Thanks to everyone who participated by casting votes in the Best of 2005 feature. And, after close to 20,000 votes tallied, I can say with confidence the winners this year are undisputed leaders of the pack. Look for a countdown of the top Web games of 2005 beginning sometime tomorrow (the 1st).
Have a safe and happy New Year! =D
Word of the Best of 2005 compilation is spreading around the world, far and wide, with the voting page receiving a tremendous influx of visitors from Europe—particularly Brussels, Belgium and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. And probably due to this new traffic, I have received word from Karel of inslag.com, maker of fine Web games and Web sites from North Holland in The Netherlands, about a brand new Flash game they created for Demion Online.
Robobug Blaster is a gorgeous platform shooter with an unusal vertical orientation. The object of the game is to protect the cargo boxes, as they travel from top to bottom along the conveyor belts, from the cargo-hungry robobugs. The robobugs will latch onto a box and damage it quickly, so fast action is required to navigate the entire system and keep the path clear.
Control is with the keyboard: use the arrow keys to navigate Roboi left, right, up (jump) and down. Double-jump by pressing the up arrow twice in succession. Press the space bar to fire your extremely large pulse cannon. The weapon will automatically target the little buggers very nicely, thus making firing simple as facing or jumping in the general direction of a bug and pressing the space bar.
Each level sends a set number of cargo boxes down the belts for you to protect. A target goal is given at the start of each level indicating the percentage of boxes that must be saved. If you fail to meet the goal, or if you lose all your 'health juice', the game ends.
Points are scored for each bug killed and for the extra chips and bolts they leave behind. Sometimes the bugs will leave behind valuable cans of health juice; get those while you can, because they disappear and they don't come often.
Analysis: The game possesses a very appealing commercial feel due to the exceptional artistic talents of Vincent van de Wetering (a.k.a. VinzEnd). The graphics are cute and the animations of each character are simple and yet expressive, and very well-done. I especially liked the detail of the quality control man that checks each box for damage.
The idea of protecting the cargo from the bugs is engaging from the start and helps to create a frantic mood that is well-suited to the fast-action of the game. The auto-targeting of the oversized weapon is the single most important feature that makes the gameplay here lots of fun. Click.
