Year Walk

"In the old days man tried to catch a glimpse of the future in the strangest of ways." If you're like me, small curiosities such as this sentence are things that just have to be investigated further. The most obvious response to that statement is, of course, how? And it is this 'how' that is at the core of Year Walk, a short game by developer Simogo that is available on the iPhone and the iPad.

Although I am loathed to use what is becoming a more and more cliched phrase in the world of video games, it has to be said that Year Walk  is less of a game and more of an experience. The narrative tells of the process of 'Year Walking' an old Swedish superstition whereby some would isolate themselves for a whole day with no food, water or light before taking a walk in the woods at the stroke of midnight. The belief was that by doing this the walker would be able to see glimpses of the future. Would they be rich? Would they be loved? Would they be happy? These were some of the more pertinent questions pondered by Year Walkers, but, as the legend goes, man was not meant to see the future. It is this notion that gives Year Walk its haunting atmosphere.

There is no clear goal throughout the game, instead, the main idea is to solve the various puzzles and interact with the various creatures (which are also inspired by Swedish myth and folklore) in order to uncover the mystery at the end of the Year Walk and to find out how it connects to your loved one, who is first seen in the prologue. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that Year Walk is not a particularly comfortable game to play (and I mean that in a good way), the game will test your nerves as well as your reasoning ability. While solving the puzzles of the game, it is clear that it really couldn't be played on anything other than a device like the iPhone or iPad, as some puzzles make excellent use of the touch screen and accelerometer.

It could be said that the game is a bit on the short side, but this isn't a huge issue as it is not a relatively expensive purchase and the free companion app gives the user further insight into the folklore surrounding the game, as well as increasing the longevity by giving the player access to the 'real' ending. So get lost on your own Year Walk, as although the game may not last that long, the experience will stay with you forever.

One Chance

If you only had a few days left to live, what would you do? One Chance poses this question with this simplistic yet sinister presentation that does a surprisingly good job of capturing the players' attention and of keeping them playing until the bitter end. The plot is as follows: Dr. Pilgrim (above) has developed a drug that has cured all forms of cancer, but as the celebrations die down, it is discovered that this drug has started killing people all over the world and shows no signs of slowing down. So what does the doctor do with his (and many others') last day on Earth? Does he try and find a cure? Does he spend the last few days with his family? Or does he go crazy and party his pixelated socks off? Well the choice is up to the player. But choose wisely, because those decisions will affect how the game finishes. But never mind, because you can just reload the game and start again if it goes tits-up, right? Wrong. Try and start again and you will only be able to see how the world is after effect of the choices you have made. The game is called One Chance, after all.

The recipe for this game could be described as heaps of moody music, a generous helping of philosophy and a dash of point and click to hold it all together. As is customary for me in any game where I have to make choices, I always try and do the right thing, so I tried to find the cure to the disease that is killing everybody, and I managed to do so (although this only involved me choosing to work, not actually doing anything of skill), however, it seems as though I was a tad too late, as the only survivors were Dr. Pilgrim and his young daughter. However, I know from other players' experiences that a few different outcomes are possible. The game can be slightly unfair at points, for example, I missed a days work because I visited the rooftop instead of going to the lab and I saw a co-worker jump off the building (why I couldn't have just gotten on with the work after visiting the rooftop I don't know), but overall, this game is far more engaging than you would expect from a Flash game and it's great discussing different experiences with other people.

Standout Moment: Refreshing the page and seeing the world as you left it.

*I have actually played the game twice, the first time was a couple of years ago and on a different internet connection. I'm not sure which of these was the contributing factor but I know it is possible to just play the game again on a different website anyway, seeing as it is on a lot more now. I don't think this is really in the spirit of the game, though.

WarioWare Inc. Mega Microgames

Blast Off!

Released in 2003, WarioWare is a game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The game challenges the player to complete a series of ‘micro-games’ that get progressively faster and harder as the player advances. Whilst there had been games already available that included ‘mini-games’, none were anything like WarioWare. Whilst mini-games were usually just a short, quick and fun diversion of the main game they were a part of, WarioWare created a whole game out of even shorter, even quicker and arguably more fun micro-games. The games that make up WarioWare usually last approximately five seconds and are always very vague in telling the player what actually have to do to complete them. The games are usually accompanied by a single word such as ‘Shoot’ or ‘Escape’ and it is the job of the player to both work out how the clue relates to the mini game in front of them and then act accordingly, all within the tiny timeframe that the game allows. Whilst this does sound like a fairly weird game to play as it is, it gets a whole lot weirder than that. The game has a very peculiar and often silly sense of humour, which is a big part of the success of the game. For example, one micro-game sees a finger moving back and forth across the screen with a nose above it, the instruction presented to the player just reads ‘pick’, and the player must use his sense of timing and press the A button as the finger lines up with one of the nostrils, timing the ‘pick’ badly will result in the finger missing the nostril and the player losing a life. The clues that are given also get a lot weirder and more vague, an example of this is a micro-game where the player is given the clue ‘Tomato’, and must match up the bottom half of the Tomato with the top. These are just two examples of the madness that this game entails; the micro-games, however, get a lot more bizarre and more difficult to figure out as the player progresses.

Dance!

What is very interesting about this game is the way it fails to fall into any genre of game. In my opinion, this game could be considered an action game due to the speed it plays at and its reliance on players having quick reactions, but even this is debatable as action games are usually considered to contain things such as car chases, fights, controllable characters and cinematic set-pieces. I would also argue that this game could be considered a rhythm game, due to the way the beat of the music helps the player concentrate and focus on when the game is thrown at them; I often find myself tapping my foot as the music plays to help immerse me into that game and improve my chances of progressing. This, however, is also problematic, as Rhythm games are often thought of as games such as Guitar Hero or games that feature Dance Mats, which have an instantly recognisable interface and are very simple in terms of instructing the player what to do. It could be argued then that WarioWare has invented it’s own genre. This is echoed by the fact that the game has won numerous awards, such as the ‘GameSpot Editor’s Choice Award’ in the “Most Innovative Game” category.

Wario!

Something that WarioWare does very well, and also something that Nintendo does as a whole is the way it focuses on a relatively minor character from one game series, and then builds their character and their personality to the point where they are independent of the game that they were first synonymous with. The character of Wario first appeared as the primary antagonist of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and could be describe as a kind of ‘inverse Mario’ – he wore the same style of clothes but with different colours and also looked like Mario, just a fair bit heavier and with a differently styled moustache. The WarioWare series, however, gives Wario not only his own game, but also a whole different style of game; WarioWare is in no way a platform game (although some of the micro-games do reference Mario’s platforming exploits). Wario’s appearance is also a lot different; he wears blue denim with a sleeveless jacket and a cycling helmet with goggles to accompany the motorcycle that he now drives. Wario also has a new set of characters that accompany him. This concept of re-inventing characters is nothing new, especially for Nintendo. Another good example of this is with Donkey Kong. Again, Donkey Kong’s first appearance was as the villain who had to be defeated, but through the Donkey Kong Country series, he has been re-invented as a hero, with his own games and his own set of companions. A good way to explore this concept is through the Super Smash Brothers series. These games feature a compilation of all the different characters Nintendo has created who are then pitted against each other in battle. In the second Smash Brothers game, Melee, the player could only play as Wario if he changed the colour of Mario’s outfit, and even then the player could still only play with Mario’s attacking moves. In the follow up to this game, however, this is changed considerably. In Brawl, Wario is a fully playable character equipped with his own set of unique moves and also his own arena to fight on, both of which reflect the WarioWare series, which illustrates just how far this character has developed thanks to his collection of micro-games.

PullBlox

There are not many games that make as effective use of three dimensions as PullBlox does. That is a thought that has stuck with me throughout the time I have spent playing PullBlox, as it can be seen that the 3DS is the perfect home for this charming little game. Hidden behind an extremely colourful presentation is a very clever puzzle game that challenges the player to push and pull different shaped blocks in order to reach the top of differently themed structures. After the player learns the basics of assembling steps in order to climb higher, the game introduces new elements such as pipes and switches to alter the puzzles and provide a greater variety of challenges.

As previously hinted, the game makes excellent use of the 3DS's visual capabilities, and is a game that really benefits from the use of stereoscopic 3D, unlike some of the other offerings on Nintendo's newest handheld. The game has a huge number of challenges to get through, so for the relatively cheap price tag this game offers excellent value. Not only that, however, but the game has a puzzle creator mode that lets players (you guessed it) create their own puzzles.These creations can be shared with other users via QR codes, and a quick look on google images shows the exceptionally clever offerings produced by the games players. Granted, if you're not much of a puzzle game fan, then this game won't have much appeal, but if you are partial for a bit of a work out for the old grey matter, then this game, just as Polarium was on the original DS, is the first essential puzzler for the 3DS.

Standout Moment: Downloading other players' fantastic puzzles.



The Internet has now made it so that other people can be clever for me.



Command & Conquer

The Global Defense Initiative

Command & Conquer was released in 1995 for a number of formats, but most successfully on the PC. Alongside other games such as Age of Empires, C&C is one of the quintessential RTS (Real Time Strategy) games and one that almost defines it's genre. In simple terms, this game requires the player to build an army capable of destroying the other team. Set in an alternate reality, the original C&C told the story of the discovery of a new, highly valuable material named Tiberium, which the player needs to harvest to fund the construction of their military buildings and units. The game portrays a war between two sides, the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) - a UN funded military organisation, and the mysterious Brotherhood of Nod - a cult-like faction trying to seize control of the valuable Tiberium in order to achieve power. Unlike many games, the player was able to choose to control either of the two sides, each having their own set of campaign missions. When playing through as either side, the player would be shown a full motion video sequence played out by real actors who would brief the player on their upcoming mission.

Tiberium Wars

At the start of most missions, the player would begin with a handful of troops and an 'MCV' (Mobile Construction Vehicle) which would convert into a 'Construction Yard'. Once converted, the player could start to build buildings around their Construction Yard, such as a Barracks or Power Plant to begin establishing their base. As the mission progressed and the player harvested more of the precious Tiberium, more advanced buildings and units could be purchased to strengthen their army. So far so RTS. What made C&C stand out, however, was the personality that this game had, even when it came to the buildings themselves. For example, whilst the GDI had a standard warehouse-type building for constructing miltary vehicles, the Nod had an 'Airstrip' where the cars and tanks were delivered via aircraft. The two different sides had a lot of differences besides the buildings being designed differently, they also played differently. Whilst the GDI had powerful, but relatively slow and expensive units, for instance, the Nod troops were cheap and quick to train, giving the player plenty to think about in the way they conducted their army on the battlefield.

I'm A Mechanical Man

Command & Conquer featured some very memorable moments, some of which came aurally. The soundtrack contained some very catchy songs whilst the SFX provided some of the most painful screams ever heard in a game from the dying troops. The FMV sequences also bring back a lot of memories. For example, one moment that sticks in the mind is, when playing about two thirds of the way through the Nod campaign, the commander giving the player the mission brief is shot in the head in front of the camera, showing off the ruthlessness of the Brotherhood leader as he takes over the job of his murdered sub-ordinate. Blasting the enemy from space with the deadly 'Ion Cannon' is another moment which is remembered fondly.

Command & Conquer has spawned many sequels, the first of which was another brilliant RTS game - Red Alert. None of the sequels, however, have really managed to capture the power and charisma of the original military outing, in my opinion. Being released as a free download in 2007 gave fans the opportunity to revisit this classic, something that this commando is going to try and do right now...

Gargoyle's Quest

Ghosts 'n Goblins

Released for the original Game Boy in 1990, Gargoyle's Quest is a side scrolling platformer that also contained game play elements taken from the RPG genre. The player controls Firebrand, a Gargoyle who is trying to save his home world from an army of hostile creatures. Developed by Capcom, this game is a part of the Ghosts 'n Goblins series of games which also contained games such as Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, Gold Knights and more. Being a part of this series, Gargoyle's Quest is known for it's high difficulty and unforgiving level design. Considering the time it was released, the graphics and sound are fairly sophisticated, however dated they are now.

The Legendary Red Blaze

This game, as well as the Ghosts 'n Goblins series as a whole, took a lot of inspiration from mythology and folklore, and as such is quite sophisticated for a 1 Megabit Game Boy game. Firebrand the Gargoyle is asked to help save the Ghoul Realm, which has been taken over by the evil King Breager and his army of Destroyers. The legend of the land tells a tale of a mighty warrior known as the Red Blaze who once defeated King Breager and brought an age of peace to the Ghoul Realm, now that the land is under attack again, Firebrand must step in and help. Whilst progressing in the game, the story reveals that Firebrand is destined to become another incarnation of the Red Blaze so that he can defeat King Breager.

Whilst playing the game, the drawbacks of fitting a story this size as well as all of the game play into a cartridge with such a small amount of memory shows, as all the non-playable characters that Firebrand meets all look the same and speak only one or two sentences, some of which are not translated very well. The game starts at the beginning of the first side-scrolling level, as Firebrand traverses what appears to be a burning town. After defeating the boss of this level, the player is presented with a birds-eye-view of the land that Firebrand can explore. This is where the RPG elements come into play; As the player explores the land, he is subjected to random encounters where the play switches back to a side scrolling environment. After defeating all of the enemies, the play switches back to exploration and the Gargoyle can continue his journey.

Pure Nineties

Being a child of the nineties, this is one of the first games that I really enjoyed playing, even though it was extremely difficult. It is only after downloading this game on the 3DS' Virtual Console that I have been able to finish it, as I felt that the circle pad made controlling Firebrand easier than the D-Pad did. The main reason that I was only able to finish this recently, however, is that the 3DS allows the player to create a save or 'restore' point when playing Virtual Console games, so instead of having to start levels all over again after getting yet another 'game over', I could just load my restore point. This game did utilize a password system, but this would only resurrect Firebrand in the nearest town, which still made the platform levels difficult to finish. I feel that this highlights how spoiled we are as gamers now, as it is extremely rare to find a new game that is genuinely hard finish.

In my opinion, this game can feel a little dated now and as such can be a little hard to get into if starting it again, especially if you are playing it for the first time. Having played the original, however, I loved playing it again and loved wallowing in some nostalgia, but I did notice that the game only really starts to engross the player as the game progresses and Firebrand becomes more powerful, being able to jump higher, fly longer and attack stronger. It also becomes a lot more enjoyable and also easier as the player begins to master the controls, dodging enemies and obstacles whilst blasting enemies with relative efficiency.

Although I have only played one other game in this series - Super Ghouls and Ghosts, it is notable that whilst they can feel old and dated, they still contain a lot of personality and can be very fun to revisit, as long as you are prepared to take a mental trip back to a time where games would have you die a lot and regularly revisit the same places, getting just a little further each time, and you would think "Just one more try, I'll do it this time."

Limbo

Turn the lights down and the speakers up, because Limbo is a game that you'll want to fully immerse yourself in. Limbo is a 2D puzzle-solving platformer that tasks the player with taking on the role of a young boy looking for his lost sister in a mysterious and dark world. Who is this boy and why has his sister gone missing? Whereabouts exactly are they? Who are the other mysterious people that seem to inhabit this land? These are questions that the player may ask themself, and to do so would, in my opinion, be missing the point of the game. Although they are perfectly valid, to question the plot would be to question something that the developer has most probably left out deliberately. You see, the plot of the game is nothing more than what I have written in the third line. But ignore the fact that there isn't much of a plot because after beginning to play this it becomes apparent that this game is about one thing: Atmosphere. Limbo more or less defines the word, which is why it is important to play the game in the right conditions.

I've always thought that people who play games like Resident Evil or Silent Hill in the daytime are more insane than an Albert Wesker experiment, but this notion has never been more important than it is in Limbo. I don't just mean make sure it's dark when you play this, what I mean is make sure you're in the right frame of mind and there are no distractions, because the real enjoyment of this game is when you can fully appreciate the style and the effort that has gone into creating this deceptively simple side scroller. And once you can do that, you'll really care about whether this nameless boy finds his sister or not.

Standout Moment: Meeting the Spider.


This is why I'm never moving to Australia