Bandango
12-31-2009, 01:10 PM
http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1536
So much draws me to the indie PC title. Most are short, potent nuggets of fun consumed in less than hour. They concern themselves with a single mechanic and don’t muddle it up with frill and half realized ideas. And I really do appreciate the fact that so many of these games are freely distributed by their creators. There is something pure about art that asks for nothing but your attention, and in many of these games purity seems to be the point. The past year of indie games has reminded me of what this hobby is really all about. They’ve taken the ballooned, cross-genre, multimillion dollar spectacle of it all and returned it to its roots. They’ve distilled the games we play now into something very much like the games we used to play, without ignoring the innovations made along the way. They realize what is fun and try to find the shortest route to it. ! is yet another example.
http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1540
! is a reduction of the adventure game. In a minimum of color, space, and time it hits all the high notes of the genre. The first thing you’ll notice on playing (or looking at these screenshots for that matter) is that the screen is divided into six squares. ! throws away the usual procession through distinct set pieces and presents them to the player all at once, almost like a comic book. Besides this being a cool idea, it lends to a unique cohesion that reinforces the game world. Characters interact between panels, and their constant presence creates an illusion of interdependence.
http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1538
As !, robot, it’s up to you to solve the mystery of your town’s precious exclamation point, stolen by the dastardly Count Can’t. To do so, you converse with the townspeople. Each citizen has their own puzzle for you, all of which are solved through dialogue. And this dialogue is sharp, sometimes even laugh out loud funny, which, if you ask me, is very important in an adventure game. The puzzles are challenging but not impossible, and you’ll feel clever on solving them—another important aspect to a satisfying adventure. The whole game takes place in the six panels you see here, and all together it should take no more than a half an hour. In that time you’ll do all the fun things you’re supposed to do in an adventure game—without pixel hunting, without frustration, without boredom. The music’s good too.
! is:
- An adventure game simplified.
- Clever and well written.
- A quick dose of fun.
Download it here:
http://www.bigbluecup.com/games.php?action=detail&id=1254
So much draws me to the indie PC title. Most are short, potent nuggets of fun consumed in less than hour. They concern themselves with a single mechanic and don’t muddle it up with frill and half realized ideas. And I really do appreciate the fact that so many of these games are freely distributed by their creators. There is something pure about art that asks for nothing but your attention, and in many of these games purity seems to be the point. The past year of indie games has reminded me of what this hobby is really all about. They’ve taken the ballooned, cross-genre, multimillion dollar spectacle of it all and returned it to its roots. They’ve distilled the games we play now into something very much like the games we used to play, without ignoring the innovations made along the way. They realize what is fun and try to find the shortest route to it. ! is yet another example.
http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1540
! is a reduction of the adventure game. In a minimum of color, space, and time it hits all the high notes of the genre. The first thing you’ll notice on playing (or looking at these screenshots for that matter) is that the screen is divided into six squares. ! throws away the usual procession through distinct set pieces and presents them to the player all at once, almost like a comic book. Besides this being a cool idea, it lends to a unique cohesion that reinforces the game world. Characters interact between panels, and their constant presence creates an illusion of interdependence.
http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1538
As !, robot, it’s up to you to solve the mystery of your town’s precious exclamation point, stolen by the dastardly Count Can’t. To do so, you converse with the townspeople. Each citizen has their own puzzle for you, all of which are solved through dialogue. And this dialogue is sharp, sometimes even laugh out loud funny, which, if you ask me, is very important in an adventure game. The puzzles are challenging but not impossible, and you’ll feel clever on solving them—another important aspect to a satisfying adventure. The whole game takes place in the six panels you see here, and all together it should take no more than a half an hour. In that time you’ll do all the fun things you’re supposed to do in an adventure game—without pixel hunting, without frustration, without boredom. The music’s good too.
! is:
- An adventure game simplified.
- Clever and well written.
- A quick dose of fun.
Download it here:
http://www.bigbluecup.com/games.php?action=detail&id=1254