Game Pile #5

in no particular order…

This is another open world style game that I played on release many years ago. I’ve picked it up again recently for a replay and the destruction system that the Red Faction series is known for is still as fun as it was in 2009.

Vital Shell is another game walking the path that Vampire Survivors laid out. After playing the demo I’m excited to see how they flesh out this variation on the concept. Vital Shell has a retro aesthetic pulled from a different era of gaming and it has convinced me that a less polished or modern look is a pillar of survivor-like games.

Understand is a puzzle game that is solely concerned with determining what rules are. I enjoy just sitting with each puzzle area, trying to complete the puzzle in front of me and paying attention to what the solution communicates about the rules at that moment. A really elegant design.

Turnip Mountain was another demo I tried recently that sold me on the full game. The game feel is at the forefront for me and it is paced really well here. I felt like I was able to go from fumbling with the climbing controls to feeling capable of taking on challenges as they arrived.

Disclosure: I work with the designer of The Bridge.Pico-8 is an amazing game development tool that provides everything a designer needs to deliver focused experience. This is true of The Bridge, a turn based tactical experience about keeping waves of aliens at bay. I’ve found myself returning to this every few days for a quick lunchtime run.

I’ve been tinkering recently with the wareware game making tool and it led me to explore games made using another tool, bitsy. I Am A Cat is an interactive bitsy poem illustrating how simplicity in design and scope can achieve something really lovely. You should just play it right away - it will take less of your time than reading this newsletter.

This has rocketed to the top of my to-play list. Making a sokoban game where the tiles are also the input buttons to complete the puzzle is a genius idea and I’m looking forward to seeing how deep they go with it. There is a demo on Steam that isn’t linked on the main steam page, so check that out. An underappreciated gem.