Every day when I get up in the morning I ask myself, "Self, what is best in life?" and of course while part of the answer is that whole bit about seeing your enemies driven before you (yadda yadda, lamentations), the more important answer is "variety" so have a whole bunch of games from a whole bunch of genres!
The Gentleman - Soul Game Studio knows you have those spats hidden away under your bed, so why not revel in your dapperosity with this puzzle platform game about a reality-warping fellow in one seriously unreal world? The idea is you use various powers to overcome obstacles in order to get to the exit at the end of each level, and some beautiful design and animation infuses this one with serious style. On the other hand, some of the controls require serious precision, and as the new mechanics pile up, it's frustrating that you can't always tell right away what's deadly and what isn't. But on the other other hand, that cat is soooooooooooo cute!
Nouserdake - Some of my fellow writers thought this weird webtoy/balance game was a bit too simple, but this is my feature and NOBODY PUTS DORA IN A CORNER! It is, admittedly, very simple, but not easy. The goal is to toss all the objects you're given on the rotating platform in front of you so that none of them fall off, and as you play you're given different objects to master. It's a very basic premise that won't appeal to everyone, unless you're that specific type of gamer for whom frustration might just equal fun, depending on the concept.
The Maze - We've all had nightmares where we're trying to get away from something, but Doopop's arcade game traps us in one as stylish and scary as it is simple. You're climbing a tower filled with monsters, and you have to react quickly to hit the proper key to avoid each specific type, and since you can't stop running, reflexes are a must. It's surreal style feels like something Atlus might have dreamed up, but for some people the gameplay might get too repetitive too quickly. If you enjoy freaky games that will make you jump and test your reflexes, you might want to cozy up with this one at least one.
Skirt Quest - For some people, high school wasn't the best, and Twinbeard's action game reminds us that the only way to win sometimes is not to play. Playing as either a girl eager to fit in (or at least not be cruelly teased) or as a boy who likes wearing skirts ("hard mode"), your job is to wander around the school and shimmy your skirt up and down to match the lengths of the girls around you. Fail, and your self-esteem plummets as they tease you until they lose the game. While some people may find this dredges up upsetting memories, it does stand as a reminder that for some people "just be yourself" isn't just not that easy... it can also be the reason they're getting harassed to begin with. YAY CHEERFUL!
"There is no real way to win." Uh, in skirt quest there is. It's a bunch of 'levels', and once you beat all of them, you win.
Specifically, the final level has you going home.
Bam. The Gentleman is awesome. Nice choice of controls. I really like how it starts breaking your visual cortex early. Cryptically: the note about the bat is written on the wall.
He and the Pursuit of Hat fellow should meet up.
Nouserdake/webtoy has me stumped at level 6.
Is par on level 5 of The Gentleman actually possible?
@chipmunk, I was wondering the same thing.
@jcfclark
For level 6:
The boxes are supposed to overlap each other like fan blades
Click at the base of the pole
Par on level 5 of The Gentleman is possible but the timing is tricky.
Start running. Double jump to float over the first fire plug. If you time it *just right* you will float over the plug just *slightly* ahead of the rain.
In practicing this to try and figure out how to best describe it, I could do it perfectly 3 or three times in a row. Then I would die 10 times in a row. I either jump right into the rain, or land on the plug:(
When you land, do a single jump for the second plug, and run on home.
The cloud will be chasing you for a ways, but don't worry about it. If you make it over the first plug and don't mess up the second jump, you are home free. :)
Unrelated to any of the above mentioned games, but, Dora asking herself; "Self, what is best in life?" sounds in my head much like Space Core asking his dad; "Dad, are you a dragon?"
I can only hope the reply comes in a similarly satisfying bass-y inner voice. And is all the best in life.
@abloker
Interesting, but I think it was more of a Conan the Barbarian quote:
youtube.com/watch?v=6PQ6335puOc
OMG, am I the only one that finds Skirt Quest nigh impossible? :S
I agree that the gameplay in The Maze gets repetitive, but it gets a lot more fun once things speed up (around floor 10 or so).
Every encounter gets tracked in your almanac, and the enemy's point values get multiplied as you encounter each enemy a specific number of times. While I do not have any enemy up to a "five-star" level, I am curious what will happen if a player gets to that point. (There are still some enemies that I haven't encountered at all; I am hoping that a "maxed out" enemy gets swapped out for one of the rarer ones.)
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