I started a topic on the other forums I visit reviewing Cave Story, and it was fun to me, so my journey began. Well, after 10 games, I'm done! For the record, my name I use on other forums is Kildea, and "rckildea" is my first initial, middle initial, and last name ^.^
In this thread, I review:
Cave Story
N
Knytt Stories
Chalk
I Wanna Be The Guy
Facade
Frets On Fire
Trilby: The Art Of Theft
Two Of A Kind
Iji
Cave Story
Gameplay: 9
Story: 7
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 7
My Rating: 8.5/10
My Summary: Fun, addicting, and challenging, Cave Story is an amazing freeware platformer that looks and feels like a superior S/NES game. If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be original. Many different enemies, bosses, interesting characters, great level design, perfect difficulty curve, and unrepetitive puzzles have hooked me into this game. Made by Japanese game developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya in 2004, this game is simply amazing. For anybody who doesn't mind NES-styled graphics, this game is a must-try.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Great level design.
+ Perfect difficulty level.
+ Unique experience/gameplay.
+ Multiple weapons, each with their own purpose.
+ Good Storyline
No:
- Graphics may be a turn off to new-gen gamers.
- "Decent" background music.
Game Website: http://www.cavestory.org/ [http://www.cavestory.org/]
Direct Download: http://homepage2.nifty.com/rochet/binaries/dou_1006.zip [http://homepage2.nifty.com/rochet/binaries/dou_1006.zip] (Japanese version)
http://agtp.romhack.net/download.php?id=cavestory [http://agtp.romhack.net/download.php?id=cavestory] (English patch)
The Bottom Line:
Uninstall whatever game is currently taking up most of your time and replace it with this.
N
Gameplay: 8
Story: 5
Graphics/Audio: 5
Replayablity: 10
My Rating: 8/10
My Summary: Action packed, difficult game that you've (probably) never played. The goal of the game is to get to and unlock the exit door by hitting various switches and dodging enemies and obstacles. You play a ninja who has the ability to jump high, run fast, and scale walls. You must complete the mission in a certain amount of time without hitting any enemies or obstacles. Very addicting game with hundreds of levels, plus the ability to play maps other uses create and track scores online is fun. Definitley try playing the game, there's a good chance you'll get hooked.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Action packed, fun gameplay that won't bore you.
+ Sense of accomplishment after beating a mind-numbingly difficult level.
+ Some 500 levels in the original download, online play and stage creation makes a virtually endless amount of levels.
No:
- Classic and no noticeable sound.
- Frustration in some later levels that are just too hard.
- In rare cases, poor level design, such as being able to open and access the door 3 seconds into the stage for no apparent reason.
Game Website: http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n.html [http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n.html]
Direct Download: http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n_downloads.html [http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n_downloads.html]
Flash Version (3/10 levels, no online play): http://www.mofunzone.com/online_games/n.shtml [http://www.mofunzone.com/online_games/n.shtml]
The Bottom Line:
Download and try it, if you like it there's a good chance you'll waste many afternoons without even noticing it.
Knytt Stories
Gameplay: 9
Story: 8
Graphics/Audio: 10
Replayablity: 8
My Rating: 9/10
My Summary: Probably the only freeware game I rate higher than Cave Story. This game is just amazing. The player downloads different worlds that have different mini-storylines and features. You play a Knytt in all of these worlds, and your goal is to collect the various powerups that give you abilities such as a double jump or cloning powers, then use these new powers to acquire more and eventually beat the task at hand, be it "get to the end of the level" or "destroy Dr. Cliche's underwater lair by getting rid of the electrical power and destroying the bomb". The storyline is pretty much dependant on what the creator made it. The music in Nifflas' (the lead developer) worlds is simply amazing, with an ambient feel that always matches the scene you're in. The game also comes with a world editor, allowing you to make your own and share it with other people.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Beautiful pixel graphics.
+ Amazing ambient music.
+ Level editor to create your own challenges.
+ Hundreds of hours worth of levels downloadable on the site's forums.
+ Fun platforming challenges with different powerups.
No:
- Understandably, not everyone will like the amazing pixel graphics.
- Perhaps some repetitiveness in levels.
- Ridiculous difficulty in some downloadable levels may be a turn-off for unaware newcomers.
Game Website: http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories [http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories]
Direct Download: http://www.ni2.se/files/games/Install_KnyttStories_120.exe [http://www.ni2.se/files/games/Install_KnyttStories_120.exe]
Additional Worlds: http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories&sub=04Get_More_Levels [http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories&sub=04Get_More_Levels]
The Bottom Line:
For heaven's sake, you better have hit the download link above before reading this.
Chalk
Gameplay: 7
Story: 0
Graphics/Audio: 6
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 7/10
My Summary: The game is fun, but difficult and just not my cup of tea. The game screen scrolls up and down or left and right depending on the level, and you must guide your chalk girl to the end without harm. You face a variety of obstacles along your way; green lines/shapes, where you must connect your chalk to every dot to destroy it; yellow ships, which try to hit you with purple bullets and are defeated by connecting the bullets to the ship, and blue figures, which break your chalk line if drawn over and are only destroyable by throwing them into other blue figures. There's also a mini-boss and boss for each stage which prove to be challenging. It's free and not the worst thing ever invented, so I understand if you want to give it a try. I'm sure I'd like this game a lot more if I was playing it on my DS though.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Creative and original gameplay.
+ Quality seems like a game you would purchase for the DS.
+ Various types of enemies that serve different challenges.
No:
- Very tough difficult past level 2.
- Bland graphics and poor music.
- Blatantly, just not very fun in general.
Game Website: http://www.konjak.org/chalk.htm [http://www.konjak.org/chalk.htm]
Direct Download: http://www.konjak.org/chalk.zip [http://www.konjak.org/chalk.zip]
The Bottom Line:
Naah. Unless the screenshots really appeal to you, or you're someone who wants to have firsthand experience with games, you can trust me when I say it's just not worth your time.
I Wanna Be The Guy
Gameplay: 7
Story: 5
Graphics/Audio: 4
Replayablity: 10
My Rating: 7.5/10
My Summary: Hilariously insane, this game is the definition of a computer-breaking, self-esteem-destroying masterpiece. The game's whole purpose is to be ridiculously unfair and difficult and impossible for anyone who's ever gotten upset at a "normal" game. To be totally honest with everyone, I never made it past the first level, even though I'm writing this review off the 60+ minutes I played it. I can't call it Knytt or Cave Story, and I can't even really say it's fun, but it's an amazing challenge and I honestly believe that upon completing it you will never play a difficult video game again. It's free and worth a try, I recommend it.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Hilarious difficulty that will murder anyone's self-esteem who goes into the game seriously.
+ Very tough challenges for the hardcore gamer who wants to try his best.
No:
- Insane difficulty.
- Fact that you will have wasted an ungodly amount of hours if you truly want to beat the game.
- Might make users break their computer, causing this freeware game to cause $400-3000 in damages.
- Might be bad for your health.
Game Website: http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/ [http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/]
Direct Download: http://gamejolt.com/games/i-wanna-be-the-guy/files/i-wanna-be-the-guy-slo-mo/download/5/2/
The Bottom Line:
It's not a huge download, and might even be worth a laugh to share with friends. I don't feel my review was strong enough to portray the difficulty of the game, and first hand experience might be found funny. As a game itsself, though, the difficulty it just too insane and unfair to really enjoy.
Facade
Gameplay: 6
Story: 7
Graphics/Audio: 8
Replayablity: 10
My Rating: 6.5/10
My Summary: The originality and time spent to develop this game really, honestly are the only reasons this game doesn't have a "0" rating. It's amazing what three people can do. In this game, you play yourself (if you're lucky enough to have your name in the large list available). You are a close friend to Trip and Grace, a couple who were recently married. One night Trip invites you over, but when you arrive there you notice the two arguing. As the conversations go on and you and your friends begin to talk more, it becomes very apparent their marriage is failing and they have a lot of problems. It is your job to respond to different questions and statements they make and influence the way they act toward eachother. This game offers you more freedom than any game I have ever played, ever. The insane amount of voice acting and the huge control the player is given over the couple's relationship is amazing. It requires a few playthroughs to get the hang of, and might get a little frustrating hearing some of the same dialogue over and over and not knowing what to say to try to help them. It's interesting how little things can totally change the night though...of three playthroughs, for example, the couple got a phone call from Trip's dad, Grace's parents, and one time there was no phone call at all. My only problem I had with this game is I think I'd have to play it many times to truly influence the game - I failed to save the couple's relationship three out of three times. A fun game for you to try and maybe waste an evening, but nothing more. The game is also only downloadable as a torrent, which is somewhat of a nuisance.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Fully voiced dialogue; must be hours of it in the files.
+ Players control the story, unlike 99% of modern-day games.
+ Each thing you say effects future discussions and the way Grace and Trip feel about eachother.
No:
- Somewhat annoying about all the bickering between the couple, especially if you don't know much about how to control them.
- While much time was spent implementing responses to your actions, Trip and Grace still don't understand "obvious" commands.
- Eye-burning 3d graphics.
- Downloadable only through a torrent; alternative would be downloading a 1G+ file.
Game Website: http://www.interactivestory.net/ [http://www.interactivestory.net/]
Direct Download: http://games.softpedia.com/progDownload/Facade-Download-7707.html [http://games.softpedia.com/progDownload/Facade-Download-7707.html] (torrent file only)
The Bottom Line:
If the design of the game interests you, it might be worth the download. However, the 30 minute download time might be worse than the one or two runthroughs you'll probably end up doing, and I'm sure nobody will spend more than 2 hours on it without uninstalling.
Frets On Fire
Gameplay: 4
Story: 0
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 7
My Rating: 4/10
My Summary: You can play Frets On Fire, but why would you want to? This Guitar Hero-esque game is a great idea, because most people love Guitar Hero and a free, easily acessible, customizable copy sounds sweet. The game has a few major flaws, though - One, the controls seem a tad bit off, so you don't really feel like you're hitting it right most of the time, and you can also miss. Two, the game loses much of the fun when you take away the guitar part of the guitar hero; pressing keys just doesn't give you that "I'm a huge rock star" thrill. Three, there are only three songs available from the actual download, the rest you must get from other players who have made tracks - this means you have to suffer from the large possibility that they may not have made a good chart. All in all, the game is a great idea that fails to deliver.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Great idea for a game.
+ Ability to download more songs, potentially playing any song you wanted to.
No:
- Poor button response.
- Less enjoyment then playing with the guitar controller.
- Lack of songs from initial download.
- Unsurity of quality downloads from other players.
- Not the most appealing graphics.
Game Website: http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/ [http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/]
Direct Download: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/fretsonfire/FretsOnFire-1.3.110-win32.exe?use_mirror=osdn [http://downloads.sourceforge.net/fretsonfire/FretsOnFire-1.3.110-win32.exe?use_mirror=osdn]
The Bottom Line:
Skip the game regardless of how much you worship Guitar Hero, it's not worth your time.
Trilby: The Art Of Theft
Gameplay: 7
Story: 5-8
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 7/10
My Summary: Seeing as how it was created by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw from The Escapist and Zero Punctuation, it should be obvious that such a tight critic would know what he wants in a game to make it perfect. While it may or may not be a legendary work of art to Yahtzee, the game is definitley good, nothing more, nothing less. You play Trilby, a robber who uses stealth and other skills to invade a building and get what he's after. The game does have a story, and from what I've heard, it's a good one, but whether or not this is true is debatable. I found myself skipping the dialogues and going straight to the gameplay. It takes place in a 2D setting, and Trilby uses the cover of darkness and the ability of sneaking to disarm security features and knock out guards. There are many different upgrades you can purchase after a few levels that will give you better abilities as a thief. The game is not Knytt Stories or Cave Story, but I can bet it's able to take an hour or two away from anybody, and maybe even hook a few players into it's cult. It's free, so why not give it a try?
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Unique game idea..
+ Challenge of not being able to kill every guard you see.
+ High dependence on stealth makes gameplay more enjoyable.
+ Freedom of being able to choose what powerups will be most useful to you.
No:
- Poor background music.
- Somewhat of a nuisance that Trilby has "respect" and won't zap every guard in the building.
- Somewhat repetitive gameplay.
- Bad storyline.
Game Website: http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/ [http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/]
Direct Download: http://downloads.escapistmagazine.com/games/yahtzee/artoftheft.zip [http://downloads.escapistmagazine.com/games/yahtzee/artoftheft.zip]
The Bottom Line:
It's really up to you. I think it's unique and worth a try, but it definitley didn't hook me, and after maybe 3 hours of gameplay I decided to get rid of it.
Two Of A Kind
Gameplay: 7
Story: 9
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 8/10
My Summary: Point-n'-click mysteries, while certainly not action packed favorites, can be fun to some people who appreciate logic puzzles. If you don't play video games to think and challenge yourself, by all means this game will not change your mind in the slightest. But for people who enjoy Broken Sword or the "unknown" Slacker games will definitley find this game interesting. You play two characters, Tim and Tiffany Walters, who are detectives for a town in which everybody born there has some super power, whether it's useful or life ruining. The story starts off with a call from the curator of a local museum, which until recently was harboring a very important and priceless Egyptian artifact. You must use both Tim, an unfriendly, cynical guy who always has something to say for each situation (for those who have played Slacker, Tim is just like Slacker's protagonist) and his power to float, and Tiffany, an ungodly cheerful blonde who has the innate ability to talk to animals. You can use these heroes seperately, and conversations you have between your current character and an NPC are different than with the other character. You use this gameplay mechanism to find clues as to what you should do with the other character. The people you meet in town sometimes have very strange personalities, such as a hobo who had the unfortunate ability to turn any water his body touches to wine. Well, the human body is 60% water, so the man is unfortunately drunk all of the time. In closing, the game is very fun, and switching between the two different personalities for new conversations really adds gameplay. As said earlier, this game is a must play for anyone who actually likes point-and-clicks.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Amazingly entertaining dialogue.
+ Unique character-switching gameplay.
+ Logical puzzles that actually require thinking.
No:
- Point-and-click isn't exactly the most fun genre around.
- Graphics, while good, could be better.
- "Decent" at best music.
Game Website: http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/?page_id=6 [http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/?page_id=6]
Direct Download: http://www.davelgil.com/ags/toak.zip [http://www.davelgil.com/ags/toak.zip]
The Bottom Line:
Yeah, as long as you don't mind a good, logical point-and-click, I think this game can entertain you.
Iji
Gameplay: 9
Story: 3
Graphics/Audio: 8
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 8/10
My Summary: I didn't really want to download the game, even though I've heard from many different people that it's very fun, and many websites called it the "Indie Developer Game Of The Year". It just looked like Metroid with worse graphics. Well, about two hours ago I finally downloaded it, and I have to say, what a mistake I made putting it off. The gameplay is very fun. You play Iji, some annoying chick who's given bad, stereotypical "ahh I'm a pathetic scared woman" dialogue. Some aliens come to the planet, something happens, chain of events, etc., and then the game starts. Seriously, maybe it's just me, but I thought that dialogue was pathetic and I wish the developer would've just made the background story "there's a chick who likes guns" because that would've left me with a more positive perspective going into the game. Anyway, craptastic storyline aside, there are a few fun elements in the game - it's a standard 2d shooting game, hard to describe but easy to understand from screenshots. As you kill enemies you get experience points which eventually allow you to level up, where you receive a point. You can use this point to upgrade your health, kicking ability, knowledge of technology, and power with various weapons. You can also use these points any way you choose. A bummer for perfectionists, however, is that you can only gain about 5 levels each stage, but if you kill every monster you'd probably be able to get 8 or 9 levels. On another subject, while looking at the screenshots I provided you may notice the graphics are poor, yet I gave the graphics/audio an 8; this is due to the fact that the music kicks ass. It's in the #2 spot for favorite music out of this list, losing only to Knytt (irrelvant: I didn't go in depth with the music review for Knytt simply because the rest of the game was amazing as well.). To be fair, if you've tried out any other freeware game in this thread, this game deserves the next spot on your hard drive.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Freedom of leveling how you want.
+ Fun fighting system that requires some use of tactics.
+ Different enemies to face with more and more challenges.
+ Great music.
No:
- Bad story and an ungodly annoying and stereotypical protagonist.
- By no means eye candy for new-gen gamers.
- Dumb level caps.
- Full screen, you have to download a third-party program to play it in a window.
Game Website: http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php [http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php]
Direct Download: http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/iji.zip [http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/iji.zip]
High Quality Music: http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/ijimusic.zip [http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/ijimusic.zip] NOTE: Not required; if you do download it, extract this file into the music directory in your Iji folder, replace all of the old songs.
The Bottom Line:
Uh-huh. For any freeware game player, this should definitley be a game you try. Focus on the great gameplay and good music and ignore the horrible dialogue.
In this thread, I review:
Cave Story
N
Knytt Stories
Chalk
I Wanna Be The Guy
Facade
Frets On Fire
Trilby: The Art Of Theft
Two Of A Kind
Iji
Cave Story
Gameplay: 9
Story: 7
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 7
My Rating: 8.5/10
My Summary: Fun, addicting, and challenging, Cave Story is an amazing freeware platformer that looks and feels like a superior S/NES game. If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be original. Many different enemies, bosses, interesting characters, great level design, perfect difficulty curve, and unrepetitive puzzles have hooked me into this game. Made by Japanese game developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya in 2004, this game is simply amazing. For anybody who doesn't mind NES-styled graphics, this game is a must-try.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Great level design.
+ Perfect difficulty level.
+ Unique experience/gameplay.
+ Multiple weapons, each with their own purpose.
+ Good Storyline
No:
- Graphics may be a turn off to new-gen gamers.
- "Decent" background music.
Game Website: http://www.cavestory.org/ [http://www.cavestory.org/]
Direct Download: http://homepage2.nifty.com/rochet/binaries/dou_1006.zip [http://homepage2.nifty.com/rochet/binaries/dou_1006.zip] (Japanese version)
http://agtp.romhack.net/download.php?id=cavestory [http://agtp.romhack.net/download.php?id=cavestory] (English patch)
The Bottom Line:
Uninstall whatever game is currently taking up most of your time and replace it with this.
N
Gameplay: 8
Story: 5
Graphics/Audio: 5
Replayablity: 10
My Rating: 8/10
My Summary: Action packed, difficult game that you've (probably) never played. The goal of the game is to get to and unlock the exit door by hitting various switches and dodging enemies and obstacles. You play a ninja who has the ability to jump high, run fast, and scale walls. You must complete the mission in a certain amount of time without hitting any enemies or obstacles. Very addicting game with hundreds of levels, plus the ability to play maps other uses create and track scores online is fun. Definitley try playing the game, there's a good chance you'll get hooked.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Action packed, fun gameplay that won't bore you.
+ Sense of accomplishment after beating a mind-numbingly difficult level.
+ Some 500 levels in the original download, online play and stage creation makes a virtually endless amount of levels.
No:
- Classic and no noticeable sound.
- Frustration in some later levels that are just too hard.
- In rare cases, poor level design, such as being able to open and access the door 3 seconds into the stage for no apparent reason.
Game Website: http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n.html [http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n.html]
Direct Download: http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n_downloads.html [http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n_downloads.html]
Flash Version (3/10 levels, no online play): http://www.mofunzone.com/online_games/n.shtml [http://www.mofunzone.com/online_games/n.shtml]
The Bottom Line:
Download and try it, if you like it there's a good chance you'll waste many afternoons without even noticing it.
Knytt Stories
Gameplay: 9
Story: 8
Graphics/Audio: 10
Replayablity: 8
My Rating: 9/10
My Summary: Probably the only freeware game I rate higher than Cave Story. This game is just amazing. The player downloads different worlds that have different mini-storylines and features. You play a Knytt in all of these worlds, and your goal is to collect the various powerups that give you abilities such as a double jump or cloning powers, then use these new powers to acquire more and eventually beat the task at hand, be it "get to the end of the level" or "destroy Dr. Cliche's underwater lair by getting rid of the electrical power and destroying the bomb". The storyline is pretty much dependant on what the creator made it. The music in Nifflas' (the lead developer) worlds is simply amazing, with an ambient feel that always matches the scene you're in. The game also comes with a world editor, allowing you to make your own and share it with other people.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Beautiful pixel graphics.
+ Amazing ambient music.
+ Level editor to create your own challenges.
+ Hundreds of hours worth of levels downloadable on the site's forums.
+ Fun platforming challenges with different powerups.
No:
- Understandably, not everyone will like the amazing pixel graphics.
- Perhaps some repetitiveness in levels.
- Ridiculous difficulty in some downloadable levels may be a turn-off for unaware newcomers.
Game Website: http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories [http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories]
Direct Download: http://www.ni2.se/files/games/Install_KnyttStories_120.exe [http://www.ni2.se/files/games/Install_KnyttStories_120.exe]
Additional Worlds: http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories&sub=04Get_More_Levels [http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories&sub=04Get_More_Levels]
The Bottom Line:
For heaven's sake, you better have hit the download link above before reading this.
Chalk
Gameplay: 7
Story: 0
Graphics/Audio: 6
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 7/10
My Summary: The game is fun, but difficult and just not my cup of tea. The game screen scrolls up and down or left and right depending on the level, and you must guide your chalk girl to the end without harm. You face a variety of obstacles along your way; green lines/shapes, where you must connect your chalk to every dot to destroy it; yellow ships, which try to hit you with purple bullets and are defeated by connecting the bullets to the ship, and blue figures, which break your chalk line if drawn over and are only destroyable by throwing them into other blue figures. There's also a mini-boss and boss for each stage which prove to be challenging. It's free and not the worst thing ever invented, so I understand if you want to give it a try. I'm sure I'd like this game a lot more if I was playing it on my DS though.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Creative and original gameplay.
+ Quality seems like a game you would purchase for the DS.
+ Various types of enemies that serve different challenges.
No:
- Very tough difficult past level 2.
- Bland graphics and poor music.
- Blatantly, just not very fun in general.
Game Website: http://www.konjak.org/chalk.htm [http://www.konjak.org/chalk.htm]
Direct Download: http://www.konjak.org/chalk.zip [http://www.konjak.org/chalk.zip]
The Bottom Line:
Naah. Unless the screenshots really appeal to you, or you're someone who wants to have firsthand experience with games, you can trust me when I say it's just not worth your time.
I Wanna Be The Guy
Gameplay: 7
Story: 5
Graphics/Audio: 4
Replayablity: 10
My Rating: 7.5/10
My Summary: Hilariously insane, this game is the definition of a computer-breaking, self-esteem-destroying masterpiece. The game's whole purpose is to be ridiculously unfair and difficult and impossible for anyone who's ever gotten upset at a "normal" game. To be totally honest with everyone, I never made it past the first level, even though I'm writing this review off the 60+ minutes I played it. I can't call it Knytt or Cave Story, and I can't even really say it's fun, but it's an amazing challenge and I honestly believe that upon completing it you will never play a difficult video game again. It's free and worth a try, I recommend it.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Hilarious difficulty that will murder anyone's self-esteem who goes into the game seriously.
+ Very tough challenges for the hardcore gamer who wants to try his best.
No:
- Insane difficulty.
- Fact that you will have wasted an ungodly amount of hours if you truly want to beat the game.
- Might make users break their computer, causing this freeware game to cause $400-3000 in damages.
- Might be bad for your health.
Game Website: http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/ [http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/]
Direct Download: http://gamejolt.com/games/i-wanna-be-the-guy/files/i-wanna-be-the-guy-slo-mo/download/5/2/
The Bottom Line:
It's not a huge download, and might even be worth a laugh to share with friends. I don't feel my review was strong enough to portray the difficulty of the game, and first hand experience might be found funny. As a game itsself, though, the difficulty it just too insane and unfair to really enjoy.
Facade
Gameplay: 6
Story: 7
Graphics/Audio: 8
Replayablity: 10
My Rating: 6.5/10
My Summary: The originality and time spent to develop this game really, honestly are the only reasons this game doesn't have a "0" rating. It's amazing what three people can do. In this game, you play yourself (if you're lucky enough to have your name in the large list available). You are a close friend to Trip and Grace, a couple who were recently married. One night Trip invites you over, but when you arrive there you notice the two arguing. As the conversations go on and you and your friends begin to talk more, it becomes very apparent their marriage is failing and they have a lot of problems. It is your job to respond to different questions and statements they make and influence the way they act toward eachother. This game offers you more freedom than any game I have ever played, ever. The insane amount of voice acting and the huge control the player is given over the couple's relationship is amazing. It requires a few playthroughs to get the hang of, and might get a little frustrating hearing some of the same dialogue over and over and not knowing what to say to try to help them. It's interesting how little things can totally change the night though...of three playthroughs, for example, the couple got a phone call from Trip's dad, Grace's parents, and one time there was no phone call at all. My only problem I had with this game is I think I'd have to play it many times to truly influence the game - I failed to save the couple's relationship three out of three times. A fun game for you to try and maybe waste an evening, but nothing more. The game is also only downloadable as a torrent, which is somewhat of a nuisance.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Fully voiced dialogue; must be hours of it in the files.
+ Players control the story, unlike 99% of modern-day games.
+ Each thing you say effects future discussions and the way Grace and Trip feel about eachother.
No:
- Somewhat annoying about all the bickering between the couple, especially if you don't know much about how to control them.
- While much time was spent implementing responses to your actions, Trip and Grace still don't understand "obvious" commands.
- Eye-burning 3d graphics.
- Downloadable only through a torrent; alternative would be downloading a 1G+ file.
Game Website: http://www.interactivestory.net/ [http://www.interactivestory.net/]
Direct Download: http://games.softpedia.com/progDownload/Facade-Download-7707.html [http://games.softpedia.com/progDownload/Facade-Download-7707.html] (torrent file only)
The Bottom Line:
If the design of the game interests you, it might be worth the download. However, the 30 minute download time might be worse than the one or two runthroughs you'll probably end up doing, and I'm sure nobody will spend more than 2 hours on it without uninstalling.
Frets On Fire
Gameplay: 4
Story: 0
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 7
My Rating: 4/10
My Summary: You can play Frets On Fire, but why would you want to? This Guitar Hero-esque game is a great idea, because most people love Guitar Hero and a free, easily acessible, customizable copy sounds sweet. The game has a few major flaws, though - One, the controls seem a tad bit off, so you don't really feel like you're hitting it right most of the time, and you can also miss. Two, the game loses much of the fun when you take away the guitar part of the guitar hero; pressing keys just doesn't give you that "I'm a huge rock star" thrill. Three, there are only three songs available from the actual download, the rest you must get from other players who have made tracks - this means you have to suffer from the large possibility that they may not have made a good chart. All in all, the game is a great idea that fails to deliver.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Great idea for a game.
+ Ability to download more songs, potentially playing any song you wanted to.
No:
- Poor button response.
- Less enjoyment then playing with the guitar controller.
- Lack of songs from initial download.
- Unsurity of quality downloads from other players.
- Not the most appealing graphics.
Game Website: http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/ [http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/]
Direct Download: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/fretsonfire/FretsOnFire-1.3.110-win32.exe?use_mirror=osdn [http://downloads.sourceforge.net/fretsonfire/FretsOnFire-1.3.110-win32.exe?use_mirror=osdn]
The Bottom Line:
Skip the game regardless of how much you worship Guitar Hero, it's not worth your time.
Trilby: The Art Of Theft
Gameplay: 7
Story: 5-8
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 7/10
My Summary: Seeing as how it was created by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw from The Escapist and Zero Punctuation, it should be obvious that such a tight critic would know what he wants in a game to make it perfect. While it may or may not be a legendary work of art to Yahtzee, the game is definitley good, nothing more, nothing less. You play Trilby, a robber who uses stealth and other skills to invade a building and get what he's after. The game does have a story, and from what I've heard, it's a good one, but whether or not this is true is debatable. I found myself skipping the dialogues and going straight to the gameplay. It takes place in a 2D setting, and Trilby uses the cover of darkness and the ability of sneaking to disarm security features and knock out guards. There are many different upgrades you can purchase after a few levels that will give you better abilities as a thief. The game is not Knytt Stories or Cave Story, but I can bet it's able to take an hour or two away from anybody, and maybe even hook a few players into it's cult. It's free, so why not give it a try?
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Unique game idea..
+ Challenge of not being able to kill every guard you see.
+ High dependence on stealth makes gameplay more enjoyable.
+ Freedom of being able to choose what powerups will be most useful to you.
No:
- Poor background music.
- Somewhat of a nuisance that Trilby has "respect" and won't zap every guard in the building.
- Somewhat repetitive gameplay.
- Bad storyline.
Game Website: http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/ [http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/]
Direct Download: http://downloads.escapistmagazine.com/games/yahtzee/artoftheft.zip [http://downloads.escapistmagazine.com/games/yahtzee/artoftheft.zip]
The Bottom Line:
It's really up to you. I think it's unique and worth a try, but it definitley didn't hook me, and after maybe 3 hours of gameplay I decided to get rid of it.
Two Of A Kind
Gameplay: 7
Story: 9
Graphics/Audio: 7
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 8/10
My Summary: Point-n'-click mysteries, while certainly not action packed favorites, can be fun to some people who appreciate logic puzzles. If you don't play video games to think and challenge yourself, by all means this game will not change your mind in the slightest. But for people who enjoy Broken Sword or the "unknown" Slacker games will definitley find this game interesting. You play two characters, Tim and Tiffany Walters, who are detectives for a town in which everybody born there has some super power, whether it's useful or life ruining. The story starts off with a call from the curator of a local museum, which until recently was harboring a very important and priceless Egyptian artifact. You must use both Tim, an unfriendly, cynical guy who always has something to say for each situation (for those who have played Slacker, Tim is just like Slacker's protagonist) and his power to float, and Tiffany, an ungodly cheerful blonde who has the innate ability to talk to animals. You can use these heroes seperately, and conversations you have between your current character and an NPC are different than with the other character. You use this gameplay mechanism to find clues as to what you should do with the other character. The people you meet in town sometimes have very strange personalities, such as a hobo who had the unfortunate ability to turn any water his body touches to wine. Well, the human body is 60% water, so the man is unfortunately drunk all of the time. In closing, the game is very fun, and switching between the two different personalities for new conversations really adds gameplay. As said earlier, this game is a must play for anyone who actually likes point-and-clicks.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Amazingly entertaining dialogue.
+ Unique character-switching gameplay.
+ Logical puzzles that actually require thinking.
No:
- Point-and-click isn't exactly the most fun genre around.
- Graphics, while good, could be better.
- "Decent" at best music.
Game Website: http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/?page_id=6 [http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/?page_id=6]
Direct Download: http://www.davelgil.com/ags/toak.zip [http://www.davelgil.com/ags/toak.zip]
The Bottom Line:
Yeah, as long as you don't mind a good, logical point-and-click, I think this game can entertain you.
Iji
Gameplay: 9
Story: 3
Graphics/Audio: 8
Replayablity: 6
My Rating: 8/10
My Summary: I didn't really want to download the game, even though I've heard from many different people that it's very fun, and many websites called it the "Indie Developer Game Of The Year". It just looked like Metroid with worse graphics. Well, about two hours ago I finally downloaded it, and I have to say, what a mistake I made putting it off. The gameplay is very fun. You play Iji, some annoying chick who's given bad, stereotypical "ahh I'm a pathetic scared woman" dialogue. Some aliens come to the planet, something happens, chain of events, etc., and then the game starts. Seriously, maybe it's just me, but I thought that dialogue was pathetic and I wish the developer would've just made the background story "there's a chick who likes guns" because that would've left me with a more positive perspective going into the game. Anyway, craptastic storyline aside, there are a few fun elements in the game - it's a standard 2d shooting game, hard to describe but easy to understand from screenshots. As you kill enemies you get experience points which eventually allow you to level up, where you receive a point. You can use this point to upgrade your health, kicking ability, knowledge of technology, and power with various weapons. You can also use these points any way you choose. A bummer for perfectionists, however, is that you can only gain about 5 levels each stage, but if you kill every monster you'd probably be able to get 8 or 9 levels. On another subject, while looking at the screenshots I provided you may notice the graphics are poor, yet I gave the graphics/audio an 8; this is due to the fact that the music kicks ass. It's in the #2 spot for favorite music out of this list, losing only to Knytt (irrelvant: I didn't go in depth with the music review for Knytt simply because the rest of the game was amazing as well.). To be fair, if you've tried out any other freeware game in this thread, this game deserves the next spot on your hard drive.
Yes and No
Yes:
+ Freedom of leveling how you want.
+ Fun fighting system that requires some use of tactics.
+ Different enemies to face with more and more challenges.
+ Great music.
No:
- Bad story and an ungodly annoying and stereotypical protagonist.
- By no means eye candy for new-gen gamers.
- Dumb level caps.
- Full screen, you have to download a third-party program to play it in a window.
Game Website: http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php [http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php]
Direct Download: http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/iji.zip [http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/iji.zip]
High Quality Music: http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/ijimusic.zip [http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/ijimusic.zip] NOTE: Not required; if you do download it, extract this file into the music directory in your Iji folder, replace all of the old songs.
The Bottom Line:
Uh-huh. For any freeware game player, this should definitley be a game you try. Focus on the great gameplay and good music and ignore the horrible dialogue.
