square Circle Co., Chris "iopred" Rhodes and Chris "DayDream" Hildebrand, have just released their third Heli Attack game, and it's available exclusively at Miniclip.com.
From the excellent French Flash games site, Globz.com, comes this creative action arcade game with a unique and addictive gameplay mechanic. The objective in Twin Spin is to 'walk' a baton around the play field and explode all of the balloons that exist for each level.
99 Rooms is a beautiful Flash point-and-click adventure of the 'escape the room' variety. The object is to make it through all 99 rooms to the end. The game makes use of gorgeous photography for visuals, and a moody atmospheric soundtrack for effect.
Poom! is an action arcade game in which the objective is to bounce a ball, for as long as possible, on a randomly generated platform. The tricky part is the platform, as it randomly changes each time the ball bounces on it. It may even be composed of several missing tiles that the ball will fall through. If the ball falls through or misses the platform completely, the game is over.
Here is a simple one-button mouse game that is easy to understand, and yet difficult to do. In fact, it's likely that it will be downright frustrating for those without the sharpest of reflexes or mousing precision.
ClickRed is an action game in which you must click on the moving red...
An unusual Flash game with a variety of gameplay possibilities, Magnetism lets you select the type of game that is right for you. Created by Tyler Glaiel, a 14 year-old budding game developer, Magnetism is a unique puzzle game that features challenges of strategy and skill with an emphasis on...
After playing many "me-too" casual games that offer nothing other than a new skin to old gameplay, it is refreshing when a game comes along that forces you to think differently. And though Mamezo is not the first game to offer such a gameplay mechanic as drawing lines to bounce an object around the play field, it is a game that will provide a unique experience for many.
One of my favorite casual games that I keep returning to when I have just a few moments to spare is an early Orisinal game called The Amazing Dare-Dozen. The object of the game is quite simple: climb as high as you can by repeatedly landing an egg into the basket above.
Also from the Sony Pictures website, this Flash game was created to promote one of this summer's movie releases: The Cave.
Featuring sights and sounds from the movie, the game did a good job of scaring the living daylights out of me. While at first it looks to be an innocent point-and-click adventure, a game with a more ambitious goal seems to tak...
From Sony Pictures comes these three (3) Flash games from the Kung Fu Hustle movie website, each featuring classic-style videogame pixel graphics and gameplay.
Kung Fu Fighter is a simple old-school fighting game that offers special moves and opponents to unlock. You must defeat the opponents the game pits you up...
Voted Best of 2005 by the visitors of Jayisgames, Hapland 2 is less a continuation of the original as it is the same game with all-new puzzles: The objective is once again to open the stone portal and unleash the power within. And while that doesn't exactly give any clue as to what to do, it does at least provide a goal to work towards. Thanks to its popularity, there is now a Hapland 3!
Filed under music, this is to remind anyone who appreciates excellent free music to check out the latest Mercedes Benz Mixed Tape now online. Providing both streaming feeds and mp3 tracks to download separately or in its entirety, Mercedes Benz proves time and time again they care about their present (and potential) customers. With each new mixed...
As a tribute to the classic Atari Centipede arcade game from 1980, Emil Korngold has attempted to recreate the game in Flash. The game is still in beta form, and yet his attempt seems to capture much of the action and addictive gameplay of the original.
Other than using the mouse...
Created by Hans Oxmond and Thomas Poulsen of Oxmond Interactive in the Denmark, Bumperball is an action arcade game where you can play against the computer, or against a friend or co-worker using the same keyboard.
If your things is playing alone against the computer, then your controls are the arrow...
Flash-in-the-Can 2005 award winner, Grant Skinner, has put together an impressive and ambitious pseudo-3D first-person shooter in Flash. There is even a back-story in case you need a reason to shoot at cute little creatures.
Puki: The Swarm begins after a routine mission to a space station, in a far away...
Another infectiously addictive and brilliant game made using Google's Web APIs, Guess-the-google was created by Grant Robinson in response to suggestions he received after creating his Montage-a-google, an equally impressive and veritable time-sink worthy of a review of its own. Guess-the-google is a single-player game in which the object is to guess the Google, of course.
Another recent production from Rubilon is this odd and yet simple game of timing. Babycal Throw is an action arcade game in which the player attempts to hit walking and running targets by tossing bean-bags up in the air. What makes this game special is the manner in which Rubilon has implemented the scoring and the power-ups.
Rumble Ball is a strategy game of sorts. The object is to score the most points you can by hitting colored items on the play field with a large ball. I was immediately drawn to this game due to its very pretty presentation. The appealing graphics and top-down, pseudo-3D appearance make this game compelling for most anyone to pick up and play.
One-half interactive story and one-half game, Survivoo is a quirky Japanese Flash piece that is charming, cute, and bizarre. Although all the text in the game is Japanese, that doesn't spoil the fun this short little adventure has to offer. Most of the animation speaks for itself. It tells the tale of a little Frenchman who is swept away to a far away land of peculiar beasts that make very strange noises.
There's a lot to love about LightForce Games in Athens, Greece. Nick Kouvaris, and his wife Helen, develop Flash games as a hobby and make them available to play on their LightForce Games website. Most of the games are clones of classic puzzle games, and yet all of them are presented with a simple and consistent style.
There's a lot to love about LightForce Games in Athens, Greece. Nick Kouvaris, and his wife Helen, develop Flash games as a hobby and make them available to play on their LightForce Games website. Most of the games are clones of classic puzzle games, and yet all of them are presented with a simple and consistent style.
There's a lot to love about LightForce Games in Athens, Greece. Nick Kouvaris, and his wife Helen, develop Flash games as a hobby and make them available to play on their LightForce Games website. Most of the games are clones of classic puzzle games, and yet all of them are presented with a simple and consistent style.
It's not very often that a new dice game comes along, and fewer still done in Flash. Pigalator 2K5 is a single-player only dice game, you play against three computer-controlled opponents. It's a fun little dice game, good for a quick diversion over a cup of coffee.
The fresh scent of spring drifts in on the breeze through the curtains as they flap themselves loose from a long winter's nap. It's a glorious day, the birds are singing, and all the animals are out to play. While out for a stroll, the neighborhood squirrel finds herself leaping from rooftop to window ledge, following a trail of apples on The Way Home.
Uminin strikes once more with this gorgeous Flash shmup from his Flash Game Zone website, titled: Floatin' Assault. Well, that's not exactly the way he spells it, and yet I am sure that is what he means. =)
Floatin' Assault offers two different fighter types to choose from: Heavy and Standard....
Unlock is a unique little puzzle game in which you must unlock the secrets of each stage to advance to the next. Some stages are easy, while others are maddening difficult. This game will tease your brain and test your patience and resolve.
Another game designed by Uminin of Flash...
This time a Flash shmup from Uminin of the Flash Game Zone in Japan. Moment Zero is a mostly grayscale shooter of exceptional design. Noteworthy features include a lock-on targeting mechanism and multiple paths through the game.
From the initial enemy wave you can tell this isn't any ordinary shooter. The...
Flash Game Zone offers a series of Flash games designed by Uminin of Japan. Each of the games exhibit high production values with a solid design that offers compelling and rewarding gameplay. One of my favorites is Cube, an action strategy game of skill similar to a Shuffleboard game. The objective is to propel colored cubes across the play field so that they come to rest within designated rectangles.
Park is another point-and-click exploration game from the Vector Park, the very same that created the tranquilizing Levers game. This one is easy and a bit short, and yet it will certainly delight those who enjoy the thrill of discovery that this type of game offers.
I have point-and-click happiness to spread throughout the world today in the form of a cube. Not so much a puzzle as it is an interactive narrative that unfolds with each click of the mouse in the appropriate place. See what happens when a mysterious cube falls out of the sky and lands on the ground in the middle of a very round town filled with round things.
Like Metaphysik to come before, this game is an action arcade game in which the player balances a ball while moving it through a maze of obstacles toward a goal. This time out, John implements levels larger than the game view window, which makes finding the goal an additional challenge.
NoName Games are a couple of games with no name, simply referred to as NoName Game #1 and NoName Game #2, created by MadMax of Poland. An action avoidance game of hand-eye coordination, the games are similar in design to DR3I and Reverse that were previously reviewed here.
I broke down and bought a PSP over the weekend so I could play Lumines. And now, that is all I can think about. The game is brilliant, loads of fun, and the music is infectious. In fact, I have to post this game quick because the battery on the...
You find yourself in a room from which you must escape. Sound familiar? Noob's Room is yet another take on the emerging "escape from the room" genre of point-and-click Flash games. This one was created by Kristjan Luts for Gamershood.
Like Escape: The Room before it, Noob's Room features very similar...
Escape: The Room puts you in the point-and-click familiar position of trying to figure out how to escape from the room you're in. Just click on the various objects in the room to find the keys and solve the mystery.
Bloc Media is responsible for the latest Club 404 diversion on Sony's Playstation UK website: an amazing Flash shooter that is packed with fun and gameplay to boot. And you're in for a real treat, because just a peek under the hood of this little shmup reveals a stash of pleasant...
Rodeo is a Flash game that is clever in its simplicity of style and remarkably fun in execution. Created by Mark Vertegaal of Coldtomatoes in the Netherlands, the object of the game is to ride the bull for as long as you can.
Click the rider's hat to begin, and then...
Time for a break from all the thinking required in those point-and-click adventure games. This next game comes from Jared Tarbell, maths and Flash wizard extraordinaire.
Maeda Path is a relaxing game of eye|hand coordination with elegantly simple graphics and a brilliant use of sound. Using your input device of choice,...
The grandaddy of all escape-the-room games, Jan Albartus' Mystery of Time and Space dates way back to 2001 which, in terms of casual Web games, is almost the beginning of time. In MOTAS, you don't get to escape from just one room, oh no. There are now 20 rooms to escape from! Limber up those point-and-click fingers, you're about to embark on an epic classic.
I must have missed this back in 2002 at the theatres, and yet it makes for a spine-tingling, interactive narrative Flash piece now. Ghost Ship was a movie released in October of that year, and it was even made into a Flash game to promote the film.
For those of you who love point-and-click adventures, and especially those who didn't care for how T...
Polyphonic Spree did it with Quest for the Rest, and now a band called Mae is promoting their soon-to-be-released album, The Everglow, with a brand new Flash game.
The Everglow mixes original music from the band's new album with several short games to provide an entertaining interactive experience. Included is a...
Which side are you: right-brain or left-brain dominant? While right-brain dominant people use their intuition and emotions to guide their decisions, left-brain dominant folks are more sequential and time-oriented in their approach. Perhaps you are middle-brain dominant, meaning that you vacillate between the two hemispheres when making decisions. If unsure,...
You don't know where you are, and you don't know what you're doing there. You just know you have to get out. Such is the scenario that The Doors drops you into when this excellent point-and-click adventure game begins. Truly one of the best of its kind.
A lovely Flash point-and-click game from (fictitious) development company White Kiwi, this one will keep you busy for just a short while. It was created as a class project by a group of students, and it is quite enjoyable and very pretty. The world would be a better place with more games like this.
UK vacuum sweeper manufacturer, Dyson, has just released a new Flash game to promote their brand new line of cleaners. Similar in quality to their Telescope game previously highlighted here, The Ball Game is an action arcade game in which the player guides a yellow ball to the goal in...
Finally, a full-featured rhythm and sound loop utility written in Flash. From Rockstar Games comes this free Web-based application that lets you create loops and mixes from a variety of sources, even your own. Mix and play with the pre-loaded library of drum and synth samples and loops, or upload...
Hotel is a 10-episode interactive narrative from Han Hoogerbrugge about a scientist named Dr. Doglin who drugs his patients to perform tests on their response to freak accident injuries. The rather disturbing piece was just recently finished in its entirety and worth a look if you're the mature, adventurous type.
For all those who love point-and-click adventures, you may find Flow quite fascinating, and yet it is not a game. Instead it is a unique and creative, interactive Flash multimedia piece from Han Hoogerbrugge. Seamlessly blending animation, music and sound effects, Han brings his images to life with style in an engaging form of artistic expression.
From the creator of Treasure Box—an engaging and clever interactive Flash puzzle that showcases the author's artistic talents—comes another such piece with a clearer objective than its predecessor. It is an imaginative work of art filled with sights and sounds that include various puzzles to solve. The objective is to find all 5 stars and then place them onto the wheel of fortune.
Although this Flash puzzler is similar to other sliding-block puzzle games in its class, what I find special about this one is its presentation and execution. The goal of Orbox is to navigate the blue and yellow blinking box to the red goal in the fewest moves possible using just the arrow keys for control.
More BMX fun from David Thorburn, available on his Tea Games website.
BMX Star features an assortment of zones to explore. There are presently 12 different zones to choose from in a range of difficulties. The object of the game is to score points by performing stunts and collecting gold, silver...
A remake of 2004's Penguin tossing games, Nanaca Crash adds depth to the original by featuring nine (9) different characters that affect game play in unique ways. There is a lot of fun packed into this deceptively simple looking game, including summoning, combos, special abilities, and some very nice graphic effects.
Jumping right into some addictive gameplay after finals is just what I need to escape from all the stress and pressure. I want something fast with lots of action and adrenaline, lots of explosions and particle effects, and a rocking soundtrack.
Brent Silby's DNA delivers on all of these fronts. The...
The über-talented Preloaded folks have done it again and released another Flash game to promote their own skillz, and this one does a fine job of showing off the Flash magic they are capable of. Heart Attack is an arcade action shooter in which you play as Cupid trying to save the love from the darkside by shooting arrows at little devils and other assorted gremlins.
Digital media artist and UC Davis student, John Cooney, has produced this highly addictive Flash action arcade game, and he has made it available for the world to play on his website, jmtb02.com.
Ball Revamped: Metaphysik is a game of dexterity and timing, requiring the player to guide a multi-colored ball...
A veritable Flash music construction set, Drum Lab features a wide assortment of phat beats and other percussion sound samples and a unique interface with which to manipulate them.
In Basic mode, simply mousing over each of the various instruments will play the associated sound. DJ Stain, an animated character...
Deep from within the bowels of the seriously twisted mind of Robin Allen comes this Flash game simply titled: Hapland. The author claims that it is "more an interactive world of bizarity" than a game, yet there is indeed a 'win' condition and it has something to do with lighting both torches to open the stone portal and thus unleashing the power within. And now with sequels: Hapland 2 and Hapland 3!
This Flash remake of Taito Corp.'s now classic Puzzle Bobble (called Bust-a-Move in the US) looks and plays just like the original. Use the arrow keys to aim, and press the space bar to shoot. It's just that simple to play. The music is a bit repetitive, but otherwise the game plays great.
A fun little Flash piece that is more web toy than game, really, and yet the score tally gives this mesmerizing diversion an addictive quality. Simply click anywhere in the grid to activate a cell and watch the chain reaction develop.
This pretty Flash puzzle game is oddly titled Bear & Cat, and yet it is really just a clone of PopCap Games' popular game of Zuma from a couple of years ago—which itself was a clone of Mitchell's Puzz Loop game from 1998.
The player shoots colored balls onto the play...
Arguably one of the greatest video games of all time, and certainly one of the classics, Asteroids was released to the arcades by Atari in 1979. Twenty-five years later the game is still captivating gamers with its gameplay and its physics.
But Belter is better.
From creator Russ Duckworth's Truantduck Games comes...
Tanks features classic projectile gameplay in a Flash game package that ups the ante with tank, ammo and weapon upgrades, and even multiplayer action to boot.
It's always a happy day when discovering that Ferry Halim has released a new addition to his Orisinal line of fine Flash games. Just like Grandma's delicate china reserved for those very special guests, Orisinal games offer game play experiences for discriminating tastes.
A Daily Cup of Tea is his latest...
Oh My God! The Bugs are Coming! is quite a large name for such a small Flash game, and yet the name fits the theme of this game well. Created by Tonypa, this game features lots of creepy crawlers that move across the screen with uncomfortable realism. The objective is to avoid the bugs altogether for as long as you possibly can. Once a bug bursts your bubble, the game is over.
One of the more popular games available for the Nintendo DS, the odd and unique Feel The Magic offers a bevy of bite-sized mini-games that make good use of the innovative handheld's features. The simple premise is that you are a boy who attempts to win over the affection of...
Net is a game about connections. There is a central energy source, and the objective of the game is to connect all devices to the energy source in the fewest moves possible. Of course, if you're like me, I ignore the number of moves and just try to finish a puzzle. Subtitled "The game for the mind", this game definitely falls into the category of a brain teaser.
Monsterism.net, a website that Pete Fowler and his creative partner, Simon Pike, built to showcase Pete's outstanding and original monster art. With it you can create a bevy of creatures from the world of Monsterism, as well as mix and match any attributes to create entirely new monsters of your own design. Which monster are you?
A Worm's Life redefines the classic game of Snake and turns it into a fresh new experience. The game features an array of elements that change-up the gameplay formula of the simple arcade game and transforms it into even more addictive, fast action fun.
While on the topic of Snake, here is a variation of the game for all those who believe snakes should appear, and move in paths, with round edges.
This version of the classic game of Snake is remarkable in that it comes with source code and a complete tutorial explaining the code by its author, Strille of Sweden. Available on his website, the tutorial is a great way for anyone to get started programming games in Flash. The...
I have been mesmerized lately by the cuteness of this little Flash platformer, and for good reason. First off, it's got the cute thing going for it, and that always works for me. The way Snowy the little bear just prances in place while waiting for you to move him around is cuteness beyond words. Second, the game is a lot of fun to play for gamers of all ages.
You are a soap bubble in this action arcade game by Anders Gustafsson of Sweden. It seems that while playing with your friends, you discover a strange hole behind a bush that appears to go deep into the earth. Curious, you investigate to find that the hole is just large enough...
On over at Eyezmaze has just released another addition to his ever-expanding collection of unique and enchanting Flash games. Hatch is an action arcade game that will put your reflexes and hand-eye coordination to the test.
To play, put your fingers on each of the keys of the keyboard representing...
What might possibly be the very first new game of the new year, David Thorburn has just released his latest game, Chuck, on his Teagames.com website in the UK. The veteran game developer is responsible for BMX Backflips and other fun-filled Flash games that make use of impressive physics implementations...
Brent Silby has created one of the coolest arcade games I have played in a very long time. Think retro-cool as in Galaga, Defender, Centipede and Robotron, and you'll be close to what the action is like in surely one of his best games to date. Replicator captures the essence of arcade action fun and delivers it lovingly in a browser window.
Paper Islands is a fun site with a unique style and theme centered around paper: paper cut-outs, paper airplanes, origami and the like. Paper Islands features several developed characters with personalities and animations, various locales, activities, and... games.
Paper Islands is a fun site with a unique style and theme centered around paper: paper cut-outs, paper airplanes, origami and the like. Paper Islands features...
"My name is Ada. I'm going to show you how to catch butterflies." Loop is a delightful action game that makes use of the mouse for drawing loops around butterflies to catch them. It's a full-featured, multi-level, gorgeous Web game with personality, style and grace. If you haven't seen this one before, don't miss out! Created by gameLab, and hosted by Shockwave.com.
Created by Ferry Halim, this wonderful and innovative Flash game makes use of the mouse for drawing circles and shapes around floats of the same color to capture them and score points. The more floats you capture at once the higher the score. The simple and elegant gameplay mechanics serve to showcase Ferry's exceptional talent for expressing fresh new ideas with Flash.
A delightful holiday Flash game to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Decorate the trees by dropping stars from above and landing them on the tree tops. Simply click on a star at just the right moment for it to fall onto a tree or a present. Simple holiday fun.
Can you torque the talk? In this unusual Flash adventure game your spacecraft crash lands on an alien planet, and to escape you must observe the culture and learn a new language to communicate with the inhabitants of this alien world. Remarkable in its originality and design, as well as its gameplay.
The Museum is a point-and-click adventure from French design team Anode & Cathode, and is one part mystery and one part figure out what the object of the game is. Your task is to collect the objects you find while exploring the museum and, well, put them back where they belong.
Relive the grammar school days of yesteryear with this Flash make-a-flake snowflake maker. Simply make several cuts in a folded paper with a pair of scissors, the way you may remember doing, and then unfold to reveal your stunning creation. A cheerful seasonal activity to wile away the hours during the cold indoor months.
The Dark Room is an absolutely brilliant Flash puzzle game that is as gorgeous as it is enjoyable. Using only the mouse, point, click and solve the mystery of the dark room in this amazing and remarkable hi-tech themed puzzle game. Created by Jonathan May of Woolythinking.
Global Player is a Flash game designed to test your skills at sorting packages and routing them to their proper destinations. Everything in the game is color coded, and each level consists of a system of conveyor belts and switches. These give way to multiple destinations where transportation awaits to receive each package and send it on its way.
It is beginning to look and feel a lot like Chrismahanukwanzakah up here in the northeast, with temperatures dipping well below freezing today for the first time this season. And with all the snow we've been getting, it would be an excellent time to build a snowman, or simply stay indoors and play this charming Flash game instead.
Boston.com is hosting this Snow Plow game in which the city of Boston has been hit by a Nor-easter and it's your job to plow the streets clean by taking control of a city plow. Collect snowflakes and presents for bonuses. A cute and fun little seasonal Flash game.
Escort, scout and fight your way through enemy territory in an armed reconnaissance helicopter, the Tiger. This Flash game is also from the Australian military's website, and it offers up similar challenge difficulty as that found in both Operation Thunderbolt and Operation Seahawk, previously reviewed here at JIG.
More military training Flash from the Australian government's website. The game Operation Seahawk has you piloting a navy Seahawk helicopter to fire torpedoes at enemy submarines and patrol boats, and to rescue stranded military personnel. The arrow keys control the craft, while the space bar fires torpedoes, picks up personnel, and is used to land on the ship as well.
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