Posts from ‘Browser Games’ Category

A Grain of Truth

By: ithamore

On: June 12th, 2012

A Grain of Truth, by the Rudowski brothers

A Grain of Truth is the latest addition to the Big Old Tree that Dreams games about the story collector Myosotis. With it, the Rudowski brothers have created a condensed point-and-click adventure that’s wonderfully illustrated and scored and has a healthy dose of puzzles. Its map system, which enables warping to previous locations, is also a nice touch. I enjoyed its challenge until the end and look forward to playing through the next dream from the Big Old Tree.

For those interested, the previous games in the mythos are Bell’s Heart and the demo of The Trader of Stories.

Reprisal

By: Alehkhs

On: May 21st, 2012

When graphic designer Jon Caplin found himself with time on his hands while recovering from a broken jaw, he began work on a personal art-design project that drew from his memories of playing the classic god game Populous. What began as a simple hobby project arrives today as a full, completed game. Titled “Reprisal,” the finished product features one of the most gorgeous presentations of pixel art I’ve seen and is free to play in-browser.

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The Dream Machine

By: Derek Yu

On: May 20th, 2012

The Dream Machine, by Cockroach, Inc.

The Dream Machine is an episodic horror adventure game that stars Victor Neff, a young man who just moved into an apartment with his wife. The first three chapters of the five chapter story have already come out and are now available on Steam. With each short chapter costing $5, it really makes the most sense to try chapter one for free at the game’s website and then buy the full $15 bundle on Steam if you enjoy it.

Confusing distribution options aside, The Dream Machine has a wonderfully eerie and surrealistic atmosphere, and when I played it a year or so back, I remember the story and puzzles being quite interesting. Hopefully the final two chapters will be released soon.

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Coming to Steam: Realm of the Mad God

By: Alehkhs

On: February 18th, 2012

Realm of the Mad God, the free-to-play, bullet-hell MMORPG will soon arrive on Steam.

Realm of the Mad God

Originally an entry in the TIGSource Assemblee Competition, Realm of the Mad God has continued to gain popularity for the past two years, and was announced as a Main Competition finalist for the 2012 Independent Games Festival. The game’s move to Steam, early next week, shows just how popular it has become and will introduce achievements to the game as well as a stand-alone client (though players will still be able to play in their browsers, if they so wish). The game will continue to be free to play, and it’s almost certain that the team intends to add new content throughout the foreseeable future as the player base continues to grow.

Congratulations, Wild Shadow Studios!

 

TIGdb: Entry for Realm of the Mad God

Swift Stitch

By: Paul Eres

On: January 11th, 2012

[This is a guest article by Offal, a review/analysis of Sophie Houlden’s Swift Stitch. She’s also the developer of The Linear RPG, BOXGAME, and many others.]

 

Dissecting Swift☆Stitch

 

You might be forgiven if at first glance you were to confuse Sophie Houlden’s recently released Swift Stitch for a video game out of another decade.  Utilizing the Unity3D game engine, Sophie has created an ostensibly 2D game, though one that hews closer artistically to the legacy of early vector displays than the more prolific blocky bitmap art that followed.  The slick mathematical aesthetic, the palette of black, white, and bright flickering neons, and the bare-minimum control method may seem otherworldly amongst today’s fare. On deeper examination however, you may discover that Swift Stitch is a game firmly rooted in the present, taking a unique approach in addressing several modern game design paradigms.

In play, Swift Stitch bears significant resemblance to the bit Generations (or more recently, ArtStyle) games. Roughly similar to various entries in the arty Skip Ltd. developed series, Swift Stitch presents the player with minimal visual and aural feedback, tightening the gap between stimulus and player reaction. When successful, this kind of game induces a unique head-space that makes every lesson learned by failure and every small triumph feel sublime.


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Windosill

By: Derek Yu

On: December 31st, 2011

Windosill, by Patrick Smith

The iPad version of Windosill was released earlier this month and adds a sketchbook gallery, level select, and “translucent mode” that lets you see how each level is put together (although you can’t tell from a screenshot, many of the objects in the game are 3d polygons). The original game, which can be played in your browser or as a download from Steam, came out in ’09.

The brainchild of Patrick Walker, Windosill takes you through 11 simple puzzle rooms. The game is criminally short, but nonetheless quite enjoyable. The toy truck that leads the way is perhaps a hint about how to best play it – by not only solving the puzzles but also goofing around with the fanciful, abstract dioramas that make up each room.

The browser version is free up until the halfway point. It’s currently on sale for about $1 on Steam.

TIGdb: Entry for Windosill

The Binding of Isaac Demo

By: Derek Yu

On: October 11th, 2011

Isaac

A two-level demo is now available for Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl’s shooter The Binding of Isaac.

TIGdb: Entry for the Binding of Isaac

IFComp 2011 Entries Now Available

By: Derek Yu

On: October 4th, 2011

IFComp 2011

Judging has begun for this year’s Interactive Fiction Competition, with 38 entries available for play, either online or as downloadable files. You can also download every entry in a big package. Voting, which is open to anyone, lasts until November 15th.

Emily Short is writing short summaries of all the (non-broken) entries on her website.

Minecraft Beta 1.8.1

By: Derek Yu

On: September 16th, 2011

The first half of the long-awaited “Adventure Update” to Minecraft has finally been released, and adds a number of features to support the game’s planned Adventure Mode, like NPC villages and improvements to the combat system. It also adds new enemy mobs, biomes, crafting recipes, and a Creative Mode, among other things. The full list of changes can be found here.

TIGdb: Entry for Minecraft

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RPG in 14 Days for Charity

By: Derek Yu

On: September 1st, 2011

Coffee Break Hero, by Big Block Games

Big Block Games is creating a simple two-week game from scratch to raise money for Child’s Play, the charity started by Penny Arcade that provides toys and games to sick children. The team will be streaming live and putting up builds of Coffee Break Hero every hour or so, along with design notes and other fun stuff. It’s Flash-based, so you can play it right in your browser as it gets updated.

Higher donators will receive prizes such as free games and be able to contribute to the game’s design by naming monsters and items.