March was a pretty good month for simple but entertaining games. There were a number of strong offerings in the platformer category and at least one memorable addition to the growing list of browser-based strategy games. March also saw the official beta test of a fun, creative 2D MMO that is sure to have a healthy subscriber base when the full title launches later this year.
Hamumu Software is a whimsical game company based out of southern California that recently made waves with its new pixel platformer Robot Wants Kitty. It's a simple one-level action game with a minor maze component that puts players in control of an old-timey robot who must acquire various upgrades in order to reach its beloved pet cat. The speed, precision jumping and easy deaths are reminiscent of other blocky platformers like Shotgun Ninja, though Robot is significantly kinder in the difficulty department. The first run-through shouldn't last more than fifteen minutes, but the game implicitly encourages players to pursue a game-within-a-game by reaching the kitty faster, grabbing an optional weapon upgrade, defeating a super-monster and going for a 100% kill score. A zero-death game is possible, but sadly a pacifist run is not. A couple of the maze's segments are impassible without using the robot's laser. Robot Wants Kitty doesn't try to be more clever than it is and its replay value goes down rather quickly, though with a game like this, a brief distraction is all a player needs.
Game designers Andy Moore, Daniel Cook and DannyB are some of the top contributors to Flash game creation today. They have to their combined credit titles like previous Roundup selection Canabalt, engineering super-game Fantastic Contraption and the brutally difficult platformer Super Meat Boy. In March they released Steam Birds, a turn-based dogfighting strategy game unlike anything else on the Internet. Players control a team of ace fighter pilots with an array of stunt maneuvers as they face increasingly dire odds in an alternate history WWI setting. The difficulty curve in this game is steady but never unfair, making those perfectly-executed battle plans all the more satisfying. It would be nice if the different player-controlled planes had pilot characters and distinct personalities rather than just being a series of skills, but the lack of story doesn't really diminish the strong points of Steam Birds. A full Land, Sea and Air sequel would be about as close to the ultimate online strategy game as one would want.
Flipline Studios recently created a lush 2D platforming MMO title for Kongregate called Remnants of Skystone, a steampunk "metroidvania" style action game with minor RPG elements. Late in February the game entered a semi-open beta giving access to regular Kongregate users, opening up to all players in mid March. Though 100% of the game content hasn't been incorporated yet, RoS is still a fully playable and mostly glitch-free game with hours of main-plot content and loads of side quests. Players have access to three different classes, each with a unique style of combat and locomotion. For a hack-and-slash platformer, RoS has a lot of variety in the individual missions. Most fall into the "kill this" or "fetch that" categories, but those are broken up by unique gimmick missions that challenge players' speed, puzzle-solving skills and attention to detail. The game art is stunning for a Flash title and the premium content for those who don't mind spending a few real-world dollars on extras actually deepens the gameplay experience. Later levels can get pretty brutal, but the steady character progression assures minimal grinding to attempt the high-end missions.
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