Now, quick, here’s my 50th post – and in honor of my newest blogging achievement – I felt like we should go a little retro. I love retro games – the old NES, the SNES, the Sega Genesis, etc. They’re the type of systems and games that drove me into my love of video games. I recently saw a video series that I felt spoke volumes to my retro heart:
Project D
Project D is a heartwarming, nostalgic, and educational view on how children view current video games vs. retro games. The series podcast is the chronicle of a young boy, Dylan [ 11 ] who gets introduced to a series of retro games to see what his opinion and interaction will be with them. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d seriously recommend seeing it. The video will help give developers a glimpse into the mind of a child, the entertainment value of vintage vs. modern gaming. The old debate of graphics vs. gameplay – all of these topics are discussed in the series, and you’ll definitely get a heartwarming nostalgic feeling with some of the old school games they detail:
Contra
Battletoads
Megaman 2
Punch Out
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
I’ll make it easy for everyone to access by posting them here, but check them out and let me know how you feel.
Here’s the Question of the Day based on Project D:
Do you feel like aspects like: graphics, movement, player interactivity, etc. affect the appeal of a game? – does a game have to have superb graphics, amazing sound, etc. to be entertaining to players?
Let me know how you feel and let’s start the discussion!
I personally know, that whenever I have children, I’m going to be doing this with my kids. You can only learn how to build games and admire games by respecting, playing, and studying the vintage retro moments from our youth.
I think this sort of project is definitely a wonderful solution if you want to give children a real view of appreciation for how far games have come for them. Take care folks – and enjoy this lovely project! I hope more and more families actually try this out – it might actually make games and family interaction grow!
You know there are often times when I have to sit back and reflect on my college education. I feel like sometimes the general consensus is that game design is an easy field of study and that it’s all about fun and games – well, I can tell you from personal experience – it’s not. It’s a frustrating, difficult, yet rewarding experience. You may be designing something that’s intended to be a fun experience had by all, but it requires dedication, determination, and trial and error fixes to make a masterpiece.
Now why am I talking about this today? Well, I’ll let you in on some of my studies.
Understanding games since 2007!
I’ve recently started one of my first game design courses – and as a part of our study – we were asked to view a set of games [ or more like tutorials ] on understanding how video games work. These “games” were designed by developer, Andreas Zecher. They’re pixelated doses of joy and educational for anyone who wants to get to know some of the basics on what make games interactive and enjoyable to any player.
We’re pixelated practitioners of punctual programming!
Now here are some minor accessibility notes on these light little interactive tutorials:
Multiple languages – English and German for most [ Dutch added for Ep. 1 ]
All info is text driven – so deaf viewers will be fine.
Most games represented are easily playable via mouse or arrow keys.
Some portions may cause issues for color blind gamers.
Text is small, which could make it difficult for vision impaired gamers.
Otherwise, these tutorials are definitely a memorable little piece of pixelated education that should be enjoyed and shared. Whether you’re an artist, designer, programmer, music artist, etc. I think these games definitely help share how interactivity and making your medium a fun experience can go a long way into making something worthwhile. You can play/view all 4 episodes of Understanding Games here. Have fun, learn a little something, and enjoy the ride my fellow developer/gamers!
Now most of you who have been following recently have heard me talk about the Able Gamers Foundation– how I love them and how I’m honored that I’ll be getting a chance to work with them in the very near future, well today is no different and, in fact, I’m humbled in the presence of this next Inspirational Gamer of the Week.
The Able Gamer’s Foundationmet this kid named Giddeon at one of their Accessibility Arcades that they hold down in Atlantic City, and this story seriously made me cry.
This kid is amazing. So glad he’s getting to enjoy gaming!
Giddeon was born with a rare birth defect that caused the bones in his arms to have stunted growth. This resulted in only a few fingers forming on one arm. This caused Giddeon to be especially shy towards the idea of playing video games. He felt that holding controllers was a difficult experience, and so Mark Barlett sat him down with the Adroit Switchblade controller. Giddeon loved it and after a while Barlett wanted to show Giddeon other gaming alternatives for his condition. He demonstrated the Microsoft Kinect. I found this to be the most inspirational portion of the article:
Check out his Fruit Ninja skills!
A mother’s love is beautiful to watch.
Giddeon tried out the Kinect, but the scanner couldn’t recognize his arm. Barlett found a piece of foam craft board and had Giddeon hold it. This helped the Kinect track Giddeon’s movements and allowed him to play games like Fruit Ninja. Giddeon’s mother grew so emotional as she saw her child gaining access to a plethora of gaming enjoyment. It brought her to tears – and with that I just have to say these are the moments I hope that can be brought to gaming on a daily basis.
A smile is priceless and the greatest reward for developers!
I would love nothing more than to design games that allow for accessibility and enjoyment from all players. I’m so inspired by Giddeon, because he assumed that the gaming industry was out of his reach and that he couldn’t participate the the fun medium like other able-bodied gamers. Instead, after being shown that he – in fact – could participate his life was filled with joy and entertainment. These are the reactions that I want to live for and look forward too.
The moments when I can take a game and present it to the masses and get a response back from someone who is just appreciative for how a game design enriches their lives. I’ve seen many gamers devoted to certain games, but when you can make a game more accessible to a community that doesn’t believe that there is an accessibility inherit in your medium – and you see the appreciation that comes from their reactions. The reactions and appreciation alone are the reason why I want to get involved with game design and helping to provide this world with accessible games everyone can enjoy.
Here’s to you Giddeon! Enjoy your newly found world of gaming and I hope you continue to find great games that you can enjoy! Thanks to the Able Gamers Foundation for showing off this kid’s story and I’m just glad that I could share it with others who may not have seen this kid’s awesome discovery of the gaming universe!
What do you get when you combine a ball of ooze with looting, puzzles, and retro style appeal? – You get one of my new-found gems on the inter-webs called Swindler by Nitrome Games. Now Nitrome Games has a slew of other titles to explore, but today I wanted to exclusively focus on Swindler – but I plan on doing a Developer of the Week post for Nitrome so stay tuned in for that one if you want to see more of their games in detail!
GLOOP! GLOP! THIS IS A SLIME UP!
Now, why Swindler – what makes this title worthy of checking out? Well, first off I was immensely drawn to it by the design decision to go with a retro fit and art style. The NES/SNES and arcade style gameplay really lend to the charm of this game – as well as the accessibility of the game. The music is nice and ominous, and while it can be a repetitive track the sound definitely makes this game something special – when you hear your little slime spy splat from messing up a move it truly is a gaming joy. Now – onto the accessibility!
Dum dum dum – Ba-na-na! Dum dum dum – ba-na-na- ba- na- na -NA-NA!
Swindler is comprised of a story about a little ooze blob who’s soul mission is to steal these gold chests from the depths of every one of these puzzle levels. There’s 25 levels while the game may look and control very simply – the game is actually a cognitive problem solving tester. Swindler starts you off slow, letting you get used to the wrapping and movement physics of the little bungie blob – but once you’ve solved a puzzle or two – the game’s difficulty shifts.
S0 – what’s the story here?
Don’t be fooled into thinking a game is easy to play or solve just by mechanics alone. The graphics are simple and lovable – the adorable explosions that your little Swindler goes through as he fails to traverse the level is definitely memorable – but overall this game will definitely have you spending time and brain power on these twisting flipping puzzles.
The levels are pretty small in design, but they’re definitely hard – and I think that’s refreshing. The controls break down to simple use of the arrow keys and the occasional use of the spacebar. There is a sadness that comes along with not being able to switch to a ‘wasd’ setting – but otherwise the game plays very simple and lean with plenty of challenge to outwit your poor little blob. Avoid monsters, maneuver your way around traps and steal all the loots till your hearts content – in this lovely little Swindler that will steal your heart!
Pros:
Simple gameplay w/ few controls excellent for motion impaired gamers.
Audio not required to play the game and all instructions picture/written.
Colors are bright and vivid and easy to see for vision impaired gamers.
Engaging gameplay and 25 levels gives a lot of time to play around with Swindler.
Level saves after every victory, so if you have to leave, start from last save point.
Cons:
No opportunity to switch controls to WASD for left-handed gamers.
Colorblind gamers may have a bit of trouble w/ the vivid contrast color scheme.
Slightly repetitive soundtrack can become a bit old – but can be muted anytime.
Precision actions can become problematic for one-handed/motion impaired later.
Difficult puzzle solving can make game tough/problematic for cognitive impaired.
Swindleris definitely one of the very MANY successes in the Nitrome library of games. I’ll be giving more detail on these guys later – but I would definitely check out Swindler if you’re looking for a rewarding little retro puzzler game that has an infectious little green blob of a thief that steals his way into your heart. You can play Swindler now on Kongregate for FREE!
Take a peak – spread the word – and share in this joyful little retro gem before it steals away into the vaults of anonymity.
So, I haven’t been posting for the last few days because of college work – but I’m back now and ready to roll up my sleeves and start anew. Well, this week I’ve got a slew of smaller games that I’ll be talking about – also I want to provide folks with a heads up that I’ll actually be doing a weekly review for the Able Gamers Foundation – so I’m super excited for the opportunity! I’ll keep people posted, and I’ll be reposting any review done there 48 hours after they’ve been submitted. Now – onto today’s game shall we?
Now, for those of you who’ve been following [ and for those of you who are new ] as an aspiring game developer I’ve grown a little bit of a love affair with this game app:
Game Dev Story is a mixture of RPG/Sim Game and it’s truly an addictive experience if you like simulation games. The graphics are definitely retro and the gameplay is simple enough, but actually learning how the game works and the strategy behind getting the best scores on your games is the real challenge of the game, which is why I got so hooked. You play as the owner of your own game development studio.
Create games, train your staff, and try and become an award winning game studio!
Working really bytes... unless you're gaming!
If that sounds fun then you’ll probably love Game Dev Story.
Now let’s break the game down in terms of it’s accessibility, because that’s the important part I love to focus on as a designer. I will start off by saying, that while the gameplay is sort of slow, the game is educational, simple to play, has heartwarming graphics, and definitely a game anyone should check out once.
Here’s some gameplay to see how it works:
Pros:
Game Dev Story has one-touch controls perfect for physically impaired or one-handed gamers.
Graphics are vivid and color variations are different enough that colorblind gamers won’t have a problem with playing this game.
Large print text for vision impaired gamers.
Musical audio, but all directions and gameplay updates via text. Deaf gamers will be able to definitely grab this game and just play, without fear of missing valuable information.
Simple gameplay is not only educational [ helps learn financial saving/spending business concepts ] but makes it easy to play for many players.
Game time pauses for every time you make a change – helps physically impaired gamers play without fear of rushed decisions/gameplay.
Large buttons for easy touch controls.
Cons:
Repetitive music score, while nice at first, can get old – but can be muted.
The game development process goes by quite fast, and while nice, when the Free version only let’s you go 5 years into development – it can feel like a much shorter experience than desired.
The game becomes far more difficult, not in gameplay, but in strategy. It’s a definite toss up when trying to determine which genre and style of game will sell well together – which may make the game harder for cognitively impaired gamers to be truly successful in the game.
No real story to the game, so the only incentives are trying to get your popularity and games to win rewards – but that’s a fun experience in and of itself!
Overall though, this game is a heartwarming throwback to the retro-sim games of old – and a wonderful experience to pass the time as a designer. If you’re interested I would totally recommend grabbing up the FREE version from either Android or the Apple App Store. This version will last you for about 2 1/2 hours of gameplay, but if you really grow hooked to the experience you can purchase the game for $3.99 on the App Store and $2.50 on the Android Market – and design till your hearts content – FOREVER! I hope that the game will get updates and perhaps some expansions in the future – but this is definitely a very simple, joyous experience I think any gamer looking for an educational, fun, and accessible game experience will enjoy!
If you enjoy Game Dev Story – I’d definitely recommend checking out the other simulation games that Kairosoft has to offer. They’re all easy to play and easily accessible – and I think that’s what more and more games need to have. Check ’em out!
Well, it’s official, I’ve reached a pinnacle in my blogging history – and to say “Thank YOU!” – to all of you viewers [ and to a supportive development team in Recoil Games ] I’ve decided to start a contest [ and hopefully there will be future contest given opportunity. ] Here’s what’s going on:
I’m offering up a few Steam codes redeemable for Rochard.
Rochard Title
So here are the rules for the contest and how you can enter:
1. I’m going to be posting a poster from Rochard, and it’ll be up to you to create a unique ‘catch phrase’comment for the star character in John Rochard.
2. You’ll need a Steam account to actually redeem the code, so you’ll need an account to be eligible to win.
3. Post your ‘catch-phrase’in the comment box and I’ll be keeping this contest running for 2 weeks time. After 2 weeks time I’ll filter through any participants and choose the top suggestions.
4. The Top 3 suggestions will be granted as winners and receive Steam codes to redeem. We’ll determine how best to get the code to you, I’m going to presume either Facebook messaging or email would probably be best.
5. PLEASE NOTHING LUDE/RUDE/DISRESPECTFUL!
If you do – your submission will be deleted and you’ll be disqualified and will be unable to resubmit a new suggestion. I would like to keep my blog clean and appropriate and I don’t need vulgar responses mussing up my site.
SO – if you’re ready and respect the rules of the contest – let’s get started!
Here’s your inspiration to go by:
A Space Miner that even James Cameron can envy...
Show this space miner some love and give him a fitting catch phrase!
Well, we’ve come to the wonderful, inspiring day of my week and I’m honored to be posting on this story. I just want to say thank you to my friend Matt for sending me this story. Thanks man!
Today, we’re going to be talking about a gamer that I truly admire and respect for how he’s lived his life and how he’s allowed himself to still be able to enjoy the gaming world and his personal life with a joy for life rather than begrudging his personal struggles. His name is Matthew “LookNoHands” Fink – a prolific Starcraft player and amazingly inspirational gamer.
This guy is fantastic - watch him play Starcraft and your jaw will drop.
I only found one decent video interview with Matthew [ and it’s a long one ] but it’s phenomenal to see how positive he is towards life. He’s a brilliant mind and I applaud him for all his success. ESL TV did the interview with him, and I actually applaud them too for providing the interview with such respect and dignity to Matthew. Matthew’s positive outlook on life is something that should be truly cherished by everyone and I think it humbles all gamers and makes any of us appreciate the way we individually play games and interact with others.
Matthew was born without a spleen and this caused his body to be massively susceptible to infections. He acquired an infection and it required the doctors to have to amputate his limbs at 1 1/2 years old. I’ve been in hospitals frequently throughout my life, and I’ve experienced what it feels like to be a hospital child – but I love Matthew’s attitude regarding his situation. He’s never known life without the situation he’s been given, and so he’s focused his life to benefit what he can do – rather than focusing on what he can’t. The fact that he’s a gamer on top of it all – is fantastic and the man is brilliant! BA in International Relations, PERFECT scores in Science and Math on SAT- and he’s planning on going to GRAD school for Political Science and MEDICAL school!
Way to go man!
Why does his story mean so much to me?
Well, just watch him play – and then you’ll see why this story touches me so much. I’m a huge advocate for game accessibility and providing more and more options for gaming for all players. I love that he doesn’t use any special equipment or hardware – he uses a keyboard and a mouse. I think there’s a lovely quote that he says in the interview that I think people need to take away from most gaming:
“I think it’s cool, Starcraft in particular, is a really neat opportunity for someone like me and for other people with physical disabilities because it’s – once you get to a certain level – about how your mind works, rather than how fast your fingers work.”
I love that he sees his gaming outlet as a way to compete with others without any assisted adaptations – I can’t tell you how much that touches my heart and makes me admire this man even more. He’s a phenomenal player with a phenomenal view on life whose message – I hope will influence other gamers to realize how blessed they are and how humbled they should be for their plastic controllers and ability to use them.
” I’m a very competitive person, and I’ve competed in all sorts of things – debate – I swam for a while, I’ve done stuff like that and that was nice and I really enjoyed it, but it was never quite enough. I could never compete against others without those sorts of adaptations. It was always ‘He did really well, but’ – and so this is a real different opportunity. This is the first time where I’ve really ever gotten the chance to [ measure yourself against everybody ] Exactly.”
So – here’s to you Mr. Fink! I’m inspired by you man – you make me appreciate my life and humble me to look at my own physical limitations with a renewed sense of confidence. You are my Inspirational Gamer of the Week sir and I hope that your journey around the world to support the play of StarCraft 2 and accessibility for disabled gamers – helps to provide encouragement to others and open the eyes of future developers to see how truly remarkable some of their valued players can be!
You can even like him on Facebook and follow his progress as he draws his world tour to a close on his Facebook page:
Well, I haven’t done one of these in a long while – but I think it’s time for a long overdue Developer of the Week post. This time I’m focusing on a company that I truly admire for giving the control of a game to the user and letting users merely play with tools to design their own gaming experiences. Media Moleculeis the UK based company famous for the lovely family-friendly PS3 exclusives LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2. I’ve been a huge fan and advocate of the LittleBigPlanetseries for years now, but what I’m most fascinated with by the Media Moleculecrew is the amazing opportunities for accessibility in player designed levels.
Umm... excuse me, but umm - might I get a nifty hat too?
LittleBigPlanet is a one of a kind ‘creator’ game, and players are truly taking advantage of these design tools to create unique and meaningful little gaming experiences [ some of which I’m so fascinated by I wish they were their own PSN games ] Now while LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2 as games themselves, can often lend themselves to a few accessibility issues in the Story mode, I think that can be overlooked by some of the more artistic and fantastic designs that the online community has been providing. Media Moleculeis a fantastic company for giving power to the players instead of just having them play through something that’s already been designed.
Here’s a couple of community levels that I’ve played that I definitely suggest you check out, because they’re quite accessible and definitely a fun experience to try out:
1. Flowtation:
You play as a small jellyfish swimming through a vast ocean experience collecting colored water droplets to solve puzzles within the game. It’s a simple concept that’s extremely accessible. Created by a designer entitled: EaziG – the level provides simple gameplay, intricate puzzles, beautiful atmosphere and music, and when you see this little game it’s no wonder why I suggest that this game become it’s own little PSN title. The accessibility is phenomenal:
Relaxed gameplay and mechanics allows for players to take their time with each move. This helps mobility challenged gamers to actually succeed and enjoy this game – even single handed players will be able to enjoy this as long as you’re willing to be patient with the controls.
Color scheme is dark, but the main characters and puzzle pieces are illuminated in the darkened waters, which makes the game accessible for colorblind gamers and vision impaired gamers.
Deaf players can easily play this game, while it’s disappointing that they can’t hear the warm, calming, melodic music, no sounds are required to play.
This game is actually very simple and relaxing – so cognitively challenged players may actually enjoy this title.
Gameplay of Flowtation:
2. A Daily Cup of Tea:
This is a very simple item drop game, where players have to catch small sugar cubes into their tea cups. Now the game designed by Nirokeib, and while the design has a very sepia tone color scheme – the games accessibility makes it noteworthy to, once again, be one of the suggestions of ‘must check out’ LBP2 games. Here’s how the accessibility breaks down – and what makes it a fun experience for me personally:
The controls only require you to hit the triangle button once to lock into your tea cup, and then it’s a matter of moving left to right on one single analog stick. This may seem like too easy of a game to care about, but it’s actually quite a fun experience with the frequency of sugar cubes being set at random. You may see an easy moment where there’s only a few and then you’ll get bombarded with quite a few.
Precision is required, because you have to catch the sugar cubes in the cup to make them dissipate. This can make the game a tad more difficult for mobility impaired gamers, but still totally accessible.
The music is good, but it’s not required to play and all instructions are displayed to you via text – which is fantastic for deaf gamers. Definitely makes the level more accessible for those with hearing impairments.
Gameplay of A Daily Cup of Tea:
I’ve checked out quite a few more, but those two held the most love from me. I just want to give my love to Media Molecule, because they have a fantastic game that allows players to create accessible little mini games for fellow players. The Story modes and creation modes of LBP and LBP 2 may be a bit extensive to deal with for mobility challenged gamers [ Trust me, I’m perfectly capable of fast reflex movements, and many times LBP levels drove me nuts with how often I died. ]
Media Molecule gives players an ability to devise a game jam on a daily basis. They have millions of players devising millions of levels and with all of these vast creation tools and creators going forward there’s no wonder that these games are fantastic for the trend of accessibility being valued in games. Media Molecule, I just want to say folks, I love you guys. You have made a fantastic – trend-changing game, and I hope more and more community developers begin to devise games that are accessible to multiple players.
Well, this gives a new meaning to 'jaw dropping' performance...
LBP and LBP 2 have been two of my favorite games to play as an aspiring developer and I am fascinated by all of the lovely games I see coming out of the community and all of the advancements that you all have placed within the games’ look and feel. If anybody owns a PS3 [ especially if you’re a developer who owns one ] I highly suggest picking up these games. LBP and LBP 2 have deep creation tools that are easy to understand and access – and if you’re a more advanced designer you’ll be able to do even further fantastic levels with all of the advancements that LBP 2 has given.
Check out Media Molecule and the LBP series. Their gameplay and game design tools are making a difference, and that’s why I admire them and nominate them for my Developer of the Week this week. I hope that the future of this company keeps going forward, developing ways to provide more and more accessibility to the masses and the levels that they create and those that they allow players to create.
I can’t wait to see the future – and here’s to the waiting period for whenever they announce LittleBigPlanet 3.
Well, with the prices of gas sky-rocketing to 4+ dollars here in recent weeks, it got me to thinking about something that I love and wish we had – space travel. You know, because honestly, if we’re dealing with a natural resource issue on Earth perhaps we can start to mine planets for their resources? – maybe even find new ones we never knew existed? – well, that’s pretty much the job description of this week’s game protagonist: John Rochard.
Rock is hard. John Rochard is HARDER!
Rochardis the first game designed by Finland based Recoil Games – and it’s a great first step into the world of console development. Rochard has all the bells and whistles of a console puzzle and action game, and while I did find some issues with the accessibility of the game, the game overall is an enjoyable and rewarding experience that you’ll remember for quite a while. Here’s hoping that that trend carries over into future Recoil Gamestitles. Now, onto Rochard:
What is it? How do you play? etc.
Well, you play as the leader of a space mining crew named John Rochard. Your task, if you choose to accept it, is to guide John around and help search planets in search of a mineral known as turbinium. Rochard carries around a gravity-bending gun which you can use to help solve puzzles, access areas, defeat enemies etc. depending on the tasks at hand. Now I’ve only played the demo, and while it was shorter than I expected – it was an experience that definitely kept me wanting to see more of it – so that’s a bonus I think for any game.
Here's looking at you Gravity. Do your stuff.
The art design is lovely. Warm, bright, and meaningful color schemes truly give this game a touch that makes it worth checking out. It’s got a style akin to a steampunk/sci-fi comic book and I totally live for games like that. The dialogue between characters is witty and engaging and it’s completely subtitled, which makes for a wonderful experience for deaf gamers. The game gives you a nice tutorial using text to describe the actions you need to take, which helps deaf gamers gain accessibility to playing this game. The music is fantastic too – the opening cinematic really set me up for a joyous experience, and despite some qualms that I had, the game was one I’ll definitely be picking up.
Now, let’s get on to the accessibility listing, because obviously, there were problems:
Pros:
Deep, interesting, and invested storyline in a gravity puzzle game.
Characters are truly charming and memorable. Rochard is a treat.
Music is fantastic. I swear the game made me feel the gritty electro-vibe.
The cinematics [ the few I saw via the demo ] were wonderful, and really added to the depth of gameplay as well as storyline.
Puzzles are engaging and difficult enough to challenge players.
Fast-paced action puzzler is something gaming needed: Rochard delivers.
Full subtitled dialogue, as well as tutorial instructions for new actions.
I'm just sailing, sailing on an ocean of gravity... there ain't nobody else but me...
Cons:
On the PS3 version the joystick movement is really loose, and unfortunately, I didn’t find in the options menu where that could be changed. This game requires a lot of precision movements and placements in order to access specific areas, quick reflexes to fend off enemies, etc. and so mobility impaired gamers will severely struggle with timing and movement issues. In order to fix that, a control sensitivity setting would have been nice [ but perhaps it’s just in the demo and I’m unsure for PC or Mac versions. ]
Color-blind gamers may have issues with the environments. Examples include when gravity is turned off, the entire environment turns into shades of blue, etc. but most color schemes in Rochard are vibrant and distinct enough to combat that – if any color-blind gamers have any problems please let me know. I’d love to receive personal feedback from your perspective.
Cognitively impaired gamers will have a difficult time with this game – the puzzles are actually quite complicated once you get deeper into the physics pool that this game provides and can cause issues for some players certainly.
So, overall, it’s a great little physics based puzzle game – and despite the few hiccups in accessibility, Rochard, is definitely a must see. I’m hoping that the PC version provides a little more assistance for gamers with mobility issues, but like I said, if you can get passed that – the game is truly rewarding. It’s got a slew of levels and interactive moments and it’ll definitely be one I put on my PSN download list in the future. You can catch it on Steam, PC, Mac, and PSN right now for $ 9.99 or for $14.99 on Steam you can get the game and the soundtrack as well [ and it’s fantastic! ] Thanks Recoil Games for such an enjoyable and rewarding gaming experience – I’ll be venturing into the great unknown of space for quite some time thanks to you!
So I’ve sort of been on this whole love of foreign country games, and rightfully so. I think it has something to do with spring break [ and that thing I’m not usually acquainted with – sunshine ] I’ve just been musing – thinking about how glorious it would be for me to just be lounging somewhere peaceful. Perhaps I’ll think about going to a small little island somewhere off the coast of nowhere and just get lost in my peace and serenity – and then I realize… it’s just a dream, and I wake up.
Ahh... all alone. Now where's my hammock?
Well, if any of that made you think of the many maddening moments we all have during dreams, I’d invite you all to check out Swedish developers Cockroach Inc. and their delightfully mysterious indie title called The Dream Machine. It’s unique design, deeply interesting storyline, and odd enchanting characters make The Dream Machine a must check out. The game is divided into chapters and you can easily purchase each piece individually, but what I love is that they let you play through the whole first chapter for FREE.
Now, why do I love this game?
Well first of all – there’s the art style. Anders Gustafsson and Erik Zaring made this whole game out of clay and cardboard, which is why it charms it’s way into my heart as one of the most enjoyable artistic experience I’ve ever had in gaming. They have some fantastic little flash game experiences on their website, but The Dream Machine stands out. It’s a dark, yet engaging little art piece. The gameplay is point and click adventure game, but there’s a sense of narrative and mystery novel that I haven’t seen in games in a while. It may be simple gameplay, but it’s such an intriguing experience that you won’t let go.
Can I help you? Look into my eyes!
Gustafsson and Zaring made some very distinct choices that I feel makes The Dream Machinesuch a far reaching accessible title, and I hope that my fellow gamers appreciate them:
No audio needed, except music is great, which is a shame for deaf gamers.
Point and Click for mobility impaired gamers.
Easy gameplay with difficult puzzles and problem solving.
An above screen inventory setup
Slight highlight and wording when you glide over clickable objects.
There were only a few issues that I found with the game in terms of accessibility, but it’s a stylized deal – not necessarily gameplay issues:
Difficult puzzles, while great overall, problematic for cognitively impaired.
Color scheme may make it difficult for colorblind gamers to play areas.
Text is rather small so it can make for issues for vision impaired gamers.
The game is filled with a rather deeper, darker, mature sort of storyline.
Now while that last one really isn’t an issue with the gameplay, it’s more of a warning for players. The game is a deep cerebral experience and it often mentions disturbing mysterious dream sequences and I’ve encountered a few slews of curses within the text so far [ I’ve only played through Chapter 1 ] but the game is amazing with all things considered.
Now, currently, their website is selling the FULL game [ All 5 Chapters ] for € 13.00 [ but more chapters will be added later ] It will require you to make an account with The Dream Machine‘s website to actually buy the game, but the game is entirely allowed with Cloud save access and allows you to play from any computer anywhere! It’s truly a dream game and a special little experience. I highly recommend checking out Chapter 1 and seeing what you personally think, but Cockroach Inc. has officially made a warm spot in my heart for noir/mystery art games. They’ve not only made an artistic masterpiece, they’ve also made it a highly accessible experience that any gamer should experience at least once.
GLOOP! GLOP! THIS IS A SLIME UP!
Dum dum dum – Ba-na-na! Dum dum dum – ba-na-na- ba- na- na -NA-NA!
Gastrogamer 