Strange Free Games Archives - Page 2 of 6

Strange Free Games: Mari0

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new game. Here’s a Super Mario Bros. knock-off. It’s Mari0, a game about the trusty plumber, Mario and…a Portal gun?

Mari0 can be downloaded at StabYourself.net.

The nefarious Bowser and his army has turned the peaceful Toads into blocks, and only the magical Princess Toadstool can save them. Even worse, Bowser kidnapped Toadstool as well, leaving you, Mario, to save her.

Also, for some reason, Mario has a Portal gun. How handy.

Mari0 plays almost exactly like the original Super Mario Bros. You jump, run, run-jump, and throw fireballs. Different in this game is the obvious Portal gun, used to create shortcuts, going to unreachable locations, and conveniently defeat enemies. Furthermore, unlike the original game, you can actually backtrack the levels you’re in. The need to keep track of the portals actually makes this game harder than it seems, as physics tends to play tricks on you frequently.
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Strange Free Games: Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new game. Lets talk about an MMORPG, shall we? Here’s one addicting, but queer RPG called Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online. Why queer? Well, for a Japanese anime inspired game, the visuals are oddly gothic and religiously offensive. Unusual to this genre, the game even has some cinema-scenes, too. And the most interesting part? It plays a little likePokémon.

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online can be downloaded at Aeria Games.

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online starts off in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, where the city has been leveled by demons. As the typical MMORPG trope, you are a Demon Buster, one trained to fight against demons. While investigating a ruin, your leader takes a significant blow as a gigantic demon emerges. You’re rescued, barely alive, and decide to take some vengeance against this boss.

It wouldn’t be a Shin Megami Tensei game, however, if you couldn’t befriend these demons. As luck may have it, you have a talent to convince demons to join your cause, and have them fight alongside with you. Some NPCs are demons themselves, proving once and for all how resilient the human species are.
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Strange Free Games: Void

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new game. Today’s free game is from the friendly team of students at DigiPen Institute at Singapore. The game? Void, a dimension-manipulating first-person puzzle game.

Void can be downloaded from the DigiPen website.

People who played Portal should feel very comfortable with this game. Void begins with our main hero, Artaith, desperately running away from the rubble, and investigating on its cause. Somehow, he’s gained the ability to create dimensional rifts into the past, as well as obtain eyeglass that allows him to see the complex he was in, pre-destruction state.

Artaith can create up to two temporary, spherical dimensional rifts on any surface. In doing so, certain floors and items may become visible, while others may end up being obstructed. As such, the player must carefully place the rifts to his or her benefit, without losing their footing. The puzzles becomes particular complex when water is introduced, allowing you to swim to higher locations that would be otherwise dry and difficult to climb.
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Strange Free Games: Cloud

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new game. Here’s a popular game that helped launched the infamous artsy game studio, ThatGameCompany. Cloud, is a Katamari-like game of collecting clouds and achieving various missions. Incidentally, it was one of the games I’ve introduced in the Weekly Game Music series as well.

Cloud can be downloaded at University of Southern California’s website.

Cloud describes a bed-ridden boy who’s given a spiritual chance to enjoy flight. As one of the cloud spirits, his role is to collect clouds. With these clouds, he can create cloud formations, calm storms, and even cause the clouds to rain.

As its name implies, Cloud is intended to be a relaxing game. As the spirit, you fly towards a patch of cloud to collect it, and have it follow you as you gather more. Since the clouds will lag a little bit, you’re forced to proceed in a slower manner. The said clouds can be stored and released, however, whenever you feel like it.
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Strange Free Games: Dys4ia

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Taro Omiya

New week, new game. What would an auto-biographic game would be like? An interesting question to consider, and this short flash game might have an answer. Dys4ia is a recount of a transsexual game designer, describing her experience in becoming a woman.

Dys4ia can be played at NewGrounds.com.

Dys4ia is described as a simulation, a recount of how the designer came to her decision. It begins with how the designer came to her decision, and the lack of comfort felt at the current state. As the game progresses, the designer — and by extension, the player — faces numerous roadblocks, including the search for a physician, dealing with pre-conditions, and getting used to the transformation.

Dys4ia is, I admit, a very simple game. Despite this, though, the gameplay deliberately makes you feel confused and uncomfortable. Added with the disturbing music and flashy graphics, the game has an uncertain and momentous feel to yet. By the end, the final quote feels significant: “It’s a small thing, but I feel like I’ve taken the first steps towards something tremendous.”
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Strange Free Games: Small Worlds

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Taro Omiya

Whoops, a little late today. Here’s another flash game that’s all about exploration. Created as an entry for Casual Gameplay Design Competition, Small Worlds is a pixelated platformer that involves exploring a seemingly small world. Small, until the fog moves away to reveal the larger, shocking premises, that is.

Small Worlds can be played in your browser at the site below:
http://jayisgames.com/cgdc6/?gameID=9

“There is too much noise.” A strange and surreal way to start a story. As a 3-pixel high character, you traverse through each world that slowly reveals a scene: an after-math of a certain event. Since the story lacks any other narrative, however, the player must come up with their own conclusion in what the game meant, and what each landscape stood for.

Despite this ambiguity, it’s atmospheric gameplay is intriguing. Nothing can kill the 3-pixel character, so you can explore at your own pace. The character can merely move and jump, but by doing so, your width of vision increases. As a consequence, the game begs for exploration, even to dead-ends, as more and more of the stage is revealed.

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