Games of the Week – Launch Week

Hey folks! It’s been great to see so many of you trying out the game creator this week, whether to test out the engine in a spare 15 minutes, or to create a multi-levelled platform with enthralling plot, gripping characters and challenging gameplay. Nice work to everyone who has published a game, and kudos to those of you who experimented with uploading your own tiles and images. We thought it would be cool to recognise the games that we really enjoy as you guys are making them, and share them with you on a weekly basis. So with little more to say, I bid thee welcome to the first Gamefroot Featured Games blog! What better incentive for you guys to make killer games, than to have them end up mentioned on this glorious platform and shared with the world!

So let us begin! The first game I want to mention this week is called Jumper by Robbie Waara. In essence this is a straightforward platform game; jump around, collect a few things, find the route onwards and don’t die. Unfortunately on my first play through all I did was die, then die, then die some more, but thankfully Robbie had the wondrous idea to provide the player with 10 lives straight out of the bat. Through clever placement of spike items (items that kill on contact), moving tiles and transporters, this game provides a real challenge. Not since Super Mario Sunshine have I felt such hair ripping frustration; taking the wrong transporter and ending up right back at the beginning, or losing my way entirely and falling into a big lava pool of death. However, the game provides just enough checkpoints and life to give you hope that yes, you can reach the end. So to the main flaw of this game…there does not appear to be an end point, but the game provides enough intricate game play to keep you looking for it, whether it is there or not. This game is a great example of creative design using the standard set of items and tools available in the game creator.

Next up is ScottQuest by joshn41, a quirky multi-levelled game which sees the player on a quest to retrieve science, which has been completely stolen from the world. In the first level, armed with a set of Schroedinger Duelling Cats (also known as pistols), you set off, battling your way thorough a mixture of flame throwing villains and skeleton Nazi’s. The challenge in this level comes from enemy damage, but there are also a few nice moments created using moving tiles and spike objects. Thankfully, ‘science coins’ both give you points and restore health – so the level is very manageable. Stick with it and you will be rewarded with 3 more levels, each with a different set of challenges. The last level is a boss battle featuring a jumped up Batman character with a hefty life supply. Holy Batman…Batman.  Unfortunately the science-less world motif doesn’t go much further than the first few story points, but it a nice entrance into this enjoyable game, which exhibits a few personal customisations and a marvellously nerdy sense of humour.

The Secret Tomb by banksethan is another notable game this week. This plot driven game sees you, the Indiana Jones-style Adventurer, set off to find the aforementioned secret tomb! In the first level you must find 6 artefacts on your way to the games end point. Some of these artefacts include a ‘double-sided War Chest with a victorious Pharoah crushing the Nubians’ and ‘A decorated throne with a Pharoah and his wife (who is actually his sister)!’. By no means is this a difficult game, as the mummies that are scattered throughout can be killed with one hit and do not do too much frequent damage to your health; you are more likely to lose a life on a moving spike tile. However the theme is well used throughout, and although the two levels are not currently linked, the second level does uphold the same theme with creative platform design leading you to eventually find the hidden tomb. Nice effort!

So that’s it for this week! We really can’t wait to see what you guys start coming up with, once you get to grips with the engine, and once you have uncovered the glory and limitless potential that are found within an item’s advanced behaviours. Check it out, create, design, play and we’ll be back next week with to share our favourites with you!

Happy gaming!

Rayne Leafe and the Gamefroot Team