Demakes are the new remakes, and remakes used to be the new... makes? Whatever. Anyway, as gamers, we're eating up these indie projects that come along and remake our favorite games as if they existed on older hardware. Something about those blocky pixels and simplified music makes the blood flow.
Super Smash Land (Windows, 4.2MB, preview demo) - Yes, this is exactly what you think it is: a demake of Super Smash Bros. as if it were released on the original Game Boy. Created by Dan Fornace in Game Maker 8, Super Smash Land attempts to be faithful both to its original source material as well as the hardware it's intended to have appeared to run on. For example, because the Game Boy only had two buttons, your moves are limited in SSL to jumping, special moves, and smash attacks. No blocking. This fundamentally changes the Super Smash Bros. concept, but it creates something entirely new to experience. A limited demo is available to play now, and it contains two characters, just a few stages, and support for local multiplayer. This thing shows a lot of promise!
Darkfate (Windows, 9.9MB, free) - A minimalist, moody, exploration-centric platformer that's a very quiet but mildly disturbing experience. You play as Christ Freeman who is stranded in the cold mountains with no idea how he got there or how to get back. Worried by his loneliness and fearful of freezing, he strikes out to explore the caverns and surface areas and ends up investigating mystery upon mystery of this odd place. A great experience to set foot in this game, and you'll be hooked from the first diary entry to the last pixelated hill. And yes, that visual style does look a lot like Small Worlds.
Jigsaw (Windows, 1.7MB, free) - Another great remake for the Action 52 game development jam, Jigsaw gives you a gun that fires nails which have a dual purpose: defeat enemies, and create platforms. You can use the nails to climb difficult areas by planting them in wooden walls, but you can only have three nails on the screen at a time. Some switches will remain active only as long as a nail is stuck in its side, and you'll find yourself in a pickle on more than one occasion. Most of the puzzles are great and really make you think, while the rest are truly inspired. An excellent mix of platforming and puzzle solving!
Note: All games have been confirmed to run under Windows 7 and are virus-free. Mac users should try Boot Camp, Parallels, or CrossOver Games to play Windows titles, Linux users can use Wine. If you know of a great game we should feature, use the Submit link above to send it in!
Why does Jig never recommend Wine for mac users? Its what I use to run a lot of the Weekend Download Windows games, and its free.
Did anyone else think the ending of Jigsaw was kind of disturbing? O_o
I have never got Wine working for any game, ever. My incompetence isn't probably the actual reason Jay does so, but I'd certainly recommend Parallels for this sort of thing.
Er...
You could say Darkfate was incredibly precise in its title.
Is that particular graphic style (cool, by the way!) contractually bound to be used in weltschmerz-inducing games, or is it just a coincidence?
Darkfate was...phenomenal. The first area where you have to jump gaps is terrible, but after dying about 20 times I made it past and am glad I stuck with it.
The game was longer than I thought it would be. Whenever I expected it to end, another 'chapter' popped up. The environment, though simple, really packed a punch for me. Especially the
sewers. At that point in the game everything got tense for me and I expected something to come and kill the player. It was a real "oh shi-" moment.
A few times I had trouble distinguishing solid ground from scenery. The last few chapters and ending are completely worth playing through, even if the platforming is irritating at times.
Also after the ending I found
that the death screen message was a little ironic.
Ugh. This game looks phenomenal. However I can't load the game after unzipping it. I don't know what I need to run this game.
Can someone help me out? I am using an HP netbook computer. I've been searching for programs I need. One site says I need a CS shader program, and to get that I have to install MMF2.
I just want to play the game......why is it so hard to just enjoy a game?
I'm enjoying Darkfate so far, but I'm stuck! I think it's in chapter 4, but my issue is that I can't figure out how to
get past the fallen skyscraper. I've climbed as high as I can in the one next to it, but I can't seem to get to the one that's leaning towards me. Help???
I was very disappoined about the story behind Darkfate. The game itself had a great atmosphere, but the plot, as far as I understand it, goes:
Scientist discovers time travel by black hole, but on his first "test run", he knocks his head and temporarily loses his memory. He manages to find the black hole again and, traveling through time for quite some time, eventually returns to where he started. However, by this time, he is weak with hunger and exhaustion and commits suicide because he believes that is his destiny, having seen his gravestone during one of the trips to the future. Hundreds of years later, the black hole the scientist used for time travel, destroys the world.
...And they call this a PLOT?!
Darkfate's atmosphere, music, and scenery were all phenomenal.
The problem was, there was little to no real "gameplay" within the game. You basically walk. And occasionally jump.
And not to mention falling more than a few "feet" kills you. Realistic? Yes. Fun? No. Especially when the jumping mechanism is completely and totally frustrating... People will understand when they get to the skyscraper area how frustrating jumping can be...
The storyline of the game was also pretty nonsensical. And it sure doesn't help that the story is basically told through the occasional text bubble and that
THERE IS NO CHARACTER INTERACTION WHATSOEVER. You are alone. Well, unless you count the ending cutscene...
I wouldn't call it a waste of time. It was engaging, and I was interested in knowing how the game would end. The problem is the scenery, music, and atmosphere gave the game a lot of promise... which the plot and gameplay did not live up to.
Kisekiko, you are doing it right - it is the colour scheme of the right tower that's somewhat unclear. Try going as high as you can on the left, then take a jump of faith towards the right tower. After a while you'll land on solid ground: that will be the colour of the platforms you are looking for.
Darkfate is just awesome. I played it quite a while ago, and after doing it again, I'm still impressed by its quality. I recommend it to everyone who still hasn't played.
So, Darkfate...
I'm on Chapter 9, my head is dizzy - there are no humans around but I don't even stop to take a rest or nibble at a tree in amongst jumping through a wormhole?
I think I am meant to jump off the edge of the bridge now, but I refuse. I went back through the patches of black and white and will see if there is another way to fix what I did.
Kind of reminds you of that "the world will end in 6 days" game in its backstory and atmosphere, doesn't it?
I think I'm close to the end now. And yes, the jumping mechanism was rather frustrating. Sometimes he wanted to keep walking instead of jumping, silly fool.
Getting over the fallen tower back in chapter 4
jump up the purple tower as high as you can go, then look at the tower next to it. There are parts that look like they could be the shadows/bits you can't walk on, but they stick up. Just jump there and be careful on your way down.
I don't get the love for Darkfate, it was possibly the most boring "game" I've ever endured. I kept hoping that it would improve or that something, anything would happen but no luck. The entire game consists of tediously plodding across one dull screen after another.
Why the heck does it say "You need the AUGUST 2008 DirectX Update in order to run this application", when I try to run JIGSAW?
That sounds... suspicious to me. It expects me to install an outdated software update?
seriously?
installing OUTDATED software over UP-TO-DATE software can and will cause some problems...
PK, you can go to that site and install the DirectX End-user Runtime update for 11/30/2010, I did it and it works great for me. I'm assuming the game was done before that update came out, and that's why it recommends that 2008 update.
Now, anyone know how to kill yourself in Jigsaw? I got to a place where I was stuck, so exited out to the main menu, but when I restarted the game, I was back at the very beginning. I had been expecting to go back to my previous checkpoint. Not cool.
Thanks very much for the help, everyone! I finally made it! :D Now to finish the game . . .
Ok, done! And I really liked it. When I got to the end, I was irritated because I didn't quite get what had happened, but then they explained it immediately after the credits. Isn't it nice when game makers tie up all the loose ends?
Darkfates music was amazing. The only thing that annoyed me were how you never interacted with anything/anyone and all you basically did was walk and jump.
And ohmygod, that storyline was frustrating.
You basically find your lab, go to the future, go to the past, go to the future again and die, because thats your "destiny", to die on that date.
To anyone else who finished Jigsaw, let's we have a collective moment of confused silence. :P
Different interpretation of Darkfate from those given above-
I thought he was just too distracted by trying to read the terrifying future-journal at the same time as writing in his own version of it to notice that the bridge had been demolished. Seemed in-character!
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