March 2018 Archives

Now and then a puzzle game emerges that feels like a breath of fresh air. In the case of Sinkr, a 2D puzzle game by Wahler Digital, this is achieved largely through the minimalist design of the game's visuals and the originality of its mechanics. The game starts you off with a deceivingly simple task: guide the pucks home to their circular zones. To do this, you are given an array of hooks that you pull along in a set direction by winding a winch-like hexagon. Simply click and hold the hexagon to set the hooks in motion, using the grid in the background as a positioning guide if needed. The introductory levels are a breeze but things quickly become a bit more thought-intensive as new mechanics are added and combined in interesting ways.

Perhaps the word "mind-bending" is bandied about a bit too much when it comes to puzzle games. Nevertheless, I have the feeling that Nusan's Fragments of Euclid might be as worthy of the accolade as any other contender.

If you're not familiar with Euclid, he was a Greek mathematician known for being the founder of geometry. And boy, there is quite a bit of it in this twisted world of staircases and all sorts of geometric patterns that fold back on themselves. The game starts you off in a simple tutorial to introduce you to the machinations of this new geometric world. Despite there being little color and mostly shades of gray other than the occasional blue object that you can maneuver, the world is anything but dull.

Made for the Movie Game Jam 2018, Temple Escape is an action platformer based upon Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. You're an adventurer that resembles Indy, but lacking the whip, and you have to collect treasures in the form of coins and gems, dodge enemies and find your way to the end of each level. The overal quality reminds me a lot of some old DOS games like Dangerous Dave, where you basically have to do the same thing, collect treasures and reach the end of the level.

Wishing you sunny Wednesday, the new Weekday Escape is here!

Flatsan wants us to play a game with one scene only, and in addition, completely grey scene - that doesn't sound very promising, right? Don't let this description discourage you, it's a good game and fun! Escape Game Club's game isn't simple escape game - it is in fact - but technically it's a challenge! Blue-haired Mono-chan has prepared this room by herself and the rules are simple - if you aren't able to escape - you lose. If you escape successfully, Mono-chan would be very frustrated! Her revenge would be another and better escape game...good, I hope you get out of there! Funkyland is still absorbed in beauty business and so they lock you in a nail salon.

Have a good time and enjoy!

If you're into both puzzle games and mathematics, Pictopix might just be the match made in heaven for you. The premise is simple: start with a grid of a given size, and fill in the tiles according to simple rules. Numbers next to each row and column indicate how many blocks of that row must be filled in, and if there are breaks between streaks of these rows. Each of these puzzles has exactly one solution, and can be determined purely by logic. Once you fill out everything - assuming you've not made any mistakes, which can happen if your powers of deduction slip - it'll complete into a picture as a little bonus. Will you make a tire, a swan, something else? Play Pictopix and watch the puzzles take shape before your eyes!

You come to your senses in some sort of ancient temple, shortly after being told you've been asleep too long and you need to wake up and leave the place (a bit cliché, I know, but stick with me here!). Ruins surround you, and you don't quite remember where you are or what you're doing here. You are a small, humanoid type creature with a small light near your head - at least, it appears to be your head - as what will sometimes be the only light to guide your way. There don't seem to be others around, so you may well be taking your journey in solitude. There are scratchings in a form resembling hieroglyphics around you that you can seem to make sense of. Will they guide you on a path to enlightenment or just lead you on a wild goose chase?

Mimi's Delivery Dash is the winner of this years Movie Game Jam! And how can it not be? It's based upon the anime Kiki's Delivery Service and the premise of the game is to collect orders and deliver them to people, using your broom. Yes, you've read that right, you're a little delivery witch and you have to fly up to people waving at you, grab their item, and fly to another person that wants that item. That way you will earn money (and if you're fast enough a bonus) which is your score. Oh, and you only have 3 minutes to get the highest score you can.

Time for another dose of monkey puzzle hunting! Enjoy four more stages in this edition.

Long time ago we met little black dwarf with red pointy cap in charming little adventure Shy Dwarf (Plachý trpaslík) by Jaromír Plachý. Nine years later the same designer introduces another black creature in pointy cap, but fluffier and definitely not shy! His name is Chuchel, has a big mouth and isn't afraid to use it - it's yelling and singing, jumping and running around and making faces like slapstick entertainer - and slapstick film is the genre which the game resembles a lot, it's crazy and funny comedy composed of sketches.

Amanita Design's CHUCHEL is not one big adventure like Machinarium, the storyline is very simple. Chuchel loves cherries, d̶e̶u̶s̶ manus ex machina tears his cherry from his mouth and frustrated Chuchel is trying to get it again and again...and repeatedly loses it, being followed or outrun by Kekel, who apparently loves cherries too and in their Tom and Jerry-like relationship is the smaller (and sneakier) one.

Hello everyone, Wednesday is here with regular dose of games!

Colorful and joyful game by Maymay is warm-up only - Masa, on the other hand, tests your escaping skills, observation and deduction thoroughly, and if you were ever wondering how do tent manufacturers test water resistance of their products, you'll learn now. The last entry in this Weekday Escape is by no1game and Wanpa; and brings very well-done game (more adventure than escape) with few rooms to explore...that's good concept, if you get stuck in one room, you can go elsewhere and not brood over one puzzle and overthink it.

Have a good time and enjoy!

It's the magic of Japanese point-and-clicks to create something out of seemingly nothing. One clue following another, one step leading to the next, makes players realize that there's so much more below the surface. In Dismantlement: Box Lunch 3, the surface happens to be just that - the top of a bento box.

When you're wandering the woods in search of answers, what does the fox say? Meet Leah, the furry, endearing protagonist of Foxtail. Her unassuming visit to Grandma's house deep in the forest leads to a whirlwind adventure involving family secrets and wistful nostalgia.

Pineview is a pleasant, serene town tucked away in the country, safely hidden away from the both the hustle and bustle and the sometimes traumatic events of city life. At least, that's the way it was until a few days ago, when the peaceful tranquility was shattered by a double shooting. A now not-so-happily ever after couple lay brutally murdered in their home, bullet wounds readily apparent on both their bodies. You've been called in to help investigate the scene and get to the bottom of it, but oddly enough, the police and detectives already there seemed convinced that everything is all wrapped up. Even as you have your doubts and begin to look at things - the scene of the crime, the witnesses, the evidence - more carefully, it seems the local police are adamant on the opposite approach, insisting that what happened is clear and merits no further checking. Do they have a point in that things are sometimes as plain as they seem, or are they a little too concerned with their holiday weekend over a couple of people's lives?

Make time for a trip to the past, Retro Weekday Escape is here!

Do you feel flat or tired? Cheer up, this Weekday Escape is full of magic! Enchanted forest, magic gemstones and a dryad in Esklavos' game! Astrology and zodiac signs in HintSan's game, with cameo of Sherlock Holmes! Magically changing maze in Denofthekamo's game! Well, the changes depend on your actions - but they are magical!

Have a good time and enjoy!

Quit the game to win is not an easy game to win, sure the premise is to Quit the game, but let me tell you that it's harder than it looks. You're being challenged by the program itself, and as it says in the beginning pressing 'ESC' and 'ALT F4' aren't working. You'll have to find another way to Quit the game to win. At least the program is thinking along with you and helps you find the 'X-Button' that disappears right in front of your eyes.

We've now reached double digits of monkey madness! And you know what that means - this batch takes us through four more to make a total of forty! Without further ado, here are the latest additions:

Faraway: Puzzle Escape is a mobile point and click escape game that can also be played in your browser. The game opens up to a title screen where a gate can be seen, or it might even be a portal since there's something glowing. Immediately you see two buttons where you can download the game for The Google Play Store and/or the App Store.

The game itself has stunning visuals and a very relaxing ambient soundtrack. The puzzles itself are pretty logical and in each level you have to find a tablet that will fit on the top of the next gate so you can activate it. But there's more to be found, besides the portal tile you also have to find 3 notes. You don't need these to finish the level, but they will explain the plot to you since they look like notes a previous traveller has left behind.

Wednesday is here with three escape games for your fun!

The first in this Weekday Escape is Tototo Room's room, nearly the same as last time (and last last time) - snowmen playing outside are the same too, probably, but puzzles are brand new and fun. Ichima takes you to the mountains in their new game (which is a bit trickier than usual) and let you enjoy the rest of winter. With Selfdefiant you set off for adventure in abandoned asylum and rescue your lost friends from dark powers!

Have a good time and enjoy!

A cast of robots, apparently discarded by their human masters, have arrived on the faraway, abandoned planet of Koruuna at an abandoned production studio. But these aren't just any old heaps of programmed metal. The robots seem to have garnered a sense of sentience, and yearn for entertainment, something special to fill their circuits in the absence of orders from humans. After all, it's not hurting anyone if they have a little fun when there's nothing else to do, is it? Just like humans need hours at night to recharge their batteries with sleep, so do robots require a little extracurricular activity to ease their circuitry once in a while. And in fact, as the infamous author Isaac Asimov ascribed, by the Third Law of Robotics, "A robot must protect its own existence so long as such existence does not conflict with the First or Second laws." The drudgery of one's own existence is indeed a threat, after all!

Thomas Brush (Atmos Games) is a rare breed of indie developer. A veritable powerhouse capable of not only designing beautiful and engaging games, but also programming them, scoring them, and animating them. Brush's most recent game, Pinstripe, was met with critical acclaim from players and reviewers alike, and his brand new project Once Upon a Coma knocked its Kickstarter campaign out of the park, reaching the initial $28,000 goal within the first 24 hours. You may be familiar with his work already as he's certainly no stranger to this site. If not, I would highly recommend checking out his free to play games, Coma (a prequel to his current project) and Skinny, to say nothing of Pinstripe which is also so very worth your time and money.

Not since Undertale's Toby Fox have I found myself so utterly impressed with a singular designer and I am very pleased to be able to share this interview with you that Thomas so graciously took the time to take part in.

Hi everybody, long time no see. While looking through the web, I have found a little game that I'm sure you'd like.

Spab is a game made for Ludum Dare 37, with the theme of one room. You probably know a couple of games from that competition (like levelone), but this entry was uploaded just a few weeks ago.

The last game by Kotorinosu is here and it's fantasic!

Amazingly creative Kotorinosu has always been among the greatest designers (do you remember Mirror Escape, Device or innovative Pixel Room?).There was very long and silent pause after which they returned with E.X.I.T. (WE N°155); and this game is really pleasant surprise! Full size, well-designed and elegant puzzles, and perfectly logic.