What the heck is happening?! || Ode to a Moon [DEMO] (PC)

“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” --Neil Armstrong

Title Screen

Ode to a Moon is a first person psychotropic horror game in the works from Colorfiction. You play as a tabloid writer who is tasked with investigating a historic fall festival in the rural town of Ashfield, CT. Things start going awry pretty quickly, and I started to feel like I was on a bad acid trip.

The graphics and the aesthetic used are well suited for this genre of game. The colors feel over saturated and even mystical at times, and with an otherwise rather dark backdrop, the colors really stand out. When the landscape starts to shift and alter around you, it can be very disorienting. As I neared the end of the demo, I spent a good while going in circles because the mixture of the shifting landscape and the over saturated colors made it difficult for me to navigate.

Field trip!

There is also a VHS quality on the screen as you play, which gave some part of the game, particularly the wooded area, a Blair Witch Project feel---which I did not like. I started having flash backs to when I was a kid, watching the movie with my older brother and my younger brother and pretending to not be afraid. Then of course my older brother took delight in jumping out of anywhere he could to scare me... but I digress.

The music and the sound design are well done. I wasn’t sure what I was hearing sometimes because I didn’t have my headphones on. Was that a breath? A ringing in the ears? Are we descending into madness ourselves? The sounds worked together with the aesthetic to create a good sense of unease as you wandered about your way.

Are we slipping into another dimension?

The end of the demo was a bit jarring, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t talk about it. Obviously this is a demo so we aren’t going to solve the whole mystery today. I am not much for horror games, but something about this demo really drew me in. It wasn’t cheap jump scares, it was an overall feeling of, “Something is going to happen but I don’t know what.”

Overall the aesthetic feels unique and interesting, the music and sound design are well done and I want to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing where the development with this game goes in the future. I definitely recommend you pick up the demo and give it a play for yourself, this is a game that really has little justice done for it in a written review and you need to experience it for yourself. You can grab the demo free from Itch.io here.

What do you think the mystery is behind the fall festival that went wrong? It almost feels like a bad dream, so maybe it is? Let me know what you think down in the comments, and I will see you all next time. Until then, friends, happy gaming!

Is this the stairway to heaven....?

What Makes a Hero? || A Hero and a Garden (PC)

"I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people." --Maya Angelou

Title Screen

A hero and a Garden is an adorable and slow paced game about picking berries and righting wrongs created by npckc. We played another game from npckc a while back called One Night, Hot Springs, which I loved,so I am looking forward to seeing what this game has to offer. 

In A Hero and A Garden, you play as Cyrus, a hero who attacks a village of monster folk with the aim of defeating the witch and saving the Princess of his kingdom. Unaware that his sword is magic, his sword clashes with the witch’s magic and causes a great deal of damage to the town. The witch curses Cyrus to tend the gardens and work to earn money for reparations to rebuild the town he so damaged.

A horned doctor explains to Cyrus how the garden works. We have to grow berries, and then fill orders that townspeople make for those berries. We use the money we earn to pay for the repairs in the town, and hopefully everyone is happy in the end. As Cyrus grows the berries and fills orders, he meets more of the town’s monsters and even the Princess he came to save. The monsters grow on him, and Cyrus begins to wonder if monsters are really what humans have claimed them to be. Perhaps he was truly in the wrong to begin with?

Sooty!

The artwork for this game is simple, and absolutely adorable. I love Sooty and I wanted to give him some ear scratches like I know my dogs love. All of the endings are cute, and once you finish the game there is a gallery you can access to view all of the other possible endings—which I loved because that means I didn’t have to spend an hour growing berries again to see another ending.

Speaking of berries, you are going to spend a lot of time growing berries. There are 5 different kinds of berries, each with a different timing for when the berries will appear. Some are rather slow. Towards the end when I was just trying to get my 100 scorch berries to finish the game, I was knitting stitches on my scarf while I waited for berries to grow. Just saying, if you don’t want to stare at the screen, maybe have something else to do.

All of the characters you meet in the game are unique and adorable, and I enjoyed the dialog Cyrus had with them. I didn’t run into any issues in gameplay, and the mechanics all worked as intended. The music and sound effects were nice, although the music sounds like a lullaby, and paired with the slow pace of the game it made me feel a little sleepy. You could flip that and say the game is just very relaxing, which it is.

Grow my berries, grow!

Overall I liked the game. The dialogue is cute and made me chuckle at times, and the characters were cute and fun to meet. The gameplay is repetitive, and the slow pace make it difficult to stay engaged at times. If you need a break from the fast pacing gaming world we’re in today, take a break with this game. You can download it free from Itch.io HERE. Be sure to let npckc know what you thought.

Do you like slower paced, more relaxing style games, or do you prefer the fast paced edge of your seat games? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll see you all next time!

Hold onto your Cats! Er, Hats! || Boneko [Prototype] (PC)

Title

Boneko is a platformer game in the works from Patchoid. The prototype available to play was made in 2015 and has a different story than where they are taking the game now, but the prototype is still fun, and the project is worth watching, so I’m going to talk about it anyway!

The story follows a girl names Bony, who enters an old mansion to recuse her cat Boneko, only to find he has been transformed into a hat! Now Bony must traverse the mansion, looking for her friends, and a way to restore Boneko to his original self.

No boot big enough to squash that spider...

The graphics are downright adorable, and the animations are smooth. I like the variety of enemies, and the level design. I had a few issues with controls, and the game does crash when I die. The developers know this, and it’s an issue with the game maker save system. The final game is being made with Unity, so hopefully there won’t be similar issues. I love the music, and the sound effects are fitting.

The fighting system involves Boneko shooting furballs at the enemies. You also get upgrades, the one I got involved a ground smash. You collect keys, and yarn balls that the enemies drop when you kill them. The keys are needed to advance, of course, but the purpose of the yarn balls was not discovered by me on my play through before I died. Does Bony knit upgrades for Boneko too?

These are big enough for those spiders!

Overall, this prototype is so charming and worth playing. I’m excited to see where this game goes in the future, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for the full release. You can download the prototype free from Itch.io *here*. Be sure to leave your feedback and encouragement for the developers. And, as always, happy gaming, Jammers!

Bell 

Browser Games #6

I've downloaded too many games lately, and my queue has been growing. So we're gonna instead take a look at some game you can play in your browser, with no downloads needed. Let's have a look!

1. Bertram Fiddle and the Inexplicable Meat Mound

 Meat my monster!

Bertram Fiddle and the Inexplicable Meat Mound is a sort of create your own monster type of game created by Rumpus Animation. This game is a silly pastime in which you use various chunks of meat to build a horrific monster to call your own!

You can see above the monster I created. It was fun enough, though the idea of actually playing with meat is seriously off putting. The graphics are nice, for chunks of meat, and there is also a decent variety of chunks to work from.

Overall this game is short, and unless you really like creating meat monsters, will only warrant 5-10 minutes of gameplay. This seemed like a side project while Rumpus Animation worked on the main Adventures of Bertram Fiddle game. Whatever the case, you can build your meat monster right in your browser on Itch.io, *here*.

2. It Shakes the World Apart

Hi Ruth!

It Shakes the World Apart is a game created by lectvs about making friends. You play as Soloman, a lonely character who has become a recluse, with only your imaginary friend Angie to keep you company. However, your loneliness is stubborn, and you feel as though you’re falling apart. Angie encourages you to go out and make some real friends, so that’s what we’re going to do.

There are 4 other characters in the neighborhood to meet, although I suppose I identify most with Ruth. She wants to make friends, but feel like she’s too much of a bother. I feel you, girl. The interactions with the characters are a bit dry, though, and lackluster.

The pixel graphics are cute,and the sounds are decent. I didn’t care for the music, but it’s not bad, it just doesn’t fit my taste in music. Overall this game is mediocre in terms of gameplay, but the sentiment is nice, and I love pixel graphics. It’s sort, about 7 minutes for a full play through, so feel free to try it in browser for yourself *here*.

3. Fancy Fartifacts and Devilish Deals

Purrito, anyone?

Fancy Fartifacts and Devlish Deals is a fun game created by LUREKILL. You are running a shop with a demon, and if you sell enough items maybe you can get your curse lifted. But watch out! If you sell too many sketchy items, the magic police will get wind and shut you down.

I had fun playing this game. Some of the items you see are quirky, and, if you take the time to look at them, quite funny. The graphics are nice, the music is fitting for a fame about running a shop, and the sounds are nice as well.

Overall, this one is a nice way to pass some time. You can play it for free right in your browser in Itch.io *here*

4. Pond

 Ahh, those relaxing pixel graphics.

If the last game got you in a tozzy trying to hurry and sell off those nefarious items, then here is a game to help you slow back down. Pond is a rock skipping simulator created by Brendan Keogh. There’s not much else to say about it, that’s the entire game.

So slow down, relax, and skip some stones for a little bit. You can skip stones in browser *here*

Thank you once again guys, gals, and non-binary pals, for spending some time with me today. As always, be sure to leave your encouragement and feedback for the developers on their respective pages, and happy gaming!

Bell

Free Itch.io Games #11

What's up gamers? Welcome to another fun edition of free games from the bowels of Itch.io! Today we have some good, and some not so good. But I like to keep things positive so let's not be too sever, yeah? Anyway LETSGO.

1. Room 007

 Source: Itch.io Page

Room 007 is a quirky puzzle game created by Lancelot Gao. This is your mission, should you choose to accept it! It’s simple, get rid of the bomb! Utilize the room furniture to do this. Each piece of furniture has a different function and performs a different action. String these actions together in sequences as the difficult rises.

This game is short, but enjoyable. I had a lot of fun. I would have appreciated some sleuth music or something. Then again the levels are so short that it may have been pointless. I liked the whistling—it did make me think of James Bond for some reason. In any case, this game was fun for the 10-15 minutes it lasted. You can play it for yourself by downloading from Itch.io *here*.

2. Stumble Gumble

Source: Itch.io Page

Stumble Gumble is an arcade defense game created byTotodyle683. One day in the kingdom of Gumbledon, an evil dictator by the name of Kookiene poisoned the milk supply, driving the locals mad. You must keep the corrupted villagers from escaping and damaging anyone else. You do this by using the 4 infinity cookies. Using the keyboard keys   Q, W, E, and R, use the cookies to summon the Horsemen of Glucose to protect yourself and others from the mad villagers. 

My favorite part of this game is the visuals. The candy like landscape and the villagers’ various appearances are all cute and well done. The music is decent, and the sound effects are fitting.

Timing really matters in this game. There is a cool down period between the use of the Infinity Cookies, so you can’t just spam away. As you progress to higher levels of the game, new and more difficult villagers will try to escape, so you’ll get to test your reflexes as well. 

Overall, the game was cute, but not something I would replay. The game is free to download and play on Itch.io *here*, so feel free to try it for yourself!

3. People Keep Telling Me To Talk About How I Feel

 Source: Screen Capture from Game

PKTMTTAHIF(what a name) is an emotional point and click twine game created by Arthur Gilchrist. I think game you click through a daily life, making choices that will affect your stress, your work, your friends concern levels, and your energy. What choices will you make?

This game hits close to home for me, which is likely why I enjoy it so much. It’s easy to see in a game such as this, when I play as I would really act in life, how actions made from anxiety and depression can spiral into a pit. I ended the game with a stress level of something like 39. Which is high. 

The game is entirely text, but it is well written. I would have liked more variant text colors maybe. The light red text on dark red bg strains me eyes a little. If you want to experience this game for yourself, it’s free to download and play from Itch.io *here*.

4. A Drift for the Irresolute

Source: Itch.io Page

A Drift for the Irresolute is a game created by drigs. In this game, you play as someone else playing a computer game about connecting synapses. Synapses allow the transmission of chemical signals between neurons in the brain. Whether that fact has any meaning in the game itself, I don’t know. I’m not really sure I got this game, or what it is supposed to be. It was listed in experimental, so perhaps there is none to be found.

While you’re playing this ‘connect the synapses’ game, your phone will sometimes ring. You anser it and get seemingly random text messages like, “You didn’t forget did you?” I’ll be honest, I didn’t play long enough to find out if they ever meant anything. The game feels mundane to me. Connecting the synapses was easy, and the texts felt meaningless. There wasn’t really any context to the game so it all felt pointless. 

Perhaps you may be able to get something more out of this game than I did. You can download and try the game for free from Itch.io *here*.

As always, thank you for stopping by! Be sure to leave comments and encouragement for the game creators on their respective pages, and until next time.. Happy Gaming!

Bell