Sorry folks. This week's Link Dump Friday was delayed by a severe case of "you would not believe the week I just had and also I forgot this was a thing we were doing whoops"-itis. Better late than never, right? This week! A point-and-click adventure whereupon you rescue your hat, an itty-bitty magician on an itty-bitty adventure that includes an itty-bitty pit of flames, a day in the life of a totally respected and not at all scapegoated writer for a high profile game, and seat of your pants style barbering! It's a bizarre potpurri of free indie games, and that's just the way we like it. GAME ON.
The Writer Will Do Something - [Note: Please be aware this game contains profanity.] Ah, the glamorous world of game development. Everyone working together in such perfect creative harmony that it summons a dozen cartoon animals to burst into song... yeah, right in this Twine text-based tale from Matthew S. Burns, you're the lead writer working on a new, big-name game... but the problem is, even though you're close to release, your colleagues have some drastic ideas about the game's direction (in addition to all being a little stuck on a certain big name release), and they're looking for some help. Or a scapegoat. Click the bolded text to learn more or make choices, and hopefully lead your team to the happily-ever-after fairy tale ending that every game gets... right? Right?!
The Secret of Gargoyle Manor - In this short point-and-click adventure from Skyfort Games, a young woman finds herself facing the worst... possible... THING... when her beloved hat is blown over the fence and beyond a locked gate. Like all point-and-click games, the means of getting it back is more than a little convoluted and involves using the items you find around you in a very "makes sense, I guess, but not my first choice of action" sort of way, but there's also another obstacle she may not be expecting even once she gets over the fence. Short, sweet, and just the right difficulty and whimsy for a lunchbreak-sized bit of adventure.
Brave Magician Ipomoea - SigilCipher's cute little platformer about an itty-bitty square wizard exploring a dangerous dungeon on the hunt for a magical staff was inspired by Ludum Dare's "entire game on one screen" theme, which you'll see when you load it up. Gameplay is simple, as you hop across lakes of fire, dodge enemies, and fling fireballs, and climbing back up the same itty-bitty pile of floating platforms over and over because you keep... missing... the last one! There's something seriously charming about the whole thing, making us hope Ipomoea gets another, bigger adventure later on.
Scissors Bros - Made in just a few days for a school project by a handful of intrepid students, Robotic Machine's fast-paced, simple barber simulation tasks you with using your limited tools to give a number of fine gentlemen a shave and/or a haircut just the way they like it! You've even got beard in a can spray if they want more hair than they've got, and watch where you're cutting with those scissors... those cuts can be nasty! You have a limited amount of time to match their preferred photograph as closely as you can, and the better you do, the higher their satisfaction! Miss three, however, and it's game over for you as your illustrious career in face sculpting comes to an end!
Really liked Gargoyle Manor and Brave Magician! I like it when it's made clear what you can interact with in an escape game, like Gargoyle Manor did. I wonder if the developer is thinking of adding an alternate ending?
I actually went back into the game and tried to use the brick on the window to get into the house... but it turns out the only thing you can do at the end is just steal the hat back!
I assume that more endings are on the cards, since I got the feeling this was just a "taster". Brave Magician was cute and short, I liked the "whole game on one screen" thing. A little frustrating here and there, with slippery controls and a small main character. But still fun.
Squiddly, if you like the "whole game on one screen" idea, you may want to check out Nitrome's Tiny Castle if you haven't played it before: https://jayisgames.com/review/tiny-castle.php It's the same sort of concept, and I immediately thought of it when I heard about the Ludum Dare theme!
All through "The Writer Will Do Something" I was thinking 2 things:
1. TLDR
2. When do I get another chance to interact?
Ok, 3 things.
3. Why am I still doing this?
Yes, I "played" until I got to The End. Silly me.
I loved Gargoyle Manor, once I figured out to drop things wtih right-click. The dialogue was fun.
I didn't even mind that it was so short. Well, I didn't mind very much, but I did want her to talk to the gargoyle a bit.
Great music - I'm leaving that window open.
OMG. U read my mind.
._.
Not sure of the point of this little game.
Squiddly and Barbara,
There is more than one ending...depending on your interaction with the gargoyle!
Trewerty, thanks for the heads up!
I managed to get myself arrested by breaking into the wizard's house... is there a way to break the spell on the gargoyle?
And thanks for the recommendation, Dora! I'm loving Tiny Castle, the evolving level is fantastic.
When I first played Gargoyle Manor I thought there was no way to get the good ending I was hoping for. It somehow didn't occur to me...
...that you could learn someone's name by looking at their mail.
Squiddly,
First, after talking with the gargoyle to find out what he wants, you have to climb back down off the tree to the street. SonicLover's hint will help you from there.
For some reason cannot play Scissors Bros. Game keeps asking me to install Unity which I have done twice. Probably because I'm running XP (yes, still).
jcfclark, it's probably more likely because you're running chrome web browser.
They have recently stopped supporting unity web player. You can get around this by manually enabling npapi here: chrome://flags/#enable-npapi
They're stopping all support in september. Let's hope unity has caught up by that point.
OH MY GOD I can't believe I didn't think of that! Got the "happy" ending at last! What a cute game.
What are the possible endings for Gargoyle Manor? I got
the wizard to call the police
and
got to leave with the wizard's hat.
Update