Memo to Game

Continue: Crush the Castle 2

Crush the Castle 2 is one of those games which you can play again and again until you get bored. The problem though, is that you do get bored, which can set in sooner rather than later.

When I initially played Castle, I thought the game to be addictive. This was partly due to my replaying completed levels with an intent to improve or even perfect my overall score.

However, returning to Castle made me realise that this game wasn't addictive, but in fact had high, though not lasting, replayability. 

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Continue: Geoduck

Perhaps what's most scary about Geoduck is its somewhat hidden ability to begin to make sense. Geoduck gives the impression you're playing for randomness and randomness only, and yet the further you venture in its 7x7 patchwork world, and the more static cut outs you converse with, the more visible and - frighteningly - logical Geoduck's story starts to emerge.

For me, it was a conversation with the devil that did it. When Geoduck asserts that he's on an adventure to find the meaning of his true existence, the devil informs him that he's been alive for tens of thousands of years and he still doesn't know who he is. Did I mention the 'devil' has Samuel L. Jackson's face?

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Continue: Heir

From time to time, Heir stirs a 'Save the Whales' mentality within me where I begin to feel sorry for the huge, blundering creature who doesn't seem to be doing any harm to anyone.

It almost makes the comparatively tiny hero, who shows no effort as he leaps from living platform to living platform, seem a bit of an arrogant prick.

There isn't any relying on the story to help you justify as to why you're impaling these giant creatures' weak spots. Not that the story shows merit anywhere else; It's two thirds generic and one third cop out. And that latter third, oh boy, did it make me angry. It suddenly made me realise the last weak spot its arrogant, little prick of a sword impales is the player's.

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Continue: Loved

What's impressive about platform head fuck Loved is how well it works as a piece of art rather than a game.

As a game, it's fairly limited, even for a flash game. There are no further levels. There are no bonus rounds. There are no bosses, special power ups or long lists of achievements. Even sat amongst the most retro of platform games, an experience in Loved feels extremely bare.

Those who completed Loved once will only want to replay it to see what they have missed, which typically consists of a different graphical style, a variation of some text and an alternate ending.

There appears to be only two endings in Loved, neither of which will make the player particularly happy nor particularly loved. There isn't much of a reward either, unless you count the experience itself to be as such.

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