Good Game Get! Spirits
Sprits is a low-speed puzzle platformer designed by the rad design team, Spaces of Play. The game gets its charm from its great art design, and level design. You control spirits only by clicking up them, making them stay stationary, and transforming them into something that can help other spirits reach the goal. For example, one of your first powers to give to a Spirit is a blowing wind transformation.
The game is challenging without being frustrating, and that mostly has to do with how easy it is to complete a level, but to complete a level well - that’s a different story. You have a quota of Spirits to guide to the goal each level, but you can exceed that, thus attempting to get as close to a perfect solution to each puzzle as possible.
Sprits was originally found on an iOS device near you, but now you can play it any beautiful resolution you want (well up to 2560×1440). All of the art has been hand drawn from the ground up for today’s Mac release of the game, and it shows. The color palette is really beautiful, and there is some pretty cool artistry going on here. It’s something that unfortunately can’t be found in today’s high budget, high gloss games that only feature polygons.
Sprits a captivating title that is clearly one of the best contemporary puzzle games today, whether it’s on your iOS device or your Mac.
The wonderful game is available today on the Mac App Store for a special price of $7.99 for the first two weeks, and then two more bucks after that.
- Kyle
Good Game Get! Dear Esther
Dear Esther is a beautiful first person game in which through slow pacing and player patience; a narrative unfolds before you. The world is incredibly encompassing and heartbreaking and my afternoon became lost in it’s folds.
The environment design in Dear Esther is one of the best I’ve ever seen and I dare say it - it has the most intelligent linearity I’ve seen as well. The game simply knows where you’ll try to go and will re-route you in the most organic and polite way possible. It’s a story on rails, but it’s charm lies in it’s inevitability.
It’s a humbling experience that will effect the player in different ways depending on maturity and life experience. It’s endearing to know that the things I’ve felt whilst playing the game are different than what others may feel.
However, it is also important to note that the connectedness hopefully felt by players of the game is something important as well. Differing play experiences aside, something universal can still be found within the game’s heart.
Pardon my slant towards ambiguity, but to truly know this game you should probably play it.
Just know that I approve of it.
- Kyle
Happy Valentines Day!
Megacute Fauxman Rockwell illustration by Ryan Lee.
- Kyle
Simon Parkin’s New Under $15 Video Game Magic Blog: Hookshot
I don’t feel like writing a full blog post, but I will write three faux-quotes to inspire you to check out Hookshot.
“A celebration of what fifteen dollars can still get you in the year twenty twelve.”
“Simon Parkin has become prophetic in his championing of downloadable titles all the while denouncing the importance and life of hand-me-down game pusher GameStop.”
“I’m a bit jealous of the blog title. Why didn’t I think of that?”
You should probably just go and visit it here.
- Kyle