Browser Games #2

Hello, Friends! I’ve found some more interesting games that you can play right from your browser, so I’m here to share them all with you. After all, sharing is caring, right? I hope you find a game or two that you can also enjoy.

1. Depersonalize Me

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Depersonalize Me is a short and simple game created by Anthony Tesija about his experiences with depersonalization and anxiety. Depersonalization is a psychological state which can consist of a person’s detachment within themselves. Someone experiencing depersonalization would feel like they have somehow changed, and that the world often becomes almost dreamlike, less real, or may find it lacking significance. It can be a dissociative disorder on its own, or exist as a symptom of other disorders: such as anxiety, clinical depression, schizophrenia, migraines, or even sleep deprivation.

I’ve put my psychology degree to good use, so that’s enough of that. In this game you want to recycle the good thoughts and trash the bad. Tesija wanted to show how it may be difficult, but not impossible to recover when those bad thoughts arise. What I personally related to, being prone to depression and anxiety myself, is the difficulty of catching the negative thoughts in order to get rid of them. When you move the mouse close to the negative thoughts, they will try to get away.

I found the idea of this game interesting, and I love when developers create games based on their own experiences. I think it makes the game that much better. You can find Depersonalize Me on Itch.io *here*, and it’s free. You can also follow the developer on Twitter.

2. Keep Listening and Everybody Explodes

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Keep Listening and Everybody Explodes is a fun little game created by grandtheftmarmot, written by Corinne Groble and coded by Brian Peters. Your objective is to diffuse the bomb before it explodes and kills everyone.

KLEE a measure of how well you can focus and work while other people talk. This game can be played with your friends doing the talking, or if you’re playing in browser, there will already be two people to talk to you. One voice is like your inner-monologue, full of doubt and fear. The other voice will be the one telling you want to do, so listen carefully. I made it through the wires, and the pins, but when we got to the next section with the… fuses(they look like fuses)? My daughter burst in to ask me about how her whip stitch(she’s learning to sew) looked, and I missed what I needed to know. Then I blew us all up.

I had a lot of fun playing this game, and I imagine it would be even more fun with your friends trying to distract you instead of the game voices. You can play the game for free on Itch.io *here* and it works right in your browser. Give it a try and see what you think!

3. Puppertrator

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Puppertrator is ‘dog’gone cute whodunit game made by Wyatt C. aka Potatoes Are Not Explosive, along with Krispin’s artwork and music by Cadillac Loops. You are a pug(a cute pug… I love Pugs…) and you are being accused of infiltrating and stealing from another dog’s bone stash! Shame on you! Oh, wait… it wasn’t you? Well I guess you better prove it then!

Use the items and clues around the room to find out who did it! This game is simple enough, you just need to point and click on the highlightable objects around the room, read the information and deduce the culprit. The art style is cute, and the bright colors are charming. This game is short, I completed in under 10 minutes, but when a game is free it’s not as though you can complain. I would still recommend this game to my friends for a quick distraction. You can download it, or you can play it right in your browser on Itch.io *here*.

4. Heartery

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Heartery is a casual, in browser, flash game created by the Cosmic Adventure Squad team of Vu Ha, Rose Peng, Annick Huber and Andres Villarreal. Your objective is to guide the red blood cells, full of oxygen, from the heart, to the parts of the body that need it. Be careful, if two red blood cells run into eachother, then it creates a blood clot! You can dissolve the clots by using a syringe you pick up along the way.

The style of this game is cute, especially those big eyes on the blood cells. I did have some trouble with the arrows, and the precision of clicking on them. At times I would swear I hit the button to change the direction, but would be just a pixel off and it would miss. The arrows seem so small too. Perhaps that it part of the challenge, but I found it a bit frustrating at times.  This game is surely worth giving a try, and you can play it right in your browser by going to the Itch.io page *here*.

As always, be sure to try these games for yourself, and leave words of encouragement, or helpful criticism, so that the developers can further improve their skills and content!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the Gaming in Pajamas Compendium *HERE*

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Free Itch.io Games #5

Hello Friends! Welcome back to the 5th installment of free games that you can download and play from Itch.io! I need to get these written up faster. I have such a huge list of games just waiting for me to play. There needs to be more hours in the day! Without further ado, here are 4 more free games from Itch.io!

1. Date Almost Anything

Source: Itch.io Page

Date Almost Anything is hilarious mock of dating sims, parading as a dating sim itself. DAA was created by Skye Q. I really can’t say too much, because I don’t want to spoil the game or the ending. The game is in a visual novel style, as most dating sims are, but had a more interactive interface as you are required to prepare drinks for customers. I liked the added activity.

The character art is nice, very well styled and attractive. The backgrounds are just pictures, which is alright, it could be worse. The music is nice also. A single play through of any path takes about 15 minutes. Besides the 3 main characters you see there in the picture, there are plenty of other dating options... But I'll leave you to find those out for yourself... ;)

 Although this game wasn’t really what I expected, I was also pleasantly surprised. You can play the game for yourself and see what you think. The game is free to download and play from Itch.io *here*.

2. Doctor Dancefloor

Source: Itch.io Page

Doctor Dance floor is a rhythm based game created by Sintel, where you have to press the space bar in time to a beat to give pills to the dancing creatures. Seems… questionable, to say the least. In any case, this game is rather fun. Although it is short—only 3 different songs to play through. Each song is only a few minutes long as well(they are decent songs, though), so there isn’t a long play time, or much replay value. But it is cute, and it was fun to kill a bit of time with. You can try it for yourself for free from Itch.io *here*.

3. Hope Abandoned

Source: Art Station

Hope Abandoned is a short horror puzzle title created by Josh “Faelim” Grand during PegJam 2016. You play as a young girl who is trapped in her neighbor’s house. These particular neighbors are under a lot of suspicion in the neighborhood. Since these neighbors came, pets have gone missing, children stopped playing outside, and people have been moving away as fast as they can. As the little girl, explore the house and solve the mystery of what happened. Will you be able to escape…?

This game was so well made. I do not play horror games often, and man did this game make my stomach do flip flops. The creepy atmosphere, the ambient sound effects, and a jumpscare or 2, made this game a horror to behold.  The puzzles for the safe combination and the toggle switches took me some time to figure out, but it was worth it. The biggest issue was that I played this game late at night before I planned to go to bed. You can imagine how that worked.

If you want to play a suspenseful game with a great atmosphere, then Hope Abandoned is right up your alley. I was a little unsatisfied that at the end, we still don’t know why the adult neighbor did what he did—whether he just went crazy or something possessed him or something else. But that’s just my need to know everything. You can play this game for yourself for free by downloading from Itch.io *here*.

4. Empty

Source: Itch.io Page

Empty is a zen puzzle game created by the two brother team of Dustyroom. The goal is to clear the room of objects—including furniture, light fixtures, plants, etc.—by lining the objects up with the corresponding wall colors to make them disappear. You do this using your mouse to click and pan the camera, or by using touch on a touch screen. As the levels progress, you’ll have to take care to clear some objects in a certain order, to allow other objects to be removed. It became a bit of a challenge and I really enjoyed it.

The colors are nice, and the music is also very relaxing. The controls are smooth, at least the mouse controls are. I did not test the touch controls. I don’t feel this is a game that you could spend consecutive hours in, but it was a nice, relaxing break. You can download the game from Itch.io *here*. This game is also up on Steam Greenlight currently, so be sure to vote *here*!

As always, be sure to leave your comments on the Itch.io page to give the developers some encouragement, or some helpful criticism, to help them improve their skills and content!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the Gaming in Pajamas Compendium *HERE*

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Lads in Distress for PC

“I think women should be more independent. In society, we’re portrayed as people who simply wear make-up and sit around. We need a Princess Charming—a woman who rescues her man and slays the dragon instead of the other way around.” -Adora Svitak

Source: Itch.io

Princess Charming is exactly what Catfish Crews delivers in their free to play game, Lads in Distress. It’s no secret that otome and dating simulators are a guilty pleasure of mine, so when I saw this game on Itch.io I was intrigued. The art caught my eye as it’s just beautifully styled. I can sometimes be a little shallow when I play otome and dating games. I was to see cute looking guys and gals. Not necessarily gorgeous, but well drawn at least. 

In this game, we play as Princess Charming herself! She is the Princess of the Lunar Kingdom, but unfortunately, the Lunar Kingdom is also near a financial crisis. To help save Lunar Kingdom from being completely broke, it is decided that a ball will be help and Princess Charming will choose a suitor from a, hopefully, more affluent kingdom. Doing this will form an alliance and therefore remedy the financial situation. Charming is not thrilled at the idea, preferring to focus on her magic. Her closest friend Nicholl, who doesn't seem thrilled either, advises her that three of the potential suitors on the list of guests are to be avoided at all costs. So of course, those three suitors are going to be the ones we want to choose from, right? Right.

Source: Itch.io

Our three princes are Prince Mer of the Water Kingdom, Prince Snow of the Snow Kingdom and Prince Zel of the Forest Kingdom. You get the opportunity to briefly meet Prince Mer and Prince Snow at the ball, however Prince Zel has been missing for years. I have played through all of the Princes and gotten both endings for each of them, and I have to say that Prince Mer is my favorite of the 3. His story genuinely surprised me at the twists and turns. Both of the endings are so starkly different that after the second ending of Mer’s, I stared at my computer screen, mouth agape in surprise at the whole thing. 

Normally I go into otome and dating sim games expecting typical clichés and tropes… and Lads in Distress takes them and reverses the roles, throwing the clichés and tropes out the window. I was overjoyed with each Prince’s story and the surprises held within each one. Mer's story was unlike anything I had heard before, and I loved it. I won’t talk about them too much because I don’t want to spoil the surprises, but it was worth it to replay each path to get the other endings, especially Mer’s.

Source: Otome Twist

This game plays as a visual novel, with beautifully crafted characters and stunning background locations. The visuals are just lovely, and the music is a great compliment as well. The game did have a few spelling errors I happened to notice, and the game did crash on me once during my second play through of Mer’s path. There were no serious flaws or anything that I noticed otherwise.

The game is not complete. Catfish Crews is currently working on an expansion, with more princes and more wonderful fun. I’m going to keep a close eye on it so that I can play it when it does release. I’m genuinely looking forward to it!

If you want to try this wonderful creation for yourself, which I highly recommend, you can find it on Itch.io *here*.  The game is free to download and play, so you have nothing to lose, and a few hours of enjoyment to gain, so get at it! Then be sure to leave comments of encouragement for the creators, cause that’s the nice thing to do.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

View the Gaming in Pajamas Completed Compendium *here!*

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Free Itch.io Games #2

Hello, Friends! You may be able to tell that I spend a lot of time browsing Itch.io in my free time, and I like to share because who couldn't use more free games to play? Plus, I love indie developers and games. The work is often unique, and sometimes unfinished, but it really shows what they are capable of. Enough of me talking now, here are 4 more free games that you can find on Itch.io! Links will be posted in the descriptions!

1. The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car

Source: Itch.io

The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car is a visual novel style game by Lox Rain. The Lox Rain team created this lovely piece of game in only 4 days, but they did an exemplary job. The two characters of the game, default names Shelby and Dustin, are in a car during the zombie apocalypse, trying to drive to safety. These two strangers become connected through these events, and during the game you get to know about each of the characters, and the troubles they suffered before and during the zombie break out.

The story is well written. The characters feel human and the emotions that they feel seem real. The art and style is charming, and the music and sound effects are spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed this game experience. I played through Shelby’s story once, and Dustin’s story once. They were moderately different, but I’m sure choosing different text options would result in somewhat different endings. At any rate, Shadows can be found for free on Itch.io *here* and I highly recommend giving it a play through! The only downside was that at the end of the game, I wanted more!

2. Animal Inspector

Source: Itch.io

How many animals would you be willing to sentence to death to ensure the safety of your own? In the game, Animal Inspector, you are working for a corporation that is trying to “cull the herd” of animals, so to speak. You are in charge of accepting and rejecting animal applications. You are the one who chooses whether Grandma gets to keep her precious cat, or whether it’s bye bye mittens. You have to follow guide lines, such as “you must reject 2 animals” or “We’re low on space, so reject all large animals.” Which animals will you choose to save? Will you follow your orders blindly? Remember that the life of your dear pet is in the balance…

I enjoyed this game a lot. Although, as a big animal lover, I found some of the decisions really difficult. The game is about half an hour long if you take your time, and the sound is decent. The art is cute, and the real photos of animals on the applications to approve or reject were a nice touch. It really made the decisions more difficult for me. You can download and try this game on Itch.io *here*.

3. Cat Poke

Source: MadMonkeyStudios on Youtube

It can get pretty boring on rainy days as a kid. Your mom won’t let you go outside to play, reruns are on the TV… what’s a kid to do? I know! We have 9 cats, so lets play a game of Cat Poke! Cat Poke is a cute little game created by Squiddershins for the “A Game By Its Cover (AGBIC)” competition. The goal was to create a game based on a previously existing game. Apparently Squiddershins based Cat Poke on the game Neko Touch by Olulu Up. I have never played Neko Touch, so I can’t make any comparison, but I can tell you that Cat Poke is delightful.

You play as Molly, a little girl stuck inside on a rainy day. Molly decides to play a game of Cat Poke with her 9 cats. Molly will have to utilize many items in order to lure some of the cats out and make them poke-able. It’s a simple puzzler, but an enjoyable one. Molly’s sprite is so gosh darn adorable with her little bouncing hairdo, and the cats are just as cute.  The music is decent, very bouncy and upbeat, but not quite my cup of tea. This game can be found free for download on Itch.io *here*. The game took me about 15 minutes to get through so it isn’t long, but fun none the less.

4. Yum Yum Dating Show

Source: Itch.io

Yum Yum Dating Show is a hilarious mock-dating sim/otome game created by qualifiedbadger where you get to choose from 6 dating sim clichés: Bad Boy, Shy Guy, Mysterious Guy, Sexy Nerd, Mr. Attitude, and Heartbreaker. The host forces these personas onto the boys in an absurd and hilarious fashion. As the girl, you ask the bachelors questions, and then eliminate the guy who gave the worst answer. Something that did bother me was that you were given a choice often between just two of the guys’ answers, so it wasn’t quite like picking what you thought was the worst, but rather the worse of the two.

The game plays, like most otome, in a visual novel style with static pictures and text underneath. The sprites are nice, and the background is just a drop curtain, which works for a dating show, although some variety would have been nice. The music is also nice to listen to, and it changes at certain points to give a variety. Despite some of the shortfalls, Yum Yum Dating Show is still worth the 20 minutes of entertainment it offers. You can find Yum Yum Dating Show on Itch.io *here*.

As always, please give these free games a try, and be sure to leave words of encouragement or constructive criticism. The developers often really appreciate hearing how you enjoyed their game, or what they could improve!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

View the Gaming in Pajamas Completed Compendium *here!*

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Free Itch.io Games #1

During the Holidays a lot of people don't have the extra money to spend on games, as much as we all would really like to. It's a good thing that Itch.io has a wide array of free games to help cure that boredom, without hurting your holiday budget. So here are some free games on Itch.io that you can try out. If you play any of them, let me know what you thought!

1. Put a Sock in It

Source: Far Off Daydream

Put a Sock in It is a quirky game written by Leonid Pilchin and released by Far-off Daydream Games. Put a Sock in It is about a girl named Serena who is trapped in a stairwell, awaiting help. But as the time drags on, Serena is quickly running out of things to do to keep herself from spiraling into madness. Luckily, Serena has two colored socks and a big imagination. Using the socks as our characters, we create a “choose your own adventure” style game that’s full of laughs and life lessons. Each of the socks has 2 different characters. The red sock can be a princess or a ghost, and the blue sock can be a wizard or a stable boy. Each combination of the 2 makes for 90 different short stories, and 30 life lessons to learn through them. The life lessons range from the soul crushing effects of debt, to lessons of loving someone for who they are. I haven’t gotten all the life lessons yet, but I have enjoyed this game for the time I have played and plan to play more. You can find the download for this charming game on Itch.io: *here*.

2. Stuck@Home

Source: Itch.io

 Stuck at home is a short visual novel style game by Lynnaira, that explores the isolation and disconnected feelings of depression. In Stuck@Home you play as yourself. You’ve just graduated from high school, and you’re been sort of depressed thinking about your fears and college. You haven’t left the house in quite some time, despite your friends trying to lure you. The game has a good ending and a bad ending (obviously, you either leave the house with your friends or you don’t). Despite it being short, the game emphasizes the importance of reaching out and finding someone to talk to when you feel those feelings. The artwork is cute, and the piano music is pleasing to listen to as well. You can find the game to download on Itch.io *here*.

A Thing About Nothingness

Source: Adventure Games Studio

A Thing About Nothingness is a simple adventure game created by Pierrec and Sy, exploring the more philosophical side of life. You play as Eugene, who is searching for the meaning of true Cynicynism in the world. He has only his sheet and his barrel to his name. His… master(?) give him a rock and tells him to go forth and find the meaning, then return to be welcome as a true Cynicynist. There are a few different endings and maybe some lessons to learn along the way. Eugene moves by rolling in his barrel, accompanied by a surprising harmonica melody. As he rolls, he will encounter different people will need help. He can choose to help them, or not, and that will pave the way to his understanding on Cynicynism. Each path is only a few minutes long, so it’s a quick play, but I found it enjoyable none the less. You can find the download for free on Itch.io *here*.

Things You Can Put on Gunter’s Head

Source: Itch.io

This game is about putting things on a bird’s head. Yeah, you heard me right. Things You Can Put on Gunter’s Head is a stacking strategy game made by thornytree using Unity. Besides seeing how tall you can stack items on Gunter’s head, if you place an item on his head, and press the camera button, you get a cute picture of the object actually on this adorable bird’s head! I would play this game for the adorable bird pictures alone--he wears a tiny graduation cap for pete’s sake! I really like birds though. Outside of that, the game is just stacking items, which is very hard to do. I don’t think I was able to stack more than 4 items on his head, even using the flatter items. But I was never good at stacking games. It was worthwhile, however, to follow the creators tumblr *here* just to see more pictures of their adorable birds! You can also find a link to download the game on Itch.io *here*.

That’s all for today. As always I hope you will give these games a go, and give encouragement or constructive criticism to help them develop and grow. All of these games are free, so you don’t lose anything by trying them out.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See other games I've shared: *click here*

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email me: bellannmae@gmail.com

Browser Games #1

Sometimes you don’t have the time, or desire, to play through a whole lengthy game. Perhaps you are on your college campus and can’t download games onto the school’s computers. Something simple to take your mind off of the dull hum drum of the day. Maybe you’re just looking for a way to kill some time. Whatever your reasons, games that allow you to play in browser, and more importantly, for free, can be great gems to stumble across on the internet. To help you in your quest, I’ve complied some such games for you.

Source: Sort the Court--Gamejolt

The first game I want to tell you about is called Sort the Court, made by Graeme Borland. This game can be found on Itch.io or Gamejolt, and is free on both sites, as well as having the ability to be played in browser. You are a king, trying to expand your kingdom. The premise is simple—your subjects will come to you and ask for favors, and you simply answer yes or no. There is an entire list of quirky characters with little side quests, and hopefully there will be more coming. The music is relaxing and I really enjoy it. I played this game for nearly an hour… long after the main game had “ended.” Sort the Court also recently got an update(as on 12/15/16), so there is more fun to be had! Find Sort the Court on Itch.io *here* and on Gamejolt *here*.

Source: Rock Paper Shotgun

Next is a text adventure called The Temple of No, written by William Pugh and illustrated by Dominik Johann. It’s hard to describe The Temple of No, actually. You get a small epilogue, you choose a character (a man, a woman, or a frog) and away you go. I found it uproariously funny, I mean that I found myself actually laughing out loud. It’s well written and constructed in a clever way. It’s simple, and the ending is kind of predictable and… well, cheap. But I had fun along the adventure, and that’s what matters! You can find The Temple of No on Itch.io *here*.

Source: ncase.me

The next game I want to look at is a little more meaning full. It’s called Coming Out Simulator 2014 by Nicky Case. In this game, you are Nicky circa 2010. You’re in a secret relationship with your boyfriend Jack. Jack wants you to tell your parents about your relationship so it isn’t a secret anymore. However… Nicky’s parents are more than a little homophobic. How will he tell them? What can he do? You can make the choices, and see how it goes. This game was a little emotional for me, but enjoyable. It’s a topic that I feel needs to be talked about more. Therefore, I am passing this game on to you. Find it on Itch.io *here* or you can play on Newgrounds *here*.

Source: Quora--Gender Coding

The last in browser game I am going to share today is called It’s Just a Chromosome. This game is based on a piece written by Jerry Belich and it was recreated into a game by Sarah Sexton. The game in text-based and created in Twine. The game itself is simple enough. You’re a fetus, getting ready to be born. There is only one last bit of business to decide on: Shall you be a male or a female? This game makes a point of saying you should be male, because your life would be easier. Being a male would allow you to avoid some… unpleasantness involved with being female. I appreciated the message this game wants to impart, therefore I pass this game on to you. You can find this game on Itch.io *here*.

Thanks for stopping in, and I hope you’ll be able to spare the time to check out these quick games and to leave some encouragement for the developers and creators who worked so hard on them.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See other games I have reviewed or plan to review *here*

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Mr. Massagy for PC on Steam

Welcome back, friends! I don't have a clever quote to begin this entry with, sorry. Today we are going to dip our toes into the weird side of gaming, with Mr. Massagy. Mr. Massagy is a dating simulator

game, brought to you by Green Lava Studios. It was released December 6^th 2016 on Steam and has been getting overwhelming good reviews. I bought the game because I wanted a pick me up, I was feeling a little down in the dumps, and it really delivered.

Source: Steam

In Mr. Massagy you play as Johnny (or as I call him, Muscles McAbs) and your Wingman wants you to get out there and… you know… enjoy the company of pretty ladies.  The game as it is right now offers you 9 different ladies to try to impress enough to take you home. Each is unique, and responds differently to what you say, and how you say it. If you have the right kind of controller, you can get a “massage” at the completion of each date. My Ps4 controller didn’t work, but per the steam store site, most controllers should. Once a date completes, your controller will vibrate. According to the Steam page, there are even different vibration patterns according to each girl’s personality.

Green Lava Studios would also like to advise you to take it easy with the controller. They don’t want any more proctologist stories. Here is the proper way to utilize the massage function:

Source: Steam

So let’s talk girls. As I said before, there are 9. Tuto-Rial(Haha), Nicole, Martha, Sarah, Mayo, Janein, Dorothy, Anne and Papu-Aiye. Using an app called Linger you swipe left or right through the girls, although you may be turned down is your profile picture, bio, or experience is wrong. I won’t talk too much about the girls because I don’t want to spoil the surprises for anyone who chooses to play it. However, each one is unique, if nothing else….

The game’s graphics are decent. It’s like a visual anime style novel, with generally static images, and the images change well to reflect how the girls are feeling and reacting to Muscles. I thought it worked well for the game.

The music sounds like funky club music a lot of the time, which is fine for me. There is a good variety to the songs so it doesn’t get boring or too repetitive. If you’re at home looking through your phone you can even skip tracks to find some music that you like.

This game really shines in the interactions between Muscles and the girls. I found it laugh out loud funny, and sometimes I was almost in tears laughing. There are a good variety of choices most of the time to illicit different reactions from each girl. I enjoyed even replaying through to try all of the options.

I would be really happy if there are updates to the game that add more dates. Rumor is, there will be. If that is the case, then I will for sure replay it. I may replay it for fun, however with the surprises ruined it wouldn’t be QUITE as enjoyable.

If you’re looking for a quick, silly game to pass some time, Mr. Massagy may just be for you. If you’ve played it, let me know what you thought. If you haven’t… what are you waiting for? You can buy Mr. Massagy on Steam HERE(http://store.steampowered.com/app/511350) for 6 bucks. What else are you going to get for 6 dollars?

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

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Limbo for the PS4

“A shadow leaned over me, whispering, in the darkness,

Thoughts without sound;

Sorrowful thoughts that filled me with helpless wonder

And held me bound.”

-Alfred Noyes

Source: Playstation

Bound with helpless wonder is exactly how I felt playing Limbo on the PS4. Limbo is a puzzle platformer published by Playdead, that originated on the Xbox 360. Limbo is now available across all major gaming platforms. The world of Limbo is crafted in creeping shadows and piercing darkness, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I went into Limbo knowing nothing about the game. In fact, I was looking for another game entirely. It happened across me as I perused the PSN and since it was on sale at the time, I ended up purchasing it out of curiosity. Oh, but I am so glad that I did.

Before we discuss game mechanics and the technical aspects, let’s talk story. While playing Limbo, I had no idea what I was doing, and more importantly I didn’t know why. We play as an unnamed boy, traversing the shadows, and trying to survive in a world that is full of danger.

There was been some debate about the actual meaning behind Limbo’s story. There may be some story spoilers here, so I will try to hide them. If I can code it right, you should be able to click on the spoiler to show it. The most popular theory, and the theory that I ascribe to is that our young protagonist boy is, sadly, dead. I’m not religious but this is about to get a little religious, so I’ll try my best to explain this. Christian Ideologies ascribe to a place called “Limbo.” Limbo is derived from the Latin word limbus, which means edge, and Limbo is considered an outlying area of Hell. You end up in Limbo if you were too good to end up in Hell, but not good enough to get to Heaven. That doesn’t explain why our young boy would be here, does it? Well, Limbo is also the place for unbaptized babies.

Perhaps our young boy was never baptized, and thus he ends up in Limbo. You cannot escape Limbo unless Jesus intervenes directly.

At the end of the game, the boy is seen breaking through what seems to be a wall of glass, after which he finds a young girl—his sister. This theory suggests that the glass breaking was the boy making his way out of Limbo and being reunited with his sister. However… his sister is likely dead too. After the credits are complete and you return to the title screen, you may notice something odd… In the areas where the boy and his sister were both located, there are not 2 separate swarms of flies, and you can hear them buzzing. The rope ladder to the tree house now also looks dilapidated and worn.

The game and its meaning are open wide to interpretation, and the creator is confirming nothing. Although he has said that some people were close. But I wonder who?

Limbo does an exceptional job of creating a suspenseful, and spooky, atmosphere. The shadows, the music (or lack of), and the subtle sound effects in the background, like flies buzzing, create and immersive experience. I found myself on the edge of my seat through much of the game.

Source: XBox Game Store

Next, let’s talk about game mechanics. The game operates as a side scrolling puzzle platformer. As such, I was happy with the controls. The controls are simple—move, jump, and grab. Many times, you must manage those in quick succession, lest you should be caught by a giant spider, caught in the rising water, or struck by falling objects. The darkness of the game also hides many traps, such as bear traps, so it’s important to move with caution.

Limbo requires some skill in timing, and patience. I died a LOT. And every time you die, you have to watch your poor character be crushed, suffocate, get cut up by saw blades, or watch his broken limbs flail as he crashes to the ground. When you die, you start over from checkpoints, which are frequent, so it’s not quite as frustrating. However, if you can manage to make it through the game without dying, then you can get a special trophy/accomplishment. I have not managed to do it, but good luck to you.

Source: Rely on Horror

The art style only adds to the charm, and eerie atmosphere, of this game. Even though the game is in grey-scale, the details of the environments are something to behold. The darkness against the lighter background creates a dynamic effect. Even small details were given consideration, such as the sway of the grass, the spray of dirt as a giant spider tries to impale you, and the hairs on said spider’s body. Although this game may come off as simple, it’s clear that the creators poured their souls into this game. I have such admiration for their team of artists.

I think I have gushed enough. If it isn’t apparent, I really love this game. Limbo was a surprise to me, and a very pleasant one. I highly recommend that you play it yourself to get the true feel of it, as I cannot do it enough justice. Limbo can currently be found on Steam for 9.99, click here and you'll be taken there. It can also be found on nearly any other major console, so have at it!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See my Current List of Games to Play: Here!

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Pokemon Moon for the 3DS--First Impressions

Let me just preface this by saying that I haven’t played a Pokemon game to completion since I played Pokemon Yellow as a tween. I have other Pokemon games, and I’ve played other Pokemon games, but I lost interest in them after a few hours of playing. I didn’t much like the new generations of Pokemon, save a few of them so I guess I wasn’t invested in the experience.  

Source: Pokemon-SunMoon.com

I bought the new Pokemon games simply because my daughter has been playing Pokemon and I thought that buying Sun and Moon would give us the opportunity to play together, trade together and so on. I was also going to wait to play it, because my daughter won’t receive her Pokemon Sun until Christmas. I thought I would just pick I up, play it for a little bit and see what it was like… but I found it hard to put down.

Now I’m 8 hours into the game, I just made it to the second island, and I’ve been enjoying it so much. I thought I would share some of my thoughts about it. I know that seems like a long time to only have made it to the second island, but I like to spend a lot of time leveling my Pokemon equally and trying to get some through the first evolutions.

I love the customization. At the very beginning I was disappointed by the lack of customization available because I thought that was it. However, once the game gets rolling you can buy different clothes to wear, cut and/or color your hair, apply lipstick, and colored contacts to change your eye color. These little things made me much happier! I feel that customization in any game is a good feature.

I’m also happy to see some of the old generations of Pokemon, the ones that I can recognize, come back to life. Growlithe, in particular, gave me a happy surprise! Meowth got an Alolan version, and I actually prefer the Alolan version to the original! That sassy grin, and prideful attitude is perfect for Meowth. I had heard about the Alolan versions through the grapevine, and I like them for the most part. Ratatta’s little mouse-tache makes me chuckle.

Source: Nintendo Wire

I think my favorite new bit in these games is being able to ride Tauros. After defeating the first Kahuna, you are given a pager to summon Tauros to ride around. He can break through rocks by charging, giving you access to new areas on the island. I saw that some gamers were upset that this rid the game of HMs, but I really like it! It’s a clever idea that puts that Pokemon’s skills to good use! Plus you don’t have to worry about keeping the Pokemon with the right HM in your party, which I appreciate.

The power-up with the Z crystals and unlocking hidden power moves for Pokemon is also a concept that I enjoy. Though, I would have liked to see more variety, or Pokemon specific power moves. "Breakneck Blitz" is a charging power move for normal-type moves. But it just doesn't suit my Meowth to be charging down opponents. A move with him utilizing his claws, utilizing some part of his personality(maybe stealing an item from an opponent, maybe?) or something would have been more fitting.

The new... enemy? It strange using that word in a Pokemon game, but I don't know what else to call them--They're called Team Skull. I don't know what their goals or anything are yet, but like always, they are out to steal Pokemon and cause trouble. The grunts I have run into are... goofy. Almost to the point of seeming annoying. They are like ridiculous gangsters. I've only had a couple run ins, and maybe I will learn more soon.

Just one more thing, the trainer battles are too easy! Most trainers only carry one Pokemon on them, and save for maybe once or twice when I was trying to level up my weaker Pokemon, It was over in seconds! I know that Pokemon can't be too difficult because kids will be playing and you have to ease kids into it, but I want a challenge! Even the Kahuna on the first Island was so easy! Maybe Game Freak should implement a difficulty setting or a challenge area? Make me work for it!

I’m looking forward to getting to play this game more and exploring more of Alola. I doubt I’ll do a full in depth blog entry about Pokemon Moon, and I don’t feel I’m qualified to do so since I haven’t played a Pokemon game in so long so I can’t make accurate comparisons. I highly recommend, however, that if you enjoyed Pokemon at any time, pick it up to give it a try. You might be surprised! If you play, let me know what you think about it!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the game list for Pajama Gaming: Here!

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Deponia: Part One for the PC

“People say I’m extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty. But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by garbage?” -Imelda Marcos

If there is one person who is sick of garbage, it’s Rufus. Rufus lives on a planet called Deponia and Deponia is covered in garbage, junk, and useless trash. He’s been trying for years to escape Deponia and reach a place above them known as Elysium, where he imagines life would be immensely better for him. However, Rufus is… not the sharpest chunk of scrap metal in the junk heap. He’s failed many times before, but THIS time it must work!

Source: Steam(link below)

Welcome to Deponia, the point and click adventure-puzzle game developed by Daedalic Entertainment. We start by helping Rufus put together his latest scheme to get off Deponia and start living life as he deserves! He has no job, he still lives with his ex-girlfriend, and he has no friends. It’s no wonder Rufus wants so badly to leave. It’s worth mentioning though that Rufus is arrogant, self-centered, sexist, and rather obnoxious…. So most of his problems are a direct result of himself.

Once we get Rufus's er, rocket(?) together, we take off and end up on an Organon Cruiser where we see Goal, the beautiful Elysian. She looks like she is in trouble! In an effort to help, we end up sending her pummeling down to Deponia, and Rufus ends up not far behind her. Once we locate her, we find out her brain implant is damaged and she isn't waking up. Now Rufus must find a way to help her, because maybe if he helps Goal, she can take him back to Elysium! But it won't be easy....

I remember reading a lot of reviews that called this game out as sexist garbage, and I don’t necessarily agree. Rufus as a character is sexist, sure. Toni, his ex-girlfriend, is depicted (from Rufus’s point of view) to be a harsh, nagging, mean woman in a stereotypical fashion. However, you can also clearly see that Rufus himself is the cause of his own plight. In my eyes, Toni is a saint for not killing Rufus in his sleep. A parade should be held in her honor. Apparently, a lot of people saw issue later in the sequel games, so we’ll see if my opinion changes. For right now I’m going to say that being sexist fits in Rufus’s character. The game can have some dark humor, but it’s more of a “Oh man, did he really do that?” and not outright rage as I see expressed in some places.

One of the things that I really enjoy about Deponia is the hand drawn environments. The entire game looks hand drawn and the style is appealing--almost a comic book style. The colors are fitting and rich, making this game enchanting to look at. The character movement cycles can seem a little choppy sometimes, like some frames are missing. 

Just beautiful! Source: Indie Gaming Magazine (link below)

The soundtrack is fitting, but nothing special. At the beginning of each chapter you are treated to a little song which helps sum up events in a humorous way. Speaking of humor, I found this game extremely funny in a boyish, immature way. The kind of humor not everyone finds funny. For example, there is a scene towards the end of the first game where Rufus gives someone a wedgie, and then you hang him from the nearby flag pole and reel him up so he is hanging from his underwear near the top. THAT kind of humor.

Now for the real bread and butter of the game… let’s talk puzzles. I love puzzle games. Puzzle platformers and point and click puzzlers are some of my favorites. I was glad to hear that Deponia would offer challenge, but I didn’t expect the puzzles to be as difficult as they were. I tried to not use a guide. If I had stuck with that I wouldn’t have made it very far. About 1.5 hours into my gameplay I found myself stuck and had to resort to using a guide because I didn’t think to give a parrot laughing gas. Yeah, really. The hints you can receive from some items by right clicking on them are vague, and there is no in game way to get help to solve anything. So, have fun clicking on everything, and trying to combine everything item by item in your inventory because some of the combinations are really stretching in. It seems strange that Rufus can come off as such an idiot, and be able to put together some of these complex schemes as he does. 

Even through the frustrating puzzles, I enjoyed the game. The story isn’t revolutionary. Rufus is motivated by the lust he feels for Goal because she is from Elysium and represents his ideal life. The characters are interesting, but aren't given all that much depth. All of the characters kind of feel superficial to me, except Rufus. Maybe that's the way it was meant to be, though. Poki could have intended us to only experience Deponia the same way Rufus does. I really liked Goal, the small amount of time she was conscious during this game. I mean, hey... The first time she woke up, she uppercut punched Rufus and that was enough to make me love her. 

POW! Right in the kisser! Source: GamezPlay (link below)

Overall, I enjoyed the first part of Deponia. I look forward to playing part 2, but I’m going to play some others in between. If the puzzles continue with such difficulty, it may take me some time to blunder through them. Deponia: The Complete Journey can be found on Steam, for $39.99. If you’re a fan of complex puzzlers, this might be the game for you. You can find the link below! Let me know what you think of this game, if you’ve played it!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

Purchase Deponia on Steam here: Deponia: The Complete Journey

See the list of games I plan to play here: Game List

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Sources:

Steam

Indie Game Magazine

GamezPlay