Gear puzzles are popular fodder for games these days. If gears aren't the main feature, as in David Durham's Gear Puzzle, then they're a vital component of a switch box or piece of alien machinery in an adventure game. At first glance, Connect It seems like more of the same, but after exploring deeper, this seemingly simple gear puzzler reveals an entertaining and complex depth.
Think you've got what it takes to be a traditional RPG hero? In this series of minigame-like puzzles aping the genre, it's your knowledge of typical RPG stereotypes, not your sword skill, that will see you through to victory. It's a bite-sized bit of retro charm to fit into your day that requires thinking outside the box.
Have you ever watched The Fast and the Furious? Do you own an Initial D card? Have you considered drifting into your parking lot? If you answered 'yes' to any one or all of these questions, then Drift Runners 2 is for you; a fun, fast-paced drifting simulator that knows what it has to do and does it well. There's enough customization and variety within this game that it'll keep you working on it for a while, and the gameplay is different enough that it'll appeal to gear heads and casual gamers alike
Tired of being the little guy? Then leap behind the controls of one of the massive boss battleships that used to steal all your quarters in classic arcade space shooters. Complete missions to prove your mastery of the skies, unlock new modes, and prove that it's not the size of the ship that counts... wait, no, it is. It totally is.
Cosmicube is one of those 'older games with a new twist' releases that you see every once in a while. The game uses the Unity engine to render a 3-D take on Marble Madness. The marble's track is made of red cubes mounted on a larger black cube. Your goal is to get a marble from its starting point onto the goal by moving your mouse to tilt the playing field. You're aided (and hampered) by an impressive physics simulation that feels very authentic and real, all while listening to a fast-paced soundtrack that fits the action and setting well.
Despite the lack of English, this is perhaps the most accessible of Tesshi-e's games. No color puzzles to confound the colorblind, and no construction to infuriate the mechanically inept. Just smooth music, a very Zen space, and lots of escaping logic to serve your casual gameplay needs. Get ready for a relaxing trip, complete with a nice hot soak waiting at the end.
Have you always wanted to be an architect? Well, this colourful physics puzzle game about using Tetris-style blocks to reach your height requirements probably isn't the most realistic example of architectural design you'll find. And if you think it is, you need to let us know so we can never ever come to visit you.
Calling all tiny knights! The tiny princess has been captured by the tiny wizard and is being held in his tiny castle! We need someone to go on an itty-bitty platforming adventure to rescue her while avoiding monsters, traps, and a frequently changing environment. Think you've got what it takes? All of you who aren't knee-high on a grasshopper need not apply.
Aside from an optional "acid" reskin, Cover Orange: Players Pack keeps the same mechanics as its predecessors. That's because this game contains the winners of a level design contest. There were $4000 in prizes, including a $1000 prize for the top level, which is something pretty cool to think about when you're playing it. "This single level cost $1000. Wow. I had better have a really good time." And you will
The mouse controls your vehicle, an unidentified, flying, and particularly adhesive object. It'll stick right onto any tiny spheroids that happen to be floating out there in the void, and firing all your stuck orbs is as simple as a click of the mouse. You'll need the projectiles to split open asteroids for cash, as well as neutralize hostile enemy fighters who have decided that, apparently, all that empty space in the universe just isn't big enough for the both of you.
Maybe the most important thing that games teach us is to think critically and examine everything we see carefully. That's the strength of Spot the Difference, the latest offering from the dream team of Brian Mooney and Sean Hawkes. The game's story is subtle and engaging, communicated entirely through differences in the images you're given.
Enter The Dragon and face the Big Boss at the top of the Tower Of Death in this one-button game featuring a series of short mini-games. It's a challenge of concentration and timing, packaged with retro graphics and an air of simplicity. There is no doubt that sufficient practice will awaken the mouse-click Shinobi in you.
A long time ago, your friend dove into a deep pool and never came back. In this experimental little game, you explore a series of underwater caverns in search of him, uncovering notes left behind to guide you. You can only hold your breath for ten seconds at a time, so you'll need to move fast and keep an eye out for air pockets or your search will come to an abrupt end.
Despite the minor flaws, Alloy is an enjoyable escape featuring a protagonist under the witness protection program who just wants some time away from his robot guardians. The puzzles flow together logically, and the construction bit is just terribly amusing. Take some time, and enjoy the logic of the game and the illogic of the premise. So help the poor guy escape! Just, you know, watch out for the flying robot guards.
The revered series continues directly after your flight in the air balloon from Daymare Town 2. Later you find yourself in a hospital and must get out. New features include a new cursor to show places that you can move, translations and thoughts, and dialogue via pictures. What are you waiting for?! Go play it now!
If the fast pace of modern life is bogging you down man, just take a few minutes, listen to the sublime acoustic guitar tunes, and realign your inner peace with these balls of light, dude. Light up the clear spheres by removing balls until the lighted sphere touches them. It's that easy dude, no joke. I told you I would take care of you
Man, don't you ever want to get off the launch treadmill? If only we could destroy this stupid car, we could forget about this whole getting-to-the-right business and get with that cute rabbit in the corner of the screen. Hey baby you so fine baby. Red Jet Rabbit puts you in the cartoonish driver's seat to destroy a mad scientist's car, which will win you a kiss... somehow.
An enticingly simple game of shifting dice, the challenge ramps up quickly in this exquisite puzzler from Ozzie Mercado. Each die can make a number of moves equivalent to the number on its face, and it's your job to make sure that every die ends up in one of the square-shaped "zones" by the time it's expended all of its moves. Click on a die to select it, then drag your mouse in a direction and release to slide the die in that direction.
A cute little assortment of minigames and puzzles designed to test your hands and your brain, NerveJangla is short, fun, and simple. Think you can beat our best time? Show us what you've got! And remember; no frowns allowed! Otherwise, the happy donut will get you, and you don't want to see him angry.
The ability to change size is an oft explored trope from our favorite stories, from Alice in Wonderland to classic science-fiction films. But how many have asked what effects such an ability would have on the protagonist of classic sidescrolling platform games? That's the gist of the odd premise of Specter Spelunker Shrinks. Created by Ken Grafals, Specter Spelunker Shrinks is an experimental puzzle platformer where the ability to grow and shrink the main character is key to navigating a world of dangerous pink prisms and disparately sized passageways.
A Stitch in Time is not a traditional sequel, for it doesn't exactly pick up where the original left off. Instead, it starts a new story with a new protagonist that overlaps with the continuation of the previous story. You play Nigel Trelawney, just arrived at the town of Ravenhallow to settle his late, estranged father's estate. You quickly discover that this is no simple matter, as Ravenhallow has been overtaken by a sort of parochial Fascisti that, among other injustices, is making it really bothersome to move freely about town. The demo covers the introduction and first act of the full game, which is quite a bit of adventure game to sample.
Think you know games? Think you know games when their only representation is obscure and abstract imagery? Across decades and platforms, The Challenging Stage is a single screen test of puzzles and trivia where you have to guess the titles of 56 games, new and classic, from the weird images used on screen.
Starlight, starbright, let me solve some puzzles tonight! Use your mouse to rotate the sky and uncover the images hidden in the constellations. Stepping up the difficulty from the original, Starlight 2 not only offers a level editor for you to make your own creations, but an additional quiz mode for you to test your eyes at.
Sometimes, when you're having a bad case of the mid-week blahs, whimsy is a good thing. Exit Not Found is not a very tough room escape title, but something fun and involving that will bring a smile to your face as you search for that elusive exit. It's an amusing way to kill 5 or 10 minutes, something to take your mind off of schoolwork, lousy weather, or whatever mind-numbing task is occupying you this week.
Oh, Captain Bobulous! Why must you love the princess and not me?! I would never make you fend off intruders while avoiding spikes, snakes, meteors, and anything bigger than you are! A green alien is the unlikely hero of this fast paced arcade game of reflexes. Collect energy to grow bigger, just don't get too attached to your dashing green hero... not only is he rather fragile, but his heart belongs to another. *sniff!*
Enemies of lolspeak beware, this side-scrolling puzzler may not be for you. Keep going right despite the attempts of little old ladies, pirates, ninja, teh spikies, and much more. Sound easy? You might be surprised. Pay attention to your surroundings and think outside the box and you'll pass every challenge. Probably.
What more can be done in the world of precarious manipulations of gravity and inertia? Enter Imperfect Balance, the newest game in the series, which flips the Perfect Balance concept on its head. Now instead of the precision stacking of shapes into perfectly sturdy forms, Imperfect Balance features the precision stacking of shapes into perfectly unsturdy forms. It's not about perfect construction, but about perfect collapse.
So, when you're bored and have nothing to do, do you say to yourself, "I'd like to be a cheap stage magician who must somehow rescue the spirits of folks trapped in an alternate dimension, while solving tricky platform riddles and using powers that I've never had before?" Well, if you do, then check out The Pretender: Part 2. Yes, it's here to fill all your magician/platformer needs!
Dismantlement: Alarm Clock is here and it's dismantling time again! It's always a joy when a new dismantlement game comes out, and Dismantlement: Alarm Clock is one of those great ways to kill a few minutes. Have fun dismantling that annoying clock! Just try not to blow up.
In Mystery Jigsaw you will be faced with four bite sized mysteries. In each mystery you will have to piece together (literally) the scenes of the crimes, search for clues, and finally match up the evidence to the suspects. Do well, and there might be a paperback series in the future. Fail, and, well, you'll have to go through adolescence like the rest of us.
Don't you hate when lightning strikes your marshmallows and bestows sentience on them, so they go off on a gravity-warping, puzzle/platform adventure to save their squishy kin? I lose more tasty treats that way. That Gravity Game is a simple but fun gravity game experience to put a bit of squishy enjoyment in your day.
Blocks and physics puzzles; they go together like pineapples and cream cheese! (Just... trust me.) Picture Cubes is a lovely 3D puzzle game where you push and pull blocks around the screen to create some genuinely pretty art. While not what one might call exciting, Picture Cubes is the perfect way to relax after a long day.
Escape from the Tatami Room is not the toughest escape out there, but one that hangs together nicely with a mix of use of found objects, construction, and pure logic. Amusing casual gameplay that doesn't take a lot of time but leaves you feeling very satisfied, even if you don't really get to eat that excellent spread that is the final reward. Feeling peckish? Then get moving!
Sure, he may look like a footlocker and have unsettling pink bags under his eyes, but if your dog or cat or other pet should ever fall down a mine shaft leading to a subterranean geothermic engineering project of dubious provenance, Amil is your go-to fellow. Created by Robert Stone, Amil is a gravity-switching platformer with retro stylings and just a scintilla of RPG flavor.
Ric Rococo is a thoughtful game of stealth, theft, and escalator navigation that brings you the thrill of non-violent sneaking and filching in a museum full of inattentive guards, pivoting bidirectional cameras, unintuitive elevators, and highly stealable paintings.
Roll, roll, roll your Jolls all around the screen! Catchin' babies, jumpin' gaps, life is but a dream!... what do you mean, that's not how it goes? Clearly, you've never played this physics puzzle about that very thing! From the creator of Civiballs comes a game about babies, fans, and making yourself bigger or smaller, as the situation demands. Don't worry, it'll all make sense when you play it. Trust us.
In a world where people can't seem to see eye to eye on even the most simplest of things, it's comforting to know that we can all at least agree on the fact that hamburgers are the world's most perfect food. In the undeniably charming platformer, I Was Hungry But There Were Cannons, you will find no shortage of this most awesome of culinary delights, it's just that getting them all won't be easy.
The steadfast knight in this latest game from Nitrome has decided that all that romping through dank dungeons and random-encounter-laden forests is overrated; instead, he launches himself out of a cannon through waves of enemies and sees how far he can get. Click your mouse to fire the cannon at the get-go, accounting for angle and power, and then hold the left mouse button down in a direction to give the airborne knight a general idea of where he should aim for.
Taberinos shows the brilliance of stripping down a type of game to its very basics. Simple, elegant gameplay that changes every time you start it up. Yes, that is a recipe for serious time suckage. So get shooting! Just, you know, don't let the boss catch you.
Mou haru desu ka? Yes, the Japanese are asking "Is it spring yet?" too. A sure sign of spring is the release of a new PonPon House escape game from Orange Biscuit. And now PonPon House 3 is here! The Komorebi house is awash in pastels and cute details, and the relaxing music and birdsong of the soundtrack will bring spring to you, even if the weather where you are isn't cooperating (just yet). Haru desu~~~~~!
It's bigger, badder, and, yes, REDDER than other platformers. A retro-styled adventure of space exploration set in your browser, REDDER offers a big map to explore chock full of challenges. Collect the gems you need to escape and make your way back home... or settle in to stay with the scenic vistas, strange environments, and hostile red robots. We won't judge you.
When does science go too far? How advanced can an artificial intelligence get before it is too advanced? And at what point does an homage cease to be an homage? The answers to these questions and more can be found in Condition, a sci-fi platform shooter by abielins and Lycheesoup that's just a little reminiscent of Cave Story.
Dad is a sentimental journey through a room that you're not even trying to escape at all. It's not a long game, nor is it terribly difficult, but it is one of those gems that really hangs together well. A gentle, easy, sentimental mid-week break. Slow down, relax, let the soothing piano tune lull you into a serene place, and logic your way through the search for answers. Just remember, it's not easy being a Dad.
Turnellio is match-3 the way only Tonypa can do. All of the trademarks are here, from the exotic title and simple but attractive graphics to the infectious background track, all of which surrounds a unique twist on a classic casual gameplay genre. With beat poet like coolness, he offers up his own twists and garnishes them with his penchant for quiet elegance. The result is a game that keeps the heart and inherent fun of match-3 games while experimenting with new and intriguing territory.
Ever wonder what it's like to be a dragon? How about a Dragondot? Turns out, it's pretty much the same ol', same ol'. Defend your territory from ghosts, hobgoblins, and more, and bask in the adulation of your defenseless kobold followers. Simple and simply cute, Dragondot is a short but fun hack and slash romp.
Where oh where has my kitty cat gone? Only robot can find out, and it's up to you to help him get there by guiding him past hazards and to power ups, keys, and ultimately kitty-cat-havin'-glory in this retro-themed, pixel platform adventure.
So how are you feeling today? Pretty good? Did you wow your boss with the presentation at work today? Manage to fix the broken copy machine with a paper clip and a gum wrapper? Feeling pretty smart? Prepare to have all that blown to smithereens in this exceptionally challenging test of your mental mettle.
Take gardening to a whole new level in this defense title where you handle the growth of one of the last plants on Earth to help it stave off an insect invasion. You'll need to plan ahead and use your resources carefully if you want to avoid being covered in hundreds of stinging, biting, space bugs. And really, who doesn't?
The mystery of the ages has been solved! Today we can get a robot to move up a vertical plane using his grappling hook to attach to floating spheres! And it is terribly addictive too... How high can you go? The original game was fun, but hellish in its expectations and difficulty. Gravity Hook HD is MUCH easier to play. It is also prettier, has a better soundtrack and no doubt hides other gameplay enhancements.
58 Works room escapes are casual gameplay done right. Fun, distracting, logical, and quirky, this is the perfect mid-week escape. Put on your thinking caps and start escaping! And when you find your way out, definitely stick around for the closing credits with the friendly robot.
A one-button jump and run game, G-Switch takes the formula that made Canabalt so successful and adds an eponymous gravity-switching mechanic to create a twitchy, fast-paced experience with surprisingly zen-like results. It's a flawed masterpiece of a game, which is a shame because when it shines it really shines. More than just a clever combination of two well-tread game ideas, G-Switch is a reinvention.
Martial artists have for centuries honed their bodies, minds, and souls to the very height of human potential. Entire lifetimes are dedicated to the understanding and perfecting of the human form and all for one very distinct purpose. If the new launch game, Mad Karate Man, is to be believed, then that purpose is to waylay cell phone yapping, briefcase lugging, penny-loafer on casual Friday wearing businessmen, and kick them so hard they actually go into orbit.
With a special ship and enough firepower to sort out the 100 year war in an hour, head to the skies and dodge bullets.For whatever reason and whichever tactical handbook involved, you are heading into space to shoot down a colourful variety of enemy spaceships, always culminating to fighting a huge boss ship at the end (Come to think of it, why does the boss always fight alone.. you know what? I don't care).
A space themed puzzle that puts you in the role of dashing space miner. Use your gravity wells to siphon off the colorful "stuff" provided by gas planets, and guide it to your absorbers. Okay, maybe it doesn't sound too daring or exciting, even if you do manage to cast Bruce Willis in the lead role (which isn't the case here), but Eon does manage to provide a beautiful puzzle experience that is as elegant in its technical design as it is in its pixelated visuals.
Between the kicking music, the fantastic anime-like visuals and animations, and the sheer fun of watching a round kitty cat power suck sushi make up for a lot. Not the greatest game around, but one of the most entertaining time-wasters imaginable. Surreal, silly mayhem in 15 levels. Just the sort of thing to put a smile on your face and brighten up your day.
Saturated will brighten your world with neon vector graphics and brain-challenging action-puzzles. You'll definitely never forget that red and blue make purple after your failure to apply that principle in time results in your ship being reduced to smithereens. There's a good variety in the levels here. Some levels require frantic speed to outrun a laser, others are mazes requiring exploration and backtracking, and still others are enemy-heavy.
Like blocks? Us too! So head on over to BLockoban 2, with an improved look and brand new levels of block sliding puzzle goodness to tease the grey matter between your ears. When you finally wade through the 100+ levels, take a crack at the level editor and make your own.
With a nice mix of math, logic, color, and construction, Escape from 5th Door is fun, balanced room escaping that challenges and teases and taunts and eventually leaves you happy to escape. Be prepared for some odd leaps of logic, and laugh at the "bad" escape when you find it. Just get escaping!
"Hero" is such a broad term. Don't you think, cowboy? You were just liberating that silver after all. Before you can ride off into the sunset, you'll need to get out of this jail cell. Hoosegow is a tongue-in-cheek bit of interactive fiction set in the wild west, and the proud winner of CGDC7.
Things might look easy, but to finish Isoball 2 you gotta be some kind of genius. Isoball 2 takes the whole idea of playing with geometric shapes to a whole different and ultimately dumbfounding level in a head-scratching puzzler with fifty stages to test your mettle on.
Cubor lets players gently roll colorful blocks to respectively colored designated areas, which will be a familiar trope to veteran puzzlers. But Cubor adds a couple of twists to the formula. Cubes move by rotating in the direction of travel, and as a cube is only truly home when the colored side is face-down, you must assess not only the means of delivery, but also the approach. Not every orientation will do, and part of the solving is in adjusting the cube's orientation so that it can arrive home properly.
Do you hate blocks? Sure you do. Look at them, sitting up there... judging you... laughing at you... not knocked down for points and fun... who do they think they are?! Well, in this snappy physics puzzle game you can give them their comeuppance! Blosics is back with a sequel, and it's bigger and better than ever.
No Name Room Escape is a nice mid-week break. Simple, classic escaping done up nicely. Forget back stories, exotic locales, weird themes, and all the rest and just get escaping!
What's a world without colour? If you can't put a stop to the Void invasion at the Prizim tower you're going to find out, and it won't be pretty. Take on the role of Roy, a Hueman able to swap colours and abilities at will, and fight your way to the top in this colourful, unique puzzle platformer.
And oldie but a goodie, Castlemouse is a puzzle game filled with complex chain reactions. To catch the mouse, you need a cat. To keep the cat moving, you need to scare it with a bigger animal. Soon, you've got an entire zoo full of critters chasing each other around the grid. And you're having a great time doing it!
Use a cannon to launch squirrels like bushy-tailed missiles into clusters of airborne acorns, hoping to accrue enough points to beat the level's target score and move on to the next. The more acorns you hit with one rodent, the more points you rack up. There's multi-shot acorns, fiery acorns, and an inexplicably fun "There's only a few acorns left" mode where your cannon becomes a gatling gun of furry fury. Suffice it to say, the squirrels have their work cut out for them.
Diver 2 is a physics-based game of cliff diving created by Jeff Weber of Farseer Games. Its simple premise sticks you on top of a cliff and says "ok, now jump gracefully into the water and land between the markers". Riiiiight. Doing that perfectly (and on the first try) is about as easy as teaching a cat to sing a canzone from Rigoletto. With a little practice, though, you'll get it right. The dive, not the singing cat bit.
Wake the Royalty is Eugene Karataev's sequel to Wake Up the Box, with a pleasant, hypnotic tune by ImperfectDisciple accompanying it. 25 levels in all, this iteration doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but it's still a fun little diversion. If you're looking for a good phuzzle to waste a bit of time, look no further.
One Button Bob is a side-scrolling action-platformer that uses just the left mouse button for control. Click. Click and hold. Click to stop. Rapidly click. Click, hold, and release. You get the idea. Make it through each screen using a combination of trial-and-error and careful timing!
Cover Orange 2 is longer (25 levels, as opposed to 20 in the original), trickier (some levels require very precise placement and timing), and then there's the level editor. Players who've managed to get all the way through can then try to create a level (or levels) of their own, limited only by their imaginations and, of course, the laws of physics. It's nice amid the glut of casual gameplay to be found out there that a designer listens to the gamers and uses that advice to create something even better than the first, even when the first game was pretty cool to begin with.
We're not talking rocket science, here. A kicking intro, a handful of goofy puzzles, one of the coolest escapes ever, and you're done. Sometimes, though, it's nice to take a break from cold logic and just have a little fun. Strip down to shorts, put on a funky hat, grab a tasty beverage of your choice, and enjoy the island madness. And the inflatable pig.
WereBox is a fun little challenge that will brighten your day. Lurking in the darkness, transforming to save the day, be the hero and vanquish the wicked reds so that life in the city can return to normal. Well, normal for balls anyway. It's a physics puzzle with a twist, as you turn balls to boxes and back again to complete each level.
An experiment in concept, Record Tripping is a short game that you control using your mouse scroll wheel. Play a series of mini-games that take you through Alice in Wonderland with one very pretty presentation. The whole package is a cool little showcase of a neat idea with lovely trappings, well worth the short time it takes to complete.
Have you ever wondered what ponies dream about? It's not hay or salt licks. They dream of racing with shiny dolphins across a purple landscape, leaping to avoid smashing into stars and racking up a high score. That's right, they dream of being a magical robot unicorn! And now, thanks to this weird yet addictive two-button game from Adult Swim, so will you. Neigh, my friend. Neigh like you've never neighed before!
How many crates could a penguin stack if a penguin could stack crates? You're about to find out. There isn't a human in sight, so it's up to you and our fine flippered friend to transport crates of live, bouncy, feisty animals to the nearest zoo with only your stacking skills, a battered red pickup, and a physics engine on your side.
Factory Balls is back and coming to a browser near you, with more wicked ways to waste time attempting to paint small white balls to factory spec while a throbbing beat plays in the background. Everything Bart produces is tons of fun and Factory Balls 3 is no exception. With its cutesy visuals and kicking soundtrack, Factory Balls 3 is one of the best time wasters around.
From the dark realm of deep space we find ourselves back on the disquietingly silent space station where we left off in the first Space Oddity, an episodic point-and-click adventure from Pastel Games. When the 2nd chapter, Space Oddity 2, begins you had just gained access to Level 3 and attempted to contact headquarters, but there was no reply. What has happened? Are you all alone? Why doesn't anyone answer?
It's word game meets physics puzzle in Prose and Motion, a unique game by DeeperBeige. Click and drag letters to the starting point on each stage, carefully arranging them one by one in a neat little row. Spell a word to move on to the next level, spell the correct word and you're even more awesome!
Ivoryboy's gorgeous "spot the difference" game has returned with 4 Differences! Scrutinize the two pictures and click on each bit that doesn't match between the pictures. This game is miles above most other spot-the-difference games. Its visual presentation alone makes it worth a look. If you like the genre at all, you won't want to miss it.
Tesshi-e has graced us with a lovely, classic room escape scenario. With four different escape scenarios to find, Escape From the Snowman's Room will happily engage your logic circuits and transport you to a place where snowmen get really angry if you break their toys in the process of escape. Bundle up, and be prepared to Escape From the Snowman's Room.
Think construction work is boring? Maybe you aren't using enough guided missiles. Unleash the awesome power of the yellow hard hat as you use everything from explosions to wrecking balls to airplanes to destroy buildings and make your cash quota in Nitrome's explosive (literally) take on the physics demolition game.
Not enough cute in your day? Never fear, Chibi Knight is here! An action/adventure title with RPG elements, the game has you sending your itty-bitty hero out to save the land from some big, bad beasties, and maybe uncover a secret or two along the way. How cute is this short little gem? Just give the title screen a gander, and a listen. Melted yet?
Welcome to Pong's bizarro twin from the negaverse of gaming. [Up] and [Down] steer the ball, though, instead of the paddles. It's up to you to steer the fearless pixel around those persistent paddles, and into the next area, where a pair of smarter, more adroit defenders await your arrival.
A java demake of Terry Cavanagh's retro spacefaring platformer, VVVV is a challenging little gem sure to bring delight to your day as you set about rescuing six of your fellow crew mates across a dangerous map. And by "delight", we of course mean "difficulty designed to make your fingers snap like ineffectual little twigs". Yaaaaaay!
There's not a lot of game here, but what there is is casual gameplay done right. Simple, elegant, easy on the eyes, and over quickly, Hormiga Escape is the perfect little point-and-click gem to go with your early morning coffee, a quick five-minute workout for your brain to kick start the day. Help a little ant get home before disaster strikes!
Use the awesome powers of ninja billiards to save the world from undead viral domination! Now there's a weird sentence. As Viro, a tiny globular ninja, shoot your way through the ranks of the monsters to infect them with a disease so they aren't a threat in 120 levels of physics puzzle mayhem that will test your skill and your fondness for the colour pink.
Short, sweet, and sentimental, Matiawase is still an entertaining little escape from the everyday. Perfect for playing during a short break or using as an excuse to take a short break, something that will transport you away from reality for a few short minutes, a perfect cure for the mid-week and mid-winter blahs.
Step into the shoes of a Stetson-clad treasure hunter with a glint of gold in his eye who can read five dead languages for no apparent reason and has his spelunking boots all laced up. Trounce baddies and collect golden idols that allow you to move from one leg of the tomb to the next in this pixelrific platform adventure game.
What makes a game relaxing? Despite featuring a large quantity of whizzing, brightly-colored particles and a constantly counting down timer, Pulsus somehow manages to be a game I'd like to pick up and play at o'dark hundred while sipping a cup of herbal tea until I get sleepy again.
Take on the penguin menace facing the polar bears with a sled, a few well-placed bombs and a bit of help from physics in this cheeky cartoon game from Gameboltz.
In a sketchy, notepad world, a doodled character moves with ninja-like precision over the landscape and deadly terrain. Under birds, over spikes, avoiding pitfalls and collecting floating clocks en route to the exit is a lot more difficult than it seems in this tricky one-button platformer.
Challenging, fun, mysterious, the puzzles flow from one to another in a beautiful logical procession in this latest escape title from Place of Light that sees you trying to shine a little light on a darkened room. Most of the enjoyment is in that wonderful feeling and happy sigh as you unveil one more tiny point of light, pointing to yet another puzzle and another point of light. Well worth the trip.
Is it Zuma? Is it a shooter? Or is it just one of the most funky, deceptively relaxing little browser games you'll play all day? Harvest DNA and chain together matching colors in this gorgeous hybrid game that gradually ups the difficulty. Perfect for your coffee break, or any time you feel the need to take out frustration on that haughty genetic material.
Slip, squish, and slide your way through this gorgeous little physics platformer as you explore a mysterious asteroid. While a bit more polish would have done it good, Huje Adventure still manages to delight with a bizarre narrative, gorgeous environments, and all the squelching sound effects you can handle. And we think that's quite a bit.
With First Person Tetris, brace yourself to rediscover a classic game given a dizzyingly new makeover. Be warned, though, if you can survive the motion-induced nausea you may find out what all those office workers of old discovered: once started it's difficult to stop.
Inspiring equal parts hate and admiration, Defuse consists of a series of increasingly difficult math and logic puzzles that can be solved using the mouse. What happens if you fail? Well, hey, the important thing is that you can retry without penalty. But if you can complete the puzzle in each room and make it to the finale, you will receive the ultimate reward... possibly.
Logica is a color and number based puzzler from Candystand. The goal is to follow the instructions each level provides, and sometimes the point of the puzzle is in figuring out what those instructions are. There are three tiers of difficulty with ten levels each, plus a useful five level tutorial. The theme is good, the concept well-conceived and usually the puzzles are clever and a solid application of the concept.
Stacking things on top of other things has never been more fun... or more tricky! Try to achieve the correct weight on the scales to balance both sides, but watch out; create a single solid row of blocks and they'll vanish, Tetris style! So warm up that thinker between your ears and put on your puzzle solving gloves, because Libra will test your mettle like few other games will.
Grab your magnifying glasses and reading glasses, it's time to become a dictionary detective! Or a lexicon lawman. Or a syllable sleuth. Perhaps an alliterative agent? Wordspector is a fast-paced word game that will have you scrambling to find the secret word using deduction and a bit of luck.
Beware your spare time, the sequel to Ring Pass Not is here! Addictive puzzle gameplay refined along with a new look, a new sound, and more. Make runic circles of matching colours and symbols to progress through the land, earning gems as you progress, to avoid being neatly charbroiled by dragons. While the game still depends somewhat on the luck of the draw, it's a challenging, fun game that can sneakily expand to fill all your free time if you don't keep an eye on it.
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