Shooter Review

A Brad Kramer production
Ages 10+ (and not electric signal induced seizures)

Brad's splash screen has a good warning about his game maybe inducing seizures. Certainly, it does its job of confusing and distracting players. You are a red triangle in space, fighting off blue alien probes and a boss. You don't know why you're fighting them, only that they're shooting at you. Oh yeah, the probes use bright green lasers for sight, and shoot at you. A lot.

Once you get past the horde of probes, you must navigate through a tunnel. And you're ship doesn't have enough full integrity to survive more than one impact.

This is a difficult, yet addicting game, and even the creator has only beaten it twice. I'm excited to see his take on other styles of games!

Soundtrack and sounds is just the usual, probably he should make new ones for the end of the year game?



4.5/5

Submachine Four: The Lab

Found:
http://submachinegames.com/submachine_4.html
Created by: Created by Mateusz J. Skutnik
Flash game
Rating: Everyone (challenging puzzle-game)

Related reviews:
#3 - The Loop:
http://lcakgamerev.blogspot.com/2009/03/submachine-three-loop.html
#2 - The Lighthouse:
http://lcakgamerev.blogspot.com/2009/02/submachine-two.html
#1 - Extended:
http://lcakgamerev.blogspot.com/2009/02/submachine-one-extended.html


Oh, I know how you are feeling 'not another Submachine game!'. But inside, you are silently joyous, as you are addicted.

This one opens with the same "cut-scene" from The Loop: the rooms flipping by as if on a spin-dial. Subtitles state that you have been teleported from within the Loop (aka Machine) into the Lab...or somewhere near it...

Unlike the other Submachine games, there is actually somewhat of a walk through in the beginning through the use of pop-up windows explaining how to move and pick up items. My guess is that Mr. Skutnik's games gained in popularity, until people who were unacquainted with the series would start playing at number four. (Which in itself sounds ridiculous, but anyways--)

I have included a "brief" walk through of the beginning of the game, just to help you along, as well as give you a taste of what the gameplay is like if you haven't gotten hooked on the series yet. While recording, I tended to do things quickly, and I had forgotten that the fps capture on the Screencast-o-matic, so the video may seem really jumpy and low-grade, but we all start somewhere. But at least you can preview the game now.

http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cQeI6Le2x

As you can see, Mr. Skutnik has really amped it up on the craziness and looking for obscure objects. But of course, it is the fourth in the series, so you should be used to it by now. In theory. Apart from the improved running-around-iness, there is also an improvement on the graphics, and a consistency from the music.





Look familiar?






Throughout the game, he peppers in items and references to the other previous Submachine games. The creepy phonograph from The Lighthouse, the journal pages written by M, rooms that look very similar to the rooms in the first game, jumping temporarily back into The Loop (thus further incorporating that out-of-place sequel into the rest of the saga); tons and tons of easter eggs everywhere in this game.

Not only are you exploring the lab and piecing together the story of M, and the people researching other dimensions, but you also get to explore other dimensions as you take control of the teleport system (hopefully remembering to use the journal you pick up that has known coordinates to jump to, as well as your own notes if you find new ones).

Another thing Skutnik carried over from a previous game is the looking for "secrets" or the small, red marbles from The Lighthouse, except in this game they actually achieve something if you find them all. At the end of the game, there is an option to see sort of the "behind-the-scenes" section of the game; collecting all of the secrets in the game helps with revealing more. You get an interesting inside view of the series, as well as notes and explanations from Skutnik about different saspects of the series.

All in all, Submachine Four: The Lab is an all-encompassing sequel to an awesome series. The feel and atmosphere is continuous, and you see a wide range of the Submachine story and the world(s) it inhabits. I can just keep playing it over and over, and it is longer than the others to boot. It only makes me want to keep playing this series.

4.8/5





...No, I'm not showing you the secret code on the teleport device to warp to one of the rooms at the end of the game. That's just absurd...

Submachine Three: The Loop

Found on:
http://submachinegames.com/submachine_3.html

Created by: Created by Mateusz J. Skutnik
Flash game
Rating: Everyone. Again, probably 12+ just because its a puzzle game (involving some math).

Related reviews:
#2: The Lighthouse - http://lcakgamerev.blogspot.com/2009/02/submachine-two.html
#1 Extended - http://lcakgamerev.blogspot.com/2009/02/submachine-one-extended.html

The third installment in the Submachine series (of which there are 5 at the moment). Not as creepy-soundtracked as the others, its more techno-esque (might still induce shivers alone at 2am, though). In fact, the intro is very, pump-you-up music. There are subtitles that boldly states that this game is unlike the two others before it: You don't have to collect anything.









You start off within The Machine--apparently the almost omnipresent being found in the other two games--staring at an odd, dial-disk-switch, something on the ground, two door ways, and two ladders. The item on the ground becomes a 0,0 counter at the top left of your screen, you coordinates within a level. Anyone that has taken algebra should know how to read it as you maneuver through the levels.

Once the counter is acquired, the dial-disk-switch opens, and you can click it. You are whizzed through the Machine, to the next level, where there is yet another DDS (also note, a password flashes at the top of the screen, in case you need to take a break you can type in the password when you come back). Also notice that at the top of the counter, there are little red lights. These indicate how many parts of a puzzle you've solved before the DDS can be activated.

From here on out, its the same old clever thinking bit from the two previous games, but with a slight twist. There's no conventional puzzles like replacing a valve or typing in numbers to open locks or finding keys. No. there are no instructions when you start a level. Merely start, explore, and think. A lot.

If you get lost in the oppressively boring rooms, here's a hint. Go to room (1,0), or first to the right. Here, you will (almost) always find a panel. On the panel, a grid with an X and dots. This is your map, and you can't take it with you. Also, the dot is in reference to room (0,0). If in trouble, return to (1,0)!

From here on, the game goes through the same setup, each level with a new twist or difficulty, and little help or explanation. Pay attention to numbers and where dots are on the map, as it will help significantly. Also, a scratch piece of paper and pen(cil) are good tools if you can't remember some details (or passwords).


Submachine 3: The Loop really through me off the first time. When I first discovered this series, I was jumping from game site to game site to track them down. When I got to number three, I thought it was a cheap knock-off by someone else, because its so radically different from the other games. But no, same old Mr. Skutnik with his insane puzzles. The graphics are an improvement, moving away from the more cartoony, cel-shading from the previous installments. The simplicity and monotone levels and colors only add to the environment and overall mood, like you really are trapped within The Machine.

The difficulty in the levels has also been bumped up, mainly because you have to think in a new, enlightened manner from the first two. Many of the puzzles will have you running around, getting lost, and scratching your head trying to figure out what to do. A lot of times, just playing around with the various switches, levers, dials, and buttons you find will reveal that the solution has been staring at you, laughing.

Overall, The Loop, is an entertaining, albeit disjointed and significant jump from the usual Submachine game that is just as difficult as the others. Also, the puzzles have minor variations everytime you play, so you can't for sure now exactly what numbers or switches are used everytime you play. Keeps you on your toes. Compared to the previous two games, The Loop is a very basic, cut-down game without any real cut scenes or detail-views of tools or objects (like in The Lighthouse of example). Also, the basic storyline element has been almost completely removed, as there aren't journals to find.

At the end, you're left with a note telling you not to complete the last puzzle, or you will be trapped forever. Instead, once you find the "key" (a leaf), you have to run all the way back to some far-off room and drop the key onto a pedastal. The second time I played, I wanted to see what happened if I completed the puzzle...you're trapped forever in The Machine, and die. The ending level seems almost rushed and cut-off, but has the promise of another installment.

"See you at The Lab"


4.4/5

Submachine Two: The Lighthouse

Found on: http://submachinegames.com/submachine_2.html

Created by Mateusz J. Skutnik
Flash game
Rating: Everyone. Again, probably 10+ just because its a puzzle game.

Once again, a creepy soundtracked gamed. Submachine 2 opens up with a fizzling screen, and there's dialog on the bottom, explaining that the last game was an arcade game, but that the person that's playing thinks its all a dream. But they don't remember waking up...

Here is where you begin.
Apparently, you are outside of some red-bricked building, staring at Submachine, the arcade game. (as you can see, the graphics are more developed and creative than the original). All is quiet, except for the incessant chriping of crickets. Without any further instructions, you must go around looking for things, but aren't told what to go find. You have a journal page, but its such a mystery, that it just adds to the depth of the game, rather than gameplay.

Just follow your instincts from here; point and click. In your inventory, you see you already have a crystal of some sort, and a counter for little red marbles. These are "secrets", and you can find them hidden throughout the rest of the game.

So, you start out, aimlessly wandering around the red-bricked building, and all you see are a weird, sci-fi-esque instrument, a gramaphone, an empty wall, stairs, and a small room with a cog and chair on the ground. Well, you have a crsytal and a sci-fi machine; and a cog and a broken gramaphone. Sounds like a good place to start. Once you get the gramaphone working, the rest of the creepy soundtrack is added in a clever way: the gramaphone is the soundtrack. Prepare to feel paranoid.

From here, you must use your Myst/Riven instincts, and take special note to almost everything: Fromt scribbling on the walls, to how things are laid out. DON'T give up, just keep going, as you might've found out by Submachine. If not, well, just stick to it. I'm serious. Skutnik, the creator, really did a good job with creating a feel to the game, you are completely lost in some abandonned building (later to be the lighthouse, like in the picture from Submachine, Extended. You also feel like something is going to jump out at you, which adds to the overall gameplay. There are keys, journal pages, lights, switches, videos, dark sewer passages (which can get confusing. I suggest drawing a map), everything you can ask for in a point-and-click, puzzle game.

Differently from Myst/Riven, your perspective isn't truly first person for the whole game. Many rooms seem like it, but in reality, you can't see inside two sewer lines at once. Also, differently from Submachine, Extended, there's different soundtracks for certain rooms, and the whole 'think this way' is subtly taught to the player. Finding the red "secrets" helps prepare you to look for other small, hard-to-see items that will need.


Much better graphics than the last one, eh?






This game is another wonderful installment to the mysterious (and sometimes frustrating) Submachine series, and each new addition just makes you want to play more. When you finish each one, you feel a sense of accomplishment like, "Yes, just BEAT THAT!...Ok, next game."

Green light. All systems go. M, I'm coming for you, and your karma arm! Wait, where's Einstein?
After flipping the switch, there's a white light, and there's a grainy video of a man walking to the edge of the water, and realizing its just the image on a screen.

And so ends, Submachine 2

More on the way


4.7/5

Submachine One, Extended

Originally @: http://alexklchs.blogspot.com/

Submachine (One, Extended), created by Mateusz J. Skutnik
Flash game, can be found at: http://www.freegameplayer.com/games/submachine/

Rating: Everyone. Probably 10+ because its a puzzle(ing) game.

Submachine is a creepy-soundtracked point-and-click puzzle game, very much like the cult-like Myst and Riven games. You start in a tan-gold-brown colored room, listening to weird, shiver-down-your-spine inducing music. All you can see is a ladder, two doorways, and what looks to be like an equipment bar.

Just like Myst, you have no idea what you have to do or need to collect or anything. Just start guessing, collecting clues, and puzzling. Also, you collect pieces of paper with seemingly random information that suggests the person who wrote them isn't exactly sane/normal.

Once you start, you can click on doorways, switches, ladders, baubles, etc. and hear different sound effects and animations, or just nothing. If you click an item you need, you instantly pick it up. You can then later drag tools from your equipment (right of your screen) and drag it to where you think it goes. [As you can see here]

NEVER give up, this game takes patience and odd-ways of thinking, but persistence and creativity really pays off. Also, there is a lot of backtracking involved. Basically, if you're familiar with Myst, then you'll be ahead of the pack in playing this game. At least you know what to expect. Kinda.


As you slowly gather clues, have a very sharp eye for hidden clues and almost the mindset of a crazy person: Where to cleverly hide clues in the open? There is also the hintings at a sequel: A picture in one of the rooms is a lighthouse, with the words "Sub_2" at the bottom.

Once everything is collected, fixed, turned, switched, charged, and ready, and you are at the end of your wits and patience has run out, you are able to use a teleport device, which is shaped like a glass donut on a pedastal. I won't give away the ending, go play it!

The music really adds to the overall feel of the game and keeps you edgy, almost expecting a run-in with a monster or something to try and kill you. (Not that kind of game, trust me.) The graphics are also cartoony, almost cel-shaded, but also helps maintain the air of the game. The extended version has more rooms, and arranged in a very different way, so make sure you know which version you are playing.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who has played (and like, or has been hooked on) the Myst and Riven games for the PC. Once you're done, you really want to play some more, and you can, sicne some of the details and ways to solve certain things change (like numbers to passwords, etc.) which keeps you on your toes; but thank Gaia that there's a second one to sate the thirst for point-and-click!

4.5/5

Next time: Submachine 2!

TriAchnid

Originally @: http://alexklchs.blogspot.com/

In an internet full of random and silly games to play online, one of the few that stand out to me and make me want to play on and on is Triachnid!

Originally found on NewGrounds: www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/347467

Design and Programming - Florian Himsl
Graphics and Design - Edmund McMillen
Music - Tin Hat Trio
Sound Effects - Anders Gustafsson

Slight graphic violence.

The game starts out with a few simple, yet well produced images, showing a "family" of three-legged spider-like creatures (triachnids). A giant worm eats up the female-looking triachnid, who drops the egg-sac she's carrying. The male triachnid tries attacking, but in vain. The worm disappears, leaving the triachnid alone.

This is where you start: A heart-broken triachnid searching for "his" offspring, and seeking revenge for his murdered...wife?

The game play is a little shaky at first, you use the mouse to drag around his legs to make him move around. The best way to move is as if he is a pinwheel--legs flailing in a smooth circular circular motion.

You can also spin weblines; grab various things from your eggsac, enemies, and your weblines; hold your breath underwater; and hold things in your mouth (like your eggsac or eating enemies).

A good review of the instructions and playing around on the first level are recommended.
Good use of a web...while standing on the ground...





In essence, Triachnid is a sidescroller. Your objective is to get to the finish line of each level, and finding as many of your offspring as possible along the way. The levels progress in a way that you get used to different aspects of the game. New elements such as key-bugs used to unlock doors, swinging from your web, eating enemies for health, throwing items, moving efficiently underwater, saving your offspring, and using the environment are all combined on the last few levels when you travel inside the giant worm.

It is a short, but addictive game to play, and again (as Portal Flash) you want to start replaying it as soon as it is over. The soft and relaxing music adds a whole new layer to the game, and it makes me want to buy Tin Hat Trio's album. The triachnid also has a "vocabulary" that makes him easy to understand: Everything from a gruff growl when he grabs an enemy to an affectionate "purr" when he picks up his offspring.

Look, he's a pappa!










The graphics are very cartoony, but really uphold the atmosphere of the world of Triachnid. The background is blurred and what is closer is in more detail. Although, when you are travelling through the bowels of the worm, there are some arteries that are blurred to make it look like the screen is a few inches from them.


Overall, Triachnid is a very entertaining use of spare time. Also, the music is very soft and soothing, for those stressful days at work. The only thing of what I'd ask of in this game was an extended gameplay, so I can keep messing around with this character!

To the Creators:
Keep it up! I'm looking forward to number 2.

4.7/5!

Portal Flash

Originally @: http://alexklchs.blogspot.com/

Portal - The Flash Version
Available online, Adobe Flash required.

http://portal.wecreatestuff.com

This is a spin off based off of Valve's highly successful Portal game, available through The Orange Box for the XBox 360. Valve also created the Half-Life Saga.
Portal is all about getting from the entrance of a room, to the exit. Simple enough. Now add in portals, allowing teleporting from one place to another. Pretty sweet.
In the game, you use the portal gun that shoots yellow and blue portals. Once both colors are set up on walls, you can "walk" through yellow, and come out through blue; vice versa. Easy to use. Okay, now add in obstacles such as pits, moving platforms, un-portal-able walls, sentry bots, force fields of various types, cubes, buttons, switches, doors, electrified floors, and even Gravity. That's when it all gets complicated.

The game design is simple, almost sidescrolling--without the sidescroll. Its a concoction of platformer, advernture, and puzzle, and its "father" from the 360 also incorporated first person shooter to the list.

In the Flash version, everything from the 360 version is simplified into a nice package. Not too easy, not too difficult. Its easy to pick up online anytime you're on a computer. The levels progress at a good pace, slowly getting you adapted to the type of thinking that's used in solving the puzzles. Once you're ready, then it starts to escalate, quickly challenging even the most talented Portal-shooter.

Just like it's "father", the end of the game leaves you sputtering for more, so you go back and replay it again. The beauty of it, you can solve each room in a different way. If you're skilled enough, you can even use what is called "portal stepping."

I highly recommend this game, for newbies, as well as for experienced, 360-Portal veterans looking for a way to feed the Portal craving. This game is enjoyable even if you haven't played the "father", but I recommend playing both to get the full experience of the Portal idea. Join the cult.

Oh, and Portal: Still Alive for 360 is coming out soon.