Thursday Impressions: Anodyne

Anodyne is a Legend of Zelda-style adventure game that places you as a man named Young who is appointed by very suspicious sages to save the world. Before long you pick up a broom, rather than a sword, and you're ready to take on evil at full force.

This game was very highly recommended by critics, and it did not disappoint. I only played up to and through the first dungeon, but in that short time it could both feel just like an old 2D Zelda game, and also like a completely new, original adventure.

The developers do have a bit of a sense of humor. This is another one of those games that are "by gamers, for gamers," meaning the creators wanted to create a game that they, themselves would love to play. Yet another reason why the independent gaming industry can be superior to the mainstream gaming industry.

Verdict: Keep playing.
I love it. My only concern is whether or not it will be long enough.

Thursday Impressions: Caveman Craig 2

Caveman Craig 2 is the sequel to the award-winning freeware title, Caveman Craig. I was a fan of the first game years ago, so when I was given a free Desura download key for Caveman Craig 2, I had to play it and type up my first impressions.

You control Craig, a caveman in prehistoric times. You have to build up your tribe, training new members (who have terrible manners) and defending your cave from dinosaurs, until you can conquer all four enemy tribes and reign supremely. The game plays a lot like the first one, with many, many new features that immediately make it superior.

The graphics got a major overhaul, and not only does the sequel have music, but it's darn good music. Right from the start I was drawn in by the soundtrack. I wasn't expecting it, and it was definitely a pro.

In fact, when I first booted up the game, I both loved and hated with what I was met. Amazing music... but the window was of awkward resolution for my computer, and there was no way to change the window resolution. Fortunately, playing the game in full screen mode fixes any resolution problems, and I was able to enjoy the rest of my experience.

I played for about 45 minutes, and I was able to send the first opposing tribe leader back to whence he came. It was a fun experience, and I actually learned something from it. The game also has unlockable achievements and minigames that I wasn't able to look into much, but I certainly will soon.

Verdict: Keep playing.
I don't know how far I'll get, but I'm enjoying it so far. Thanks to Parabox Games for giving me a free download code on Caveman Craig 2's one-year anniversary!

Thursday Impressions: Oozi: Earth Adventure

Oozi: Earth Adventure is a game currently in the Steam Greenlight, which means it's not officially on Steam yet, but it may be eventually. It's about an alien named Oozi who crash-lands on Earth. As described on the Greenlight page, "Oozi: Earth Adventure is a classic 2D platformer with old school gameplay, with no puzzle, no punishment, just 100% pure classic platforming fun!"

You see, that description in itself was enough to get me excited for the game. 2D platformers are my specialty, but I can't stand some games because of the "puzzle" and "punishment" involved. From what I've played, this game lives up to what it says... for the most part.

Oozi is a super fun game. It took me a while to get used to the physics, but that was expected. (Of course the game was meant to be played with a gamepad, but I don't have one.) Also, the game has a control scheme that only uses the mouse. I've never seen that before in a 2D platformer, and I have no idea how well that would work. It's pretty cool, though.

The gameplay itself, once the physics have been gotten used to, is quite fun. There is a not-so-infrequent form of "punishment" in the game, and that is that water always kills you instantly and sends you back to the last checkpoint when you touch it. This can get very, very frustrating, as it's harder to avoid than other hazards are, and other hazards only take one health each.

The visuals and music are pretty sweet as well. The soundtrack could occasionally get a little bit repetitive, but never annoying. In the end, I really have to recommend the game. It would make a perfect addition to Steam's library of games.

Verdict: Definitely keep playing.
It's my kind of game, and it's awesome so far. Perhaps I'll review it once I'm done.

TONE

Every once in a while I review some small, casual, freeware game, just because that's what I feel like doing at the moment. TONE is a game that was created for Ludum Dare 24. I found it because the creator submitted it for the Steam Greenlight, in which I feel it didn't really belong.

The point of the game is to protect your square, which is in the center of the screen, from the other approaching squares around it. You destroy the oncoming squares by running them through with your mouse cursor. It's a simple concept, and quite fun.

I, personally, suck at this type of game, and I constantly found myself dying far sooner than I thought I should. There are multiple kinds of squares, adding variety (and yes, difficulty) to the game. The music track is really cool, and it adds a new tone to the atmosphere. (See what I did there?)

In the end, it's a fun game that you should give at least a couple shots. It's definitely not Steam material as it is, but the developer is working on a major upgrade to the game, so we'll see how it turns out.

Play TONE online here
(download links here)