Ye Indie Game Corner Volume 5: Vessel, Killer Smileys, To Be Or Not To Be. Nice, BlamBurgers and What Botched Rescue!

Written By: Tyler

Hello and welcome everybody to another random mixture of indie games. If you're unfamiliar with me or this feature, once in a while I'll just go on a site like Gamejolt and pick a few random indie games that were released recently. Then I will play them and give a really short review on each one.


Killer Smileys
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/killer-smileys/32754/

This game has three levels, and you are that robot thing on the left of the picture above. You shoot the bees and the smileys. The twist is that you can only shoot in one direction as far as I know, which makes it kind of weird if you're walking the other way. That's not really my problem with the game though... my problem is simply that it's not much fun. You can platform if you want but it's pointless because it's better just to stand in one place and blast until everything dies.

The developer throws in a space level, but it's awkward. I got stuck on nothingness and had to jump over said nothingness.

Rating: 3/10


What Botched Rescue
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/shooter/what-botched-rescue/32701/

If you follow my blog, it's probably no shock to you that I enjoy weird games. What Botched Rescue is a weird one. I think it's about a relationship, but it seems to be about more. It's one of these strangely told games with slightly odd visuals and tone. Luckily the gameplay is fun, though simplistic. It's just basically a side-scrolling shooter, but you do lose points when you blast so you have to make sure you hit them.

My only real complaint is with how the story is told. The text in between "levels" scrolls down automatically and it makes it really hard to read, so you just have to wait for it to come back around again. Besides that though, this is a fun little romp through an interesting and strange world.

Rating: 8/10



BlamBurgers
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/blamburgers/32775/

The gameplay in BlamBurgers only requires using the directional pads, and enter to progress the story. You go from room to room, platforming your way to get the burger bomb things before they explode. When they drop, there's a counter that counts down from 8 and when it hits 0 it explodes, thus damaging your ship. Luckily you can just run into them and disarm them.

The game suffers from PC controls. I hate platforming on PC, but the game is actually a lot of fun. It's a simple idea, but it's tense and difficult, and the developer threw in some things each level to change it up a little bit... like things that fling you in certain directions. This variety does help keep things fresh.

Rating: 8.5/10


To be or not to be. Nice
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/adventure/to-be-or-not-to-be-nice/32744/

You in need of an epic tale while you wait for The Witcher 3? Here is your game. Okay, it's not an epic tale, but I actually had some fun with this one. Basically you just walk around, collect things and solve very basic puzzles. I quite enjoyed the numerous jokes sprinkled in, and the little touches like what your equipment is, or the choices you have in what to attack things with (I picked a "cool look"). I also really enjoyed the choice of music.

There are some minor bugs like being able to walk up a wall, but it really is minor and the developer said there wasn't time to properly test it. Having dabbled in RPG maker a little myself I know how long it can take to do things.

It's a fun little adventure game with a sense of humour.

Rating: 7/10



Vessel
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/other/vessel/29980/

Here we are with another Jack King-Spooner game, and it's about more of the same. The visuals basically consist of bombarding you with images, in a style that is very much like a short film I really liked by Peter Tscherkassky called Outer Space. It's hard on the eyes in ways, but I really just love that he does this. His games can almost always just get by on his images and the usage of music, even if he rarely includes what I call "real" gameplay.

His games mostly consist of walking a bit and then watching. He's one of the few who can consistently do this and keep me as a fan. A big fan, even.

The story in this seems more straightforward than he has done in the past, but it's incredibly effective... telling a heart-wrenching tale of a robot.

Rating: 8.5/10



That's it for this edition. There were a couple other games I was going to play but I need to go off and do something so I think five games is enough. I got pretty lucky this time, played some solid games with only one blemish.

If you want me to play your game I will! Just let me know in the comments below or message/follow me on Twitter @ArtBathednCrime

Ye Indie Game Corner Volume 4 - The Valley Rule, Grim Phantasm, Sanic FPS!, Dreamy Journey And DaiZs

Written By: Tyler

Hello people, Tyler here! I figured now would be a good time to do another edition of "Ye Indie Game Corner," which is basically just a feature I do where I go to sites like Gamejolt.com or Kongregate.com and play some newer indie games that I randomly choose. I then do a quick review of it and then I post the article and make a million dollars.


The Valley Rule
Get It Here: http://www.kongregate.com/games/Raiyumii/the-valley-rule

When you see this, be prepared to get angry.

The Valley Rule is one of many indie games that have taken influence from games like Metroid. Yes, it's another puzzle-platformer/Metroidvania, but it's not without its charm and claim to fame. It's not an awe-inspiring game that is drastically going to change the path of gaming for years to come, but it has an isolated, lonely atmosphere with a gorgeous song that plays. There are no enemies, so you are free to jump around with the only hazards being the water that kills you instantly. The puzzles are incredibly easy, and for the most part the game is a quick, relaxing experience... except for one particular wall-jumping part which is beyond frustrating. It was also made in 72 hours so I feel like the developers have potential.

Rating: 7/10


Grim Phantasm
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/action/grim-phantasm/28672/ 

Grim Phantasm isn't actually the full game. It's a work in progress so it's only a one-mission "demo." It's also hard, but not impossibly so. I never felt like the game was being cheap and stupid... I just felt like I needed to figure out the best way to go about this with trial and error. It harkens back to the days of yore where it wasn't so much about outsmarting the AI as it was figuring out the pattern. You can press J to swing your sword, K to parry or L to use your scythe as you run through the multiple screens fighting demons... until you get to the obligatory boss. I dig the name of it and I did enjoy myself, and look forward to more.

Rating: 8/10


DaiZs
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/daizs/28656/

I was so reluctant to play this one because I figured it'd be a DayZ knock-off... a quick way to ride on the coattails of the much anticipated zombie-survival game. But it's not. You play as a bee who has to pollinate their way to victory over three levels. What this entails is that you're going to spend your time platforming and shooting, while collecting power-ups such as machine guns and shotguns. You can also collect a Badass Mode which involves hearing a voice go "oh yeah" like it's having an orgasm. It's actually quite a fun game with some decent challenge.

Rating: 8/10


Sanic FPS!
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/sports/sanic-fps/28671/

Oh look, a joke game based on a meme. It's funny because Sanic just runs fast! There's nothing el se going on! You get the joke? I do... it just really isn't that funny, but as a game it just doesn't work in the least. I give it a point for the music, which is kinda funky. Besides that, there's no reason to play this unless the idea of Sanic makes you chuckle. I can't just give it a pass and ironically proclaim "greatest game ever!!!" because it's based on a funny meme.

Rating: 1/10


Dreamy Journey 
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/dreamy-journey/28668/

The basic premise is that you are a Dream Bringer who brings dreams to humans but the Nightmarish Lord messed that up so you have to go kick some ass. The game opens with story, told in the form of a beautifully drawn comic book. At that point I thought I'd be in for a real treat because the care taken to craft the opening segment is obvious... but the rest of the game leaves a little to be desired. You're supposed to be able to jump on "almost everything," and that's mostly true but sometimes it's very hard to tell what you can jump on. I tried jumping on a box that should have been possible, but yet I couldn't. Or I tried jumping on something only to fall through but then I saw someone else play and they jumped on it. Sometimes you slide off things when you shouldn't. The end boss battle isn't responsive and it just feels so light with no real oomph to anything. The artwork in the rest of the game is fine, though, and I do like the song that plays because it lends an eerie, night time feel to the proceedings. I've made a crappy platformer before and I ran into some of these issues, so I sympathize, but the game mechanics are not solid here. It has a wonderful idea though so while I give it a 4.5, that doesn't mean it's terrible.

Rating: 4.5/10

Ye Indie Game Corner Volume 3 - The Impossible Cave, Asylum, 2 Souls And Infiltration

Written By: Tyler

Welcome to the Indie Game Corner Volume 3! If you are unfamiliar with what I do here, I'll give you a quick rundown. Every so often I go to a site like Gamejolt and I download/play a few random indie games. I go in blind, and I experience what it has to offer, then I give a quick review of these games. This time I got lucky so there are no terrible reviews, but Volume 2 had one of the worst games I've ever played.



The Impossible Cave
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/action/the-impossible-cave/23753/

The Impossible Cave is a simple premise -- you guide something through a cave. The game speeds up as you go deeper into it, and the cave shifts and changes. With the combination of speed and the unknown, The Impossible Cave is a game you want to keep playing just so you can beat your high score. It also helps that the song that plays (Push It Remake by Jeremy Allred) is, well, bomb. Seriously, it really adds to the experience.

Rating: 8/10



Asylum
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/adventure/asylum/25127/

In Asylum you start in... an Asylum. You have no weapons, it's dark, and everybody wants to kill you. All you can do is run through the halls, trying frantically to open each and every door as psychotic, messed up inmates chase you.

I enjoyed Asylum for what it is, but the fear left by a certain point. At first I ran for my life, but then after some glitches/bad AI where the inmates walked downstairs and got stuck, it became more tedious than anything as I searched for the place to go. It's a pretty scary game at first, but Amnesia it is not.

Rating: 6.5/10


2 Souls
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/2-souls/25206/

In 2 Souls you guide little robots across platforms. If you play it by yourself, you control one with WASD and the other with your mouse. I imagine playing with someone else would be more fun, and easier when it comes to the challenges, but it's a decent game regardless.

Rating: 6.5/10


Infiltration
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/action/infiltration/25205/

In Infiltration you hack terminals to open doors so you can get to the end of the level. In your way are turrets placed in various positions. You can shoot them, or you can use your brain to avoid that altogether. Meanwhile, there are different messages with each level that become more menacing as the game goes on.

I think Infiltration is the highlight of this adventure for me. I love The Impossible Cave for its style, addictive gameplay and music, but I like Infiltration just a bit more. It's fairly long for a freeware game, unless you're really good at it, and it can be a little bit challenging. It reminds me a little of Hotline Miami in the way it plays, but it's not Hotline Miami. My only problem is the shooting is difficult because of the way it handles. Outside of that, it's a wonderful little game.

Rating: 8/10



So that's it for Volume 3... I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to tell me how much I suck, or even have a game that you want me to play, tweet me on that Twitterbird thing @ArtBathednCrime, or leave a comment below.

Things 'Splode! A! Charge! Review!

Written By: Tyler
Platform Played On: PC
Get It Here: http://gamejolt.com/games/action/charge/24329/

Rating: 9
Verdict: With its surreal, disconnect, Sci-Fi atmosphere and its fast and intense action, Charge! lives up to its name and offers a great game full of things exploding and dying.


The last game I played by Jake Clover was Tandoor, and it is the first time he disappointed me. I could understand what he was going for, but I didn't think it worked. But I love Clover as much as a man who has never met the other man can love someone, and I was excited once I saw that he made another game.

Charge! is a very apt title for this game because that's exactly what you do -- you charge forward. You are a soldier that looks exactly the same as the others. While you are more useful than your AI allies because you are the player, when you die you just quickly respawn as another soldier that looks identical. Then you continue to charge, either jumping, shooting or bombing your way to victory. When you get to an enemy base, that acts as a checkpoint, and you continue your frontal assault until you reach the end of the level. It's a very simple concept.

But it works splendidly. Yes, I said splendidly.

Though it's a simplistic game where things go boom, don't ignore the artistry on display here. By his own admission, Clover likes making games where things blow up, but he also fused military actions with a surreal, Sci-Fi environment.

The visuals are about what you'd expect from a Clover game, with its slightly messed up art style and the excellent blend of colours so it's not just another drab shooter, but look around and there are actually things going on, some of which expands to the actual gameplay. Fires rage, things fly through the sky, bombs get dropped on you, bodies hang around and certain things crack and feel the consequences of war.

It's a chaotic experience all around because there is so much going on and though he has said there isn't a lot of skill involved, you still don't want to die so you're trying to stay alive. But things come at you quickly, and you're always on the move. Machines come into the action and start laying waste to your comrades, the enemy is always advancing on your position.

Helping in this is the song by Jack King-Spooner that acts as the theme to all this carnage. Like a lot of the King-Spooner music I've heard, it adds an otherworldly feel to the whole experience. It was a great choice by Clover because it's fast and yet dark. It doesn't hit emotional highs, but it somehow manages to make the whole war you're fighting seem, well, kind of messed up. It feels like hell to some degree, which is how war should feel.

My only real complaint with the game is that sometimes the character doesn't jump when I hit jump. This can get annoying in battle when a good run is spoiled by the fact I tried to jump and couldn't.

When I play a King-Spooner game, I expect some surreal, weird, social commentary where I walk around a lot (this isn't a criticism), but what I'm admiring the most about Clover is that he does have an odd visual style going on in all the games I've played by him, but he seems more Tarantino-ish in his approach. He clearly as the knowledge and love for games, and without actually knowing him I would imagine he plays games of all types, but he often chooses to make violent games. He's good at it too, and you ca see this in a game like Nuign Specter -- where the guns are loud and abrasive, the violence sudden and full of impact -- or now Charge!, which is a game that manages to make the shooter genre exciting despite how minimalist this may look like on the surface.

For me it's a return to form for a guy who has made a bunch of great games.

Ye Indie Game Corner 2 - Spaceshippy, Cave and Heart Break Simulator

Written By: Tyler

It has been a long time since I did a Ye Indie Game Corner, but never fear people because I have done another one. I basically just went to Gamejolt, picked a bunch of the newly added games randomly and then played them. So now I will give you a quick rundown of what I think about each and every one.


Spaceshippy!
Get it here: http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/spaceshippy/23985/

Spaceshippy! is a Flappy Bird clone, and I think Flappy Bird is crap. However, I did enjoy this more than Flappy Bird because a) it doesn't feel like I'm getting advertising shoved up my rectum, and b) it's just an improvement.

The basic premise is the same: tap the screen (or press the mouse in this case) to move up. You have to use your thruster engines to kill Flappy and Floppy birds. You don't just hit the birds, you have to position yourself correctly or you'll take damage. There aren't any pipes, but there are wrecking balls and laundry. You take more than one hit to kill, and your spaceship does show damage, so it's more in depth than the game that influenced it.

It's better than Flappy Bird, but Flappy Bird itself was only tolerable on mobile when you're out somewhere you're just waiting to do something better or more important. Maybe it's unfair to Spaceshippy! to review this on PC because of this, but actually sitting down at my PC to play this was not ideal. As it stands, is it okay? Yeah, but will I play it again? Nope.

Rating: 5/10


Cave
Get it here: http://gamejolt.com/games/other/cave/23987/

In cave you walk. To the right. That's about it as far as I can tell. There's no challenge and no enemies as you progress in the same direction. I was critical of Sluggish Morss 3 when I reviewed it and the Sluggish Morss trilogy influenced Cave, which is the first game by the developer. While I gave Sluggish Morss 3 a 9.5, I commented on how I believe games should have engaging gameplay first and foremost (an opinion that some people disagree with, I know). I refused to give it a 10 for that reason, even though everything else was spot-on and really appealed to me.

I know I'm talking about the Jack King-Spooner game, but there's a reason for that. This game lacks on gameplay but is high on atmosphere and creativity. From the opening screen you can see the Sluggish Morss influence, but maybe it's a little too similar... though I'm sure the developer will create their own identity more fully as more games are created. However, I can't hate on this stuff. I'm a sucker for surreal, weird, thought-provoking games, and that's the reason I gravitate towards games like this, games from cactus, Jake Clover and Jack King-Spooner. It's a thrill to see what each new screen is going to present to me, as the different mixture of art-styles is visually appealing, and by the time the fantastic ending hits, you're left going, "huh?" But in a good way.

The developer has a bright future because this is a great first game... but only if you can give yourself to something like this.

Rating: 8/10



Heart Break Simulator
Get it here: http://gamejolt.com/games/strategy-sim/heart-breaker-simulator/23971/

No... just... no.

Heart Break Simulator allows you to play as one of the most popular and beautiful girls in school, who also happens to be Tifa from Final Fantasy 7. I'm not really sure what I expected from this, but I certainly didn't get it. Simply put, this game is awful.

All you do is click "Start Level" and a bunch of nerdy looking kids pop up. They don't say anything but you have a few choices on how to break their heart. The choices themselves aren't bad and are reasonably clever (I guess), but there's no control to this game. It gives you points depending on how badly you break their heart, but it's the same choices over and over with no reason to keep trying.

When Silver Dollar Games makes a morally questionable game about something like cheating on as many girls as you can, at least there's a little bit of gameplay and challenge there... a reason to get a little stressed out. I'm not saying Silver Dollar Games are the pinnacle of excellence, but they should have made Heart Break Simulator because this is one of the worst games I've ever played. Having poitns does not a game make.

Rating: 0/10

2014 Kicks Off With A Walk Through The Desert With a Shotgun With No Name - A Tandoor Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

Your guess is as good as mine.

                I was planning on giving the blog a rest for a little bit, but a new Jake Clover game came out so I eagerly went and downloaded it here: http://gamejolt.com/games/adventure/tandoor/20755

                I figured, why not throw out a quick review of it? So here it is.

Rating: 3.5/10

Verdict: Jake Clover is an incredibly talented guy and he’s one of my favourite indie developers but I can’t recommend Tandoor because there just isn’t a lot here outside of some interesting design choices and some possible deeper meanings.

               

                As I stated in the Verdict above, I am a big Jake Clover fan. He releases a bunch of games, and pretty much all of them that I’ve played have been at least an 8 out of 10. Nuign Specter is a Top 100 Game of All Time for me. Unfortunately, every artist craps out a turd, so to speak. So it’s with that I move onto my review, my first 2014 game and also my first disappointment.

                If you haven’t played any of his games, they tend to be weird, symbolic and weird. Did I mention weird? I group him in with other developers who are creating their own path, such as cactus and Jack King-Spooner. He has an art style that seems sloppy but really isn’t, as it’s got its own twisted beauty that perfectly fits the universes that he creates. Most of his games are a little light on game play but a lot of these short indie games are. It’s his powerful vision that drives everything forward and it’s almost always a joy to experience.

                Tandoor follows his own formula. You can expect to see some weird shaped creatures (including the one you play as), and there is a simplistic but effective world built here. Birds fly through the air, and there are these big blue things in the distance looming over everything. The game is light on music but the lonely wind blows and you realize that you are mostly alone.

You drive up to a desert, get out of your car, go into a building and pick up a shotgun. From there you travel into said desert, killing distorted enemies and what I can only assume are humans. The idea of “stop, get a boomstick, go into the vast desert and become a murderous psycho” is one that appeals to me. I’m not sure what that says about me. Actually I do, I just can’t admit to it because I’ll get thrown in jail.

The gameplay is apparently endless, if you go by what Clover says himself. I’m not one to put an artist in a box… in fact, seeing as how I’m going to eventually write, I try very hard to look at author intent over everything. It’s why I may be more forgiving than others in a lot of cases. However, with Tandoor, I feel the endless desert was just a bad idea. I walked around for a bit and then when I read that it was endless I just quit. I had no purpose. You can usually look forward to seeing how Clover is going to finish everything off, but I feel the lack of climax hurts the game. With that said, I can never begin to say I understand everything that he is trying to do, and the infinite nature of the desert could very well be a statement within itself. Even as I write this, I want to be more forgiving because I sit here thinking of possible metaphors. However, despite that and the fact that you can go first-person and shoot things, it doesn’t save Tandoor from feeling a little more pointless than his other games.

                I originally gave this game a 2 out of 10, but I knocked it up a bit because there are design choices I admire, and they’re simple. Like Nuign Specter, your gun is loud and unnerving. I absolutely love how abrupt and earth shattering it is, like you know, an instrument of destruction that can drastically alter a life should be. Like I said above, I like the atmosphere that Tandoor creates. Then the other reason I knocked it up to a 3.5 is because I’m a sucker for challenging and odd symbolism, in which Tandoor may have.

                In the end though, I feel this is a misstep for a developer who I greatly admire. But hey, check it out since it's free, and maybe I'm an ignorant ass who "misses the point." Try it for yourself, and support talent.