Bandango
01-30-2011, 10:57 PM
The first game that I ever wrote about was a platformer. I’m pretty sure the first game I ever played was a platformer too. They are important to me. In fact, if a team of scientists asked me to select a video game to be placed into a space probe, one that would represent humanity to whichever hyper-intelligent space jellyfish found it first, I would probably choose a platformer. They’re the perfect vessels for mood and atmosphere. They are, for the most part, so straightforward that the actual gameplay melts away, leaving just the world, and the experience, and the style. Sometimes that can be a very good thing.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5942
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5946
Don’t get me wrong. A balance must be struck. Games can’t run on style alone. But they can almost run on style alone. The two following titles are examples of this. They are not especially inspiring, nor are they groundbreaking, nor is the gameplay of either particularly riveting. They are, however, brief, solid and stylish. A strange little world is created in each, you’re given the chance to travel through it, and by the end of the short adventure, you’ll feel good about the time you spent.
Both Beacon and Disco? Very! are entries in the Ludum Dare 19 competition. The theme for this 19th iteration of the competition is discovery, so both titles broach the concept. Disco? Very!, it should be noted, puns the shit out of that theme, so it gets 100 awesome points just for that.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5940
Beacon is a perfect example of the free Indie platformer. I don’t want to say that it’s humble -- there are some negative connotations to that that I’m not so interested in conveying-- but I’m not sure exactly how else to phrase it. It does not bite off more than it can chew. It does not reach too far. It does not leverage its fun on some gimmick in an attempt to set it apart from the rest of the crowd. It’s simple and well put together, and that’s it.
You begin your adventure in front of a ruined ship that has crash-landed on a hostile world. Your partner is dead, and as you are pretty well fucked, you decide you might as well investigate the beacon that lured you to the hostile planet in the first place. With the aid of a jetpack that adds a little double to your jump, you work your way through tunnels and over pits in order to figure out what’s up. Most of the story is told by the gameworld itself, but a cool, reserved narration fills in the blanks, which is rare in Indies -- so many tend to be a tad overdramatic when it comes to the written word. All in all, it’s a very tasteful experience, complete with a good ending that should resonate with anyone even remotely inclined to scifi.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5944
Disco? Very! is another story. Basically it’s a bare bones metroidvania that culminates in a dance-off. Instead of collecting weapons and abilities, you collect dance moves. You can switch between these moves at any point, and certain moves help you traverse obstacles that are otherwise impassable. Your character, by the way, continuously dances instead of walking, and I dare you to find the animation unfunny.
Disco? Very! is, without a doubt, a rough piece of work. But it is styling, maybe even mad styling. The dance-off at the end is utter fun, and makes the slightly boring search for dance moves worth the effort. It’s worth a look.
Disco? Very! (http://discovery.spacebar.org/) is a flash game, so click and play (http://discovery.spacebar.org/). Beacon (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-19/?uid=214) is a Windows download, and here’s the link (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-19/?uid=214). If you’re interested in checking out the other Ludum Dare entries, go to it. (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-19/?action=preview)
Done with this one? Want more? Check out the complete archive of Free and Worth Every Penny (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/tags.php?tag=worth+every+penny).
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5942
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5946
Don’t get me wrong. A balance must be struck. Games can’t run on style alone. But they can almost run on style alone. The two following titles are examples of this. They are not especially inspiring, nor are they groundbreaking, nor is the gameplay of either particularly riveting. They are, however, brief, solid and stylish. A strange little world is created in each, you’re given the chance to travel through it, and by the end of the short adventure, you’ll feel good about the time you spent.
Both Beacon and Disco? Very! are entries in the Ludum Dare 19 competition. The theme for this 19th iteration of the competition is discovery, so both titles broach the concept. Disco? Very!, it should be noted, puns the shit out of that theme, so it gets 100 awesome points just for that.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5940
Beacon is a perfect example of the free Indie platformer. I don’t want to say that it’s humble -- there are some negative connotations to that that I’m not so interested in conveying-- but I’m not sure exactly how else to phrase it. It does not bite off more than it can chew. It does not reach too far. It does not leverage its fun on some gimmick in an attempt to set it apart from the rest of the crowd. It’s simple and well put together, and that’s it.
You begin your adventure in front of a ruined ship that has crash-landed on a hostile world. Your partner is dead, and as you are pretty well fucked, you decide you might as well investigate the beacon that lured you to the hostile planet in the first place. With the aid of a jetpack that adds a little double to your jump, you work your way through tunnels and over pits in order to figure out what’s up. Most of the story is told by the gameworld itself, but a cool, reserved narration fills in the blanks, which is rare in Indies -- so many tend to be a tad overdramatic when it comes to the written word. All in all, it’s a very tasteful experience, complete with a good ending that should resonate with anyone even remotely inclined to scifi.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=5944
Disco? Very! is another story. Basically it’s a bare bones metroidvania that culminates in a dance-off. Instead of collecting weapons and abilities, you collect dance moves. You can switch between these moves at any point, and certain moves help you traverse obstacles that are otherwise impassable. Your character, by the way, continuously dances instead of walking, and I dare you to find the animation unfunny.
Disco? Very! is, without a doubt, a rough piece of work. But it is styling, maybe even mad styling. The dance-off at the end is utter fun, and makes the slightly boring search for dance moves worth the effort. It’s worth a look.
Disco? Very! (http://discovery.spacebar.org/) is a flash game, so click and play (http://discovery.spacebar.org/). Beacon (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-19/?uid=214) is a Windows download, and here’s the link (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-19/?uid=214). If you’re interested in checking out the other Ludum Dare entries, go to it. (http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-19/?action=preview)
Done with this one? Want more? Check out the complete archive of Free and Worth Every Penny (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/tags.php?tag=worth+every+penny).