platformer
Up, down, all around!
Kraino Origins Spins My Spooky Indie Wheels
Here we go with Kraino Origins. Add this to your Halloween Indie Game countdowns, because it’s got enough spook for the whole community. This game feels like it was made from the plucking of my own seasonal heartstring, with its borderline creep-fest color scheme and environment. Slash your way through constant monsters, zombies, and ghouls in this 2D platformer that spans 8 bosses–now out on Steam! Kraino Origins – What Is This Magic?…
Firegirl: Hack ‘n Splash Rescue is a Neat 2.5D French Firefighting Game
The idea behind Firegirl: Hack ‘n Splash Rescue is in the title, Firegirl. I find myself drawn to this game due to its slight quirk and frank concept. But the game deserves a little more credit than assuming the entire plot is based on a conjunction of the words “fire” and “girl.” Although you are exactly that in the game, Firegirl is the type of game that should have been made, conceptually, at…
Haiku the Robot is a Surprising New Indie I Played
Yep, Haiku the Robot is about robots, although you’re more likely to catch on fire before most of its poetics! It’s a dystopic pixel platformer with a variety of routes to navigate through. The tunnels are left from the aftermath of an apocalyptic turn. It does have somewhat of a narrative for the first minute. Mostly, you’ll be in the heat of battle. You are thrown into the general theme of trying to…
A Showcase of Vesper: Zero Light Edition (On Switch)
Vesper: Zero Light Edition is out on Nintendo Switch and PC today! Players can find this new version, plus the big debut Switch release, on eShop and Steam. It’s an innovative platformer with arcane space vibes and shimmering, colorful environments. It also includes a compelling and innovative storyline told through holographic recordings and plentiful checkpoint diversions. I played the first twenty minutes on my Switch for you. I have to say it’s one…
Rotund Zero is a Super Cheap Preview of the Rotund Franchise
Back with another Indie Game Collective showcase for Rotund Zero. It’s a precision platformer with a Game Boy monochrome style that uses directional keys only to solve puzzle levels made of bouncing blocks. It’s only $1.99 on Steam at the moment and encourages problem-solving in timed runs. You have 5 minutes to complete as many levels as possible, and there are 26 levels, 1 for every letter of the alphabet! You’ll be on…
Jaded – First Impressions of a Stylish New Platformer
I love these platformer games that emerge from the woodwork every single day. Today, that game is Jaded by Shellsnore games, up on Steam. It’s a standard platformer with directional keys, jump, attack, and a special mechanic which is a time warp. Although the time warp mechanic is more of a cacoon slingshot kinda thing, it works pretty well. I was able to bind my controller to the basic keys with no problem.…
BIOTA the Robot Action Monochrome Indie
I’m going to try something new here. I have been known to review demos in the past, but they get kind of buried under other projects. I really want to dedicate time to as many as I’d like to. All things relevant, I made a post on Twitter about needing to play for Game Boy-style indies. I got a great tip from cshPinecone of Indie Game Collective about the game BIOTA from “small…
Dogurai – Heck Yeah, a Doggo Samurai!
Dogurai by HungryBear is a Game Boy-style indie Metroidvania. I know about it through, a couple of co-creators from Indie Game Collective. Thank you, Jaunty Adventures and Pursuing Pixels. Their taste is superb, as this turned out to be an exciting game. I’ve covered very few Game Boy titles here, aside from Lasagna Boy and… actually, that might be it. It’s a great genre if you want to get into indies. In summary,…
I Found the SNES Style “Bumballon” for Under a Dollar, and it was GREAT
I’ve got a great video up for Bumballon on my YouTube channel because I found this game on a Steam sale for 89 cents! With some investigation, I narrowed down some impulse options for pixel art platformers in the likes of some recent faves like Grapple Dog (which hopefully I’ll get to) and PomPom. Bumballon is a game with unique characters and a traditional SNES-type side-scroller game that puts me into an optimized…
Hivemind 2: Stargrove Scramble is A Sweet SNES Style Indie
Hivemind 2: Stargrove Scramble is a 2D pixel art platformer part of a 2021 Newgrounds dev jam with an “egg” theme by the dev group Team Bugulon. You play a little cloaked lizard, progressing through various spring-sunset-toned environments, collecting candies that in turn give you eggs that you can use to hurl at enemies and unblock paths. The music is a touch above fun, along with the sound effects, making the game have a…
Moonstuck is Literally Impossible, Stop Now
When I posted this game, the dev joked to me that I’d done a really great job, which if you watch this video, you’ll realize is hilarious. The game is literally impossible. What? Why am I writing about that? It’s free, otherwise, there’d be an uproar on Steam. Gameplay Moonstuck is a 2D platformer from CozyGames and Black County Games available on Steam just released today. It utilizes a very difficult mechanic involving…
Octarina, A Game About an Octopus Trapped in a Sushi Factory
Octarina is a physics puzzle game about an octopus escaping a sushi factory (don’t worry, you’re on the side of the octopus!) Using your squiggly limbs and momentum, propel yourself around the interior of the factory with the intention of escaping. You can use suction cups to climb structures and hurl objects at switches to reverse conveyor belts and such. Gameplay There are three modes: speed mode, story mode, and “the floor is lava.”…
With You is Still Fun For “Single” Players
With You is from Carol Mertz and Insatiable Cycle, the same publisher of “We should talk.” It’s a simple co-op puzzle platformer that can be played with a keyboard. It can also be played as one player using the respective sides of their keyboard to control the two main characters. How to Play Solve puzzles by figuring out geometric obstacles, flipping around your square and half-circle buddies so that they can fit into the floating…
Bunny Bye-Bye is a Cute, Simple Indie Game
Okay, IN MY OPINION, but it’s cute and it’s the free game today. Actually, I really did like Bunny Bye-Bye and it deserves a break from my sardonic quips. This is a 2D pixel-art platformer about a little alien named “bobe” who needs to clean dust bunnies around a space station using a vacuum called a clean0tron. I can’t promise I have a ton to say about this game, but it’s a neat…
Easter Pick: Super Star Duck
There’s a really neat ItchIO developer called “eggnog.” They’re publishing all sorts of harmless, fun games apparently. In Super Star Duck: Escape From Nefarious Castle, you’ve got the option to play as Esdee, Flan, or Bean, a duck, hippo, and dog (respectively.) The game is one of many free games on ItchIO that I cover, not because it’s a great place to lurk, but because indie developers love the attention there! Why wouldn’t they?…
Gummy Shooter Looks SICK (And You Can Play it On Your Phone)
Mostly created for its novelty probably, Gummy Shooter is an amusing side-scrolling thumb blaster. To be honest, I’ve never tried anything like it before, but I was moved to try the Android category of ItchIO as I was out and it was really quite easy. I don’t always cover games like this, because there is a conflict with how much praise I can gloat over a game versus how simplistic they actually are,…
ItchIO Spotlight: Eats Shoots and Leaves
Here’s an amusing little platformer over on ItchIO called Eats Shoots and Leaves. The name is a parody of the famous writing device expressing how a simple lack of punctuation makes a sentence mean something completely different, especially phonetically. “Eats Chutes and Leaves” and “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.” This game takes this idea and literally makes it the theme. If you’ve never played an indie game like this, it’s not a broad blanket experience…
More ItchIO Binging: Space Adventure by e9k9
Just a fun little platformer today called Space Adventure. Found this on ItchIO. You play as a small alien crashlanded somewhere, a moon perhaps, wandering around collecting green dots. Works great on a controller, and the music is pleasant. The original language of this game is German, so if you don’t speak German you might not totally understand what’s going on. Everything is pretty intuitive though, including the universal basics of all platformers…
Random Free JAM Games: Daydream (Kowzak)
Daydream is a simple keyboard controller platformer made for an ItchIO Dev jam. The protagonist is a woman on a bus daydreaming out the window, as you control one of three recurring daydreams, jumping over obstacles and creatures and avoiding water. It varies from creative to bizarre. I know it seems like I’m just picking these games randomly, but the purpose is to provide inspiration for whatever I need to work on next…
Caves Ablaze Feels like a Super Old School Platformer
Caves Ablaze is a 2D Metroidvania Platformer. Play as a ball of fire that completes puzzles deep underground by using flames and dashing abilities to unlock paths. Avoid water and slowly make your way to the surface. Playable with an X-Box Input Controller or keyboard. This was the inaugural free games post for the FGV blog. Not a lot documented here, but a perfectly enjoyable game. Caves Ablaze Gameplay Ah, okay, another fore…
Pompom is A Challenging, Colorful Hamster Platformer
The recently released pixel platformer Pompom: The Great Space Rescue ran across my desk as a showcase opportunity through my friends at Indie Game Collective. It’s a precision platformer, sort of, with a feature I’ve never seen before this involving time slowing AND improvised platform placement. You can play with a controller, or you can play it with a mouse (or hamster actually, since that is Pompom’s main character you play as.) The…
Mago is a Colorful SNES Style Platformer About a Sorcerer
Let’s take a look at Mago: The Villain’s Burger. It’s filled with so many fun easy-to-learn but masterable abilities and unique mechanics that you just don’t find in every game. The best way to understand it is most likely visually, but today I’ll be talking about why Mago is a promising look at how its developers are creating something that is, possibly, capable of going big if they wish. So, let’s get started.…
Dadish 2 is an Amazing Radish-Themed Epic Adventure
I’m spending time playing a lot of food games lately. While cooking sims are the most obvious manifestation of this, platformers like Dadish 2 are right on board too. Dadish 2 is a continuation of the original Dadish game and both are available on most platforms. You, Dadish, awake from a nap at work one day when your several radish children come to visit you for “bring your kids to work day.” They…
Necrow Co. is a Fun Little Platformer
If this headline doesn’t raise an eyebrow, then stick with two, because this article is tapping into some unexplored territory with the game Necrow Co. by creator Zahran Worell. The game Necrow Co. is a 2D pixel platformer, playable with either a controller or keyboard. It’s a light narrative about a crow who starts work for a company of reapers, featuring a cozy skeleton psychopomp grim dispatching you to a national park filled…
What Lies in the Multiverse is a New Game With One VERY Interesting *Feature*
We’ve got a big event going on right now for THE BIG ADVENTURE. Many demos, and many great indies. I set my eyes on What Lies in the Multiverse first. It’s a collaboration between Studio Voyager, IguanaBee, and Untold Tales. Everything you’ll see in this game has a silvery thread of classic games like Fez, Owlboy, etc. But it’s a little more than technicolor flashing pixel animations, it’s dealing with a really awesome…
Celeste is Ultimately the Best Game I Have Ever Played
Celeste. Yes, it’s about time we did this. The renowned precision platformer from Extremely OK Games has been out for approximately three years now (Celeste was released on Jan. 25, 2018, hence the three-year anniversary,) and it has not lost its charm. And why would it? The game sold over a million copies by the end of 2019. Whether you’re hanging out in your game room or playing on your Switch en destination,…
Spotlight: Greak Feels like Hollow Knight But Is… Different (Nintendo Switch)
Amongst the trove of pale-skinned characters, glowing misty caverns, and punchy character abilities, this one might be new to you. Greak: Memories of Azur is similar to platformers like Hollow Knight and Undertale, perhaps even Ori or maybe Hoa, sure. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of any of those! What Greak offers is a borderline cozy adventure with very unique, engaging gameplay that is an experience of its own. Greak, Adara, and…
The Lightbringer (Demo) is What I Played Today
Okay, let’s talk about The Lightbringer. This is kind of random. No, really, it is. Might as well roll for initiative. Anyway, I’ve been spending a ton of time on the Switch lately, since I was traveling with the handheld recently and got kind of used to it. However, I recorded it while playing on my TV, so I don’t know. Anyway, was looking back through some of my YouTube videos and realized…
Pumpkin Jack is the Best Spooky Game Out There Now
I petitioned my friends yesterday for a list of games they consider Halloween thematic for an easily spooked dude like myself. I knew of Pumpkin Jack as a backburner game that I had seen last year and lamented myself for not having my affairs in order to get it on the review list! That was during that standalone year of 2020 that had enough triggers as it is. That’s why, when my peers…
Kick Bot is a Fast Paced Platformer That Has a Terrific Demo
“Kick Bot,” it’s an exciting precision platformer on the way from Two Scoops games. It’s time for Dave Pizza to step outside his comfort zone and try some of these more challenging game foes. And I’ll tell you, I thought it was broken because I didn’t know how to play it. It’s definitely challenging, but definitely possible. And with the retro-tastic sound effects and neon robot package, it’s exciting to look at and…
Glyph is A New Hidden Gem Platformer I Played
“Glyph” is a puzzle/platformer released this month. I was able to secure a copy through my friends at Indie Game Collective. I was curious about Glyph, primarily because of the smooth and colorful graphics, pretty apparently Egyptian theme, and also because, while I don’t excel at puzzle platformers, I am getting better. And naturally, I just wanted to test my skills at what seems to be an extremely feature-rich game. I made it…
Hoa is a New Indie Adventure With a Magical Vibe
Hoa is an intricate hand-painted character and environment art platformer released this week. Visually it succeeds wonderfully with Studio Ghibli-like aesthetics in illustration, animation, and special effects. It also boasts an absolutely charming ambiance in its background music plus sound effects that are cinematic in quality and effect. It also is available in 10 different languages right from its launch. I feel very relaxed playing Hoa, and even watching someone playing it can…
Toodee and Topdee is one of the Best Indie Puzzlers Out
Toodee and Topdee is so far one of my favorite platformer concepts that I’ve ever tried. A while back I did a documentary review that talked a bit about the game Fez. While much different conceptually, they both have a neat mechanic that combined 2D platforming with shiftable perspectives. I’m not sure how efficiently I can describe this concept without getting into some straight-up academic theories involving geometry, so be sure to watch…
Unbound: Worlds Apart is a Unique & Thrilling Indie Out Now
Unbound: Worlds Apart is a unique new 2D platformer with a fantasy twist and versatile special abilities. On the surface, it’s a beautiful game, on par with the likes of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. On inspection, there’s a heck ton of attention paid to the fine details of the environment. And when you actually play, solving puzzles with your special ability rolls off your controller quite intuitively. This is a…
Weaving Tides is a Hidden Gem I Played
Weaving Tides sits comfortably in a genre of its own. Unlock a world map woven together through magic threads. You’ll ride upon friendly creatures known as carpet dragons and weave new threads to move forward. With brilliant surface-swapping mechanics that allow you to traverse impossible terrain, exquisite graphics, and smooth gameplay this is surely a work of art as much as a playable game. The artistic aspects of Weaving Tides are exquisite. You…
Existensis is a Little Known Indie Hidden Gem
Existensis is a hand-illustrated philosopher platformer game from the creative spirit of dev Ozzie Sneddon/Librarium Studios. In Existensis you play a masked character known as The Mayor, who is actually an artist. The objective is to gather inspiration in a journal so you can use it to create a tower to represent the journey of life. From situations and interactions with characters spread throughout vaulting platform areas and cities. You can learn more…
Widget Satchel is an Interesting Hidden Gem
Widget Satchel is a cross-platform indie platformer out a couple of years but is still very fun and fresh. It’s also a great project from Mark of Nice Games Club, which is a podcast I listen to from time to time. It is currently available through the Itch.IO Palestinian aid bundle. Widget Satchel is a delightful flat graphic style game, where you play as an adorable ferret upon a space station. You start…
UROS: A Trip Through Shadows is a New Freebie Student Game
UROS: A Trip Through Shadows is a game from the ESAT student game studio program in Valencia. I previously reviewed a title from this group called Twin Stones which was extremely fun. UROS is a 2D fantasy action platformer-style game that exhibits independent lore that borrows from Hades-like underworld lore. As you progress through the map of UROS you will unlock new areas and obstacles and make your way toward, presumably, a scenario…
Twin Stones: The Journey of Bukka is the Staggering Freebie Student Game
Twin Stones: The Journey of Bukka is a 3d animated fantasy platformer that was released in early July 2021. As it were, I received the privilege of showcasing my first pre-release game through my community at Indie Game Collective. The game was a very intriguing story involving protagonist Bukka, a runner for lack of a better word, and a, I suppose, serpent companion identified as Shiva, the god of destruction. The obstacles are…
Fall Guys is Still Awesome and Now It’s a Freebie on Nintendo Switch
So, the idea behind Fall Guys is this: you create a jelly bean-like thing character and design them, then you push play and skydive (on a load screen) into a pink, purple, and cotton candy blue obstacle course of hilarious wonder with 60 other jelly beans. If you make it to the finish line in time before at least 40 players you qualify for the next round. If not you have to start over. Fall…
Because It’s Hot! Why Pizza? is a Weird, Interesting Indie
I’m back, reviewing a game. An indie game. A very indie game. An indie game prologue. Because it’s hot! – Why Pizza? Freeze frame. But seriously, I am in recovery from an intense year of reviews. So, when I saw this perfectly amusing stylized demo on Steam with a radical pizza theme, I narrowed in on it. What IS this!? Because it’s Hot is a platformer y’all. But I almost forgot since this…
Lasagna Boy is Weird and Scary But Really, Really, Hilarious
“HEADS UP,” Moderately creepy imagery is in Lasagna Boy, this will be my only warning. I don’t generally review horror games, but Lasagna Boy made me laugh, and then, it intrigued me. It merits analysis based on absurdity alone but also on design. I also personally understand people like illustrating and drawing creepy monsters because… well, it’s fun! Why not throw in a third or fourth eyeball here and there? We’ve been doing…
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
