Of all the strange game ideas I've seen, building a platformer around hockey and Randy Savage has to be one of the wackiest. But that's exactly what we have this weekend, along with such unlikely company as a spooky horror-adventure game and a physics sandbox toy.
Penumbra: Black Plague (Windows, 119MB, demo) - After months of waiting, the second and final installment in the Penumbra series has arrived. Billed as a first person adventure, the first game, Penumbra: Overture, introduced us to a dark and mysterious world where realistic physics-based puzzles were the central gameplay focus instead of gun-firing combat. Enemies are rare, but the pervading sense of fear isn't. Black Plague continues the story and emphasizes using your brains instead of weapons, making it a rare experience in the 3D survival-horror genre. Both Mac and Linux versions are coming soon, so in the meantime you can try Penumbra: Overture to get a taste of what the series has to offer.
Phun (Windows, Linux, 2-7MB, free) - Phun is a game about having fun with physics. Get it?! Create scenes using a simple set of tools (you can even add water!), then unleash your creation and see what chaos ensues. It's a cross between a World of Sand-style toy and Armadillo Run, and it really is as entertaining as the name implies.
Bonesaw (Windows, 59MB, free) - Created with Multimedia Fusion, the same toolset behind Knytt, Bonesaw is a platform adventure garnished with the occasional fisticuffs smackdown, Macho Man Randy Savage-style. You play the only remaining member of a hockey team transported to an alternate dimension by an evil referee. During your quest you'll lay to waste tons of enemies, flip switches, hop across platforms, trigger bomb-buttons, and occasionally break out the famous bonesaw for some serious fighting.
Iron Dukes downloadable preview (Windows, 9MB, free demo) - For anyone who had trouble with the browser-based demo, One Ton Ghost has just released a downloadable version that should clear up any performance issues. Iron Dukes is a gorgeous RPG/action hybrid where you play a scientist/greedy treasure hunter in a fictional version of the late 19th century. Pilot your ship through storms, dive for gold and defeat crazy steam-powered foes all in the name of getting rich and buying more cool stuff to equip. (One level demo, contains strong language.)
Phun doesn't work for me. I installed that v-whatever thingy.
Armadillo run + World of sand? I HAVE to try this!
The JIG-archive link for Armadillo Run is broken.
Thanks, Peter! :)
(is it just me, or does it seem like you happen to catch all our typos?)
Ah...Saturday's weekend download. I look forward to seeing these indie game links every week. And it looks like this week has another great lineup. I can't wait to try Phun and Bonesaw. I mean, who doesn't love Randy Savage? ;)
Thanks to Jay and team!
For some reason Phun won't work for me either.
Wow, the Bonesaw video looks awesome! It looks like the kind of game that I would really like if I had much better finger skills than I do...
Has anyone beaten the first boss of bonesaw? I can't workout what to do. I hit him a lot but he never takes any damage.
Phun does not work... What's happening???
Is the downloadable version of Iron Dukes the same as the Flash version in terms of gameplay? I really can't wait til it's released as a proper game...
I hope the Mac version of Phun comes out soon...then I can easily play it, cuz my mac is WAYY better than my PC.
Bonesaw first boss help:
He'll leap into the air and land, making shockwaves. He'll stay on the ground for a bit afterwards, so jump over him. Most of the time, he'll raise his arm and stand still for a moment; turn around and start comboing him until he recovers. Repeat until dead. (Or, just use the Bonesaw, and you won't have to bother with all that.)
Yeah, I can't get he vcredist thingie to install properly
Meep. I'm brutally stuck on Penumbra.
Any help on the
icy blast in the vents? I've tried EVERYTHING! The thermostat won't move and I can't really do much else besides throw things around.
Help would be much appreciated.
Wow, now this is a selection of games that I can really get behind. I'm downloading the first three right now...
Hey! I got Phun to work, it is quite enjoyable! But how does one get the hinges to NOT fixate to the background? (to make movable cars and stuff)
Well, I've given up on Phun, since I can't make it work even with the extra download.
However, Bonesaw looks good. I'd guess that the game designer was a fan of the Kirby series of games on the SNES.
(the bomb blocks are very similar and relatively unique, and some other game elements are also reminiscient but more universal to all platforming games)
I can't get Phun to work, either. I'm quite disappointed as I was really looking forward to trying it!
Bonesaw looks fun, although I'm not really sure I dig the game's theme. I feel like I'm playing through some personal revenge/inside joke scenario.
Nevertheless, more platformers is always good. :)
I got Phun to work.
- Download vcredist_x86.exe for 32-bit Windows
- Install vcredist_x86.exe
- Download the .zip file
- Exctract all the files from that folder to somewhere you want it to go. (Like C:\Freeware Games\Phun)
- Go to that folder
- Doubleclick Phun_beta_2_5_win32.exe
- It works!
Only my videocard is so crappy that the game doesn't look smooth at all (All games look bad on this video card :( )
Sorry for the doublepost.
Bonesaw is a pretty fun game and I'm going to play it untill I finish it. (I guess)
But the problem is that I can't play it fullscreen (which I'd love to) My monitor doesn't support 340x240 fullscreen mode, so my best shot is playing it in 800x600 with x2 screen.
That's just my 2 cents :p
Not as phun as it sounded.
When I download the zip file it shows up as a folder, not a zip. Also, he has now realeased version 2.5.1 or something, but that doesn't work either.
Hmmm...once again, the Mac users are dissed. Which is amazing, considering how many of us there are. I find great little Mac downloads all the time. Maybe I should start writing reviews!
Dsrtrosy, the Mac version will be out today or in a few.
Sorry for double post, I meant the version of Phun.
Strange, I got Phun to run without problems. It even worked before I installed vcredist_x86.exe, but then I installed it anyway just in case. Phun is awesome, anyway. Seems a little buggy, as it's crashed a few times, but apart from that, it's just the kind of thing I would play with for hours.
Rex:
To make a hinge connect two shapes together, rather than fixating to the background, make sure the hinge has two shapes overlapping directly behind it. If the hinge was previously fixated to the background, simply press and hold the left mouse button on the hinge for a second or so; this will disconnect the hinge from the background and reconnect it to the two shapes it's in front of.
Oooh. World of Sand + Armadllo Run = TEH WIN!!! =D
Downloading now. =)
Really had a great time playing Iron Dukes. Solid casual gameplay and its very funny as well.
Has anyone found the first puck in the first boss level? I read in the manual that beating a boss without the bonesaw would give me one, but I've beaten him three times over without it, and I still don't have the first puck.
Go figure I'd post and then get it 2 seconds later.
Go to the far right of the first screen, past the door. You should hear explosions. Go ALL THE WAY BACK to the left, and there should be some blue blocks. The puck is on top.
Phun is cool, for a bit. I like GMod in terms of depth of a physics sandbox, but Phun's simplicity and small size make it something to be adored.
Sweet jesus, just finished Penumbra: Overture. I had to use a walkthrough, not because I got stuck, but because I was so freaked out I needed it to keep my peace of mind. Even though everything I saw said there really weren't many enemies, I found that when I went over ten minutes without guidance, I started to get paranoid. And after the way it ended,
With the guy missing an arm at the end of the hallway, then the lights go out and everything gets a subtle red tinge to it and none of your electronics work, so you have to use a glowstick. Then you get the tar beat out of you halfway through the hall.
I won't be touching Black Plague until GameFaqs catches up.
Getting past the thermostat on Penumbra: Black Plague...
Hint:
You want to put something on the thermostat that will cool it down. But that something is not in the room.
Remember what it says when you click the vending machine: no free drink today.
So, buy a soda.
Somewhat off-topic, but I've been searching the web for a while for the name of a casual game I played a few weeks ago, but simply cannot find it. It had an oriental theme, and the gameplay involved hexagonal tiles, which you'd drag a line through to match and remove matching tiles. You got bonuses for longer lines, and you could select a specific special power to be active, which you'd earn by progressing through the story. You'd end the level by removing all the tiles beneath a special piece that would appear once you had touched every tile on the level. Every few levels you'd have a special puzzle where you'd see a part of the background and have to click where in the normal background of the last few levels it was from. The storyline seemed to involve this guy on a journey to get this artifact he'd seen in his dreams. If someone could possibly tell me the name of this game, I would be eternally grateful.
It sounds like you're describing Azkend, which was reviewed here a couple weeks ago.
I got all the way thru Black Plague and only died once. Really like games that are heavy on puzzles and interaction. Really creepy atmosphere, too. Except for the way objects float around while you're manipulating them, it really was a great experience. I know, getting first person hands to do all that would be too tricky.
One nag: why isn't interaction and exploration rewarded more? All the stuff crucial to the game was pretty obvious, which is how it should be. But why not reward people who like to move every slab and mattress, break open every container, and drop flares down grates, etc.? There could be story elements, hints, and easter eggs.
Helmaroc--all four of the downloads will be available as Mac downloads?
I'm not trying to be sarcastic--I'm just repeating an oft-repeated mantra of mine...even Jay uses a Mac, and yet we rarely have a Mac download on the weekends. Or, if there is ONE, there is only one (and rarely anything I want to play). One week it would be nice to see four Mac downloads that each say "No Windows version is currently available."
Alright. I'm through pouting!
dsrtrosy- It's not jay and the reviewer's fault, it's just that THERE AREN'T MANY GOOD MAC GAMES OUT THERE. Try googling it, all you get is some clones of puzzle games.
Helmaroc is right. Each week we make a conscious effort to find games for alternative platforms other than Windows, but there just isn't much variety available at this time.
My best advice is to get an Intel Mac, install Windows, and use Boot Camp to enjoy the best of both worlds (the way I do).
I do love my Mac. :)
I find good Mac downloads all the time. But I don't like shmups so I can't really qualify those. And most PC games appear to be clones of older games, so I don't really get your point.
Well then dsrtrosy, do you make the effort to suggest them to jayisgames? If so, great and thanks.
I, for one, would love to hear about more good mac games through the JIG suggestion box. Kludging through the mac download sites is usually pretty depressing, especially because there's practically zero freeware. Lots of terrible shareware and demos ported from popular PC games, though.
how does the fixate work on fun?
I have 104/105 pucks in Bonesaw. The only one I'm missing is the third puck in the fifth and final bonus level (the space bonus level). Anyone know where to find it? The internet is delightfully devoid of clues.
Fixate attaches two things, like an object to another or an object to the background, similarly to a hinge (except it doesn't rotate).
I have 100/105 personally
Missing first puck in the first magma level (anything to do with the spring you unblock?)
Missing second 2 in the magma secret (the lava run one and theres another)
Missing last one in the "Theres more than one way to get behind that door" space level (can't get up to the top speeder thingy)
Missing last one in Secret Space level
Any hints?
Ive got all the pucks XD, heres a picture with me having all them
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/xristosx/bonesawallpucks.jpg
[quote]Missing last one in Secret Space level[quote]
near the end it has a section with breakable blocks
when you see that go the opposite direction of them, im not good at explaining but if anyone needs tips send me a email and i might tell you how to find them if you give me the level and what puck
A signature picture i made of the ending, dont look if you dont wanna know what happens *ignore the words and counter and title i put on it, lol i put that for the signature
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/xristosx/bonesawsig.jpg
I'm missing the second puck on the first cloud level. I swear I can't find it at all. Anyone else that could clue me in, it would be appreciated.
Heads-up for anyone interested: Phun has been released for Macintosh!
Wow, glad to see so many people are hunting down all those golden pucks! Haha ;D
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