Often times the best part of browser-based video games is the way the technical limitations of the medium inspire designers to do something new and clever with an old genre. Simple mechanics and old-school graphics don't mean a game can't still surprise and delight players. This month's entries are nothing if not surprising and delightful.
Ben Rad Vinyl released Flood Runner 2 on Clockwork Monster early in April and quickly snagged an extensive audience of players eager to beat the international high score in this addictive, fast-paced timing platformer. Like Canabalt and Adult Swim's Robot Unicorn Attack, the point of Flood Runner 2 is to leap from platform to platform in a never-ending level full of obstacles and twists. The expressionistic art design and sparse soundtrack underline the beautiful simplicity of this game while a more busy A/V experience would make Flood Runner 2 overwhelming. The controls are responsive and the speed is perfect. Instead of being overstimulating, the game is at its best when the screen is going by in a blur. It's especially thrilling when the score counter climbs into the millions and the platforms get so short that the fearless sprite being chased by an inevitable tide spends more time in the air than on the ground.
Amateur designer Void has been below the radar for a while now, mostly content to put a polish on classics like Missile Command while more clever or arty games climbed the rankings at aggregators like Armor Games. In April, Void released his table-turning take on the sidescrolling shoot-em-up, Ghost Guidance. Instead of players piloting a unique super-weapon with more guns than a small army, Ghost Guidance puts them in control of a sentient computer virus in the form of a glowing ball of energy. To keep from bleeding health, players have to guide the virus into enemy ships that it commandeers. The enemy ships are no less fragile or out-gunned in the player's control, so much of Ghost Guidance consists of hopping from ship to ship trying to find the right tool for the job. Sometimes a small but frail fighter works best, other times a large, sturdy bomber or an individual missile. The game is far too short and there's not as much variety in the enemy ships as there could have been. If Void expands the length and scope of Ghost Guidance, he could have a real hit on his hands.
Nitrome launched its devious puzzle platformer Tiny Castle on Miniclip last month, upending a few different cliches in the process. Manning a tiny knight in what looks like a one-level princess rescue operation, players find their world constantly changing in what should be a fairly simple hack-and-slash quest. Maybe it's a meddling wizard or an unexpected blackout, but something keeps rearranging the level and changing the location of the princess's prison. Tiny Castle is more than a little cheeky and it never really gets frustrating with its new puzzles. It suffers on replay because the element of surprise is such a big part of the experience, but it's still a great way to spend a half hour online.
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