Games Games Games Games
Lovely games, wonderful games! Slightly heavy on the physics-based games this time.
First, if you liked Scorching Earth from the last post, there is a new level set out, the "Community Edition"
Another sequel, Shift 3. Like the previous two, you'll be in and out of negative space, but the third installment finally perfects both the gameplay and the narrative.
Swinging Ball Exactly like the name suggests: use the arrow keys to spin your ball left and right and click the mouse to shoot a grappling hook at the green lines to swing yourself about. Get to the yellow square to finish the level. What's really great here is that elements of the level often spin around some axis, letting you do some really cool momentum-based tricks!
Two game that mirror each other a bit are Totem Destroyer"> and DUI. The object of both is to remove a specified number of blocks while guiding an object to some goal. Totem Destroyer is the simpler one; just click the blocks to remove them (black ones can't be removed) and keep the little idol from hitting the ground. In DUI, you can use the arrow keys to roll the ball left and right. The ball must not come to rest beneath the red line. To win the level, make the ball stop on a colored block and remove the requisite number of blocks by clicking them (you can hold the mouse button down and sweep over them for efficient removal). Also, all moving blocks must be removed whether or not you've already taken away the required number.
Another get-the-ball-to-a-goal game, but this one may be the best on the list: Fantastic Contraption. Basically, you're given an initial setup and have to find a way to get the ball(s) to the goal over any terrain that might be in the way. Draw line segments and join them together to make ramps, bridges, trusses, etc. If you need some locomotion, there are spinners that can be implemented into your contraptions. Sounds simple, but there are some really nifty things that can be built. After you solve a level, you can view others' solutions as well.
Moving away from the physics games, here's one that'll test your multitasking and reflex skills. Tontoko Family puts you in charge of four people (presumably the Tontokos) each chugging along their own road. Each one has its own obstacles that must be dealt with, and each character has exactly one key that controls it: W, A, S, or D (Z, X, C, and V may also be used). Nothing too deep, but so rewarding at the end when you find out what "prize" your score has earned.
Next up, a choose-your-own-adventure style game called Mr. Coo: El Laberinto Esferico. It's pretty short, so I won't go into a lot of detail, but basically you have to get this strange-looking man out of the maze of dreams. The choices you make affect future happenings, so be careful. Also, realize that the true end of the game comes when you have escaped in each of the three possible ways.
Finally, for you abstract thinkers, try Wiclimo from Tonypa. Simply discover the correct order in which to visit the blocks with your mouse. Your only hints are "dings" (good) and "whoops" (bad). Just mouse over the shapes until you find the first "ding" (no "whoops" will sound until you find the starting point) and then carefully move the mouse to what you think is the next shape in the series. If you're right, you'll hear another "ding"; if not, you'll hear a "whoop" and have to start again. Each level has enough clues that there need be little trial and error (although that strongly depends on how long it takes before the correct pattern dawns on you). There are 30 levels, but they are randomized, so it's not too big of a deal to have to restart after you use up your generous number of lives.
First, if you liked Scorching Earth from the last post, there is a new level set out, the "Community Edition"
Another sequel, Shift 3. Like the previous two, you'll be in and out of negative space, but the third installment finally perfects both the gameplay and the narrative.
Swinging Ball Exactly like the name suggests: use the arrow keys to spin your ball left and right and click the mouse to shoot a grappling hook at the green lines to swing yourself about. Get to the yellow square to finish the level. What's really great here is that elements of the level often spin around some axis, letting you do some really cool momentum-based tricks!
Two game that mirror each other a bit are Totem Destroyer"> and DUI. The object of both is to remove a specified number of blocks while guiding an object to some goal. Totem Destroyer is the simpler one; just click the blocks to remove them (black ones can't be removed) and keep the little idol from hitting the ground. In DUI, you can use the arrow keys to roll the ball left and right. The ball must not come to rest beneath the red line. To win the level, make the ball stop on a colored block and remove the requisite number of blocks by clicking them (you can hold the mouse button down and sweep over them for efficient removal). Also, all moving blocks must be removed whether or not you've already taken away the required number.
Another get-the-ball-to-a-goal game, but this one may be the best on the list: Fantastic Contraption. Basically, you're given an initial setup and have to find a way to get the ball(s) to the goal over any terrain that might be in the way. Draw line segments and join them together to make ramps, bridges, trusses, etc. If you need some locomotion, there are spinners that can be implemented into your contraptions. Sounds simple, but there are some really nifty things that can be built. After you solve a level, you can view others' solutions as well.
Moving away from the physics games, here's one that'll test your multitasking and reflex skills. Tontoko Family puts you in charge of four people (presumably the Tontokos) each chugging along their own road. Each one has its own obstacles that must be dealt with, and each character has exactly one key that controls it: W, A, S, or D (Z, X, C, and V may also be used). Nothing too deep, but so rewarding at the end when you find out what "prize" your score has earned.
Next up, a choose-your-own-adventure style game called Mr. Coo: El Laberinto Esferico. It's pretty short, so I won't go into a lot of detail, but basically you have to get this strange-looking man out of the maze of dreams. The choices you make affect future happenings, so be careful. Also, realize that the true end of the game comes when you have escaped in each of the three possible ways.
Finally, for you abstract thinkers, try Wiclimo from Tonypa. Simply discover the correct order in which to visit the blocks with your mouse. Your only hints are "dings" (good) and "whoops" (bad). Just mouse over the shapes until you find the first "ding" (no "whoops" will sound until you find the starting point) and then carefully move the mouse to what you think is the next shape in the series. If you're right, you'll hear another "ding"; if not, you'll hear a "whoop" and have to start again. Each level has enough clues that there need be little trial and error (although that strongly depends on how long it takes before the correct pattern dawns on you). There are 30 levels, but they are randomized, so it's not too big of a deal to have to restart after you use up your generous number of lives.