All in all, May 2010 was a great month for browser games. In fact, there were so many great selections that I'm dividing this article into two parts. Today we'll look at the creme de la creme of the month and later this week we'll take some time out for the honorable mentions that didn't quite make it into the top 3. So, as for those top 3, the name of the game this time around is genre done right. All three of the best browser games from May didn't do anything particularly new, they just happened to take the best of their genres and leave behind the usual snags.
It wasn't very long ago that developer Hamumu Software released their cute, engaging platformer Robot Wants Kitty, so it was surprising that they brought out the sequel so quickly. Robot Wants Puppy does everything a good sequel should do. It keeps everything that made the original so fun and charming but it expands on the concept in as many ways as possible. Puppy is considerably more challenging than its predecessor and it's considerably bigger. Guiding the old-school robot through the simple but slick Metroidvania maze this time around has been augmented with a wider variety of enemies, new traps and an excessively adorable, cat-based projectile attack. Though attempting at a No Death run is an exercise in frustration, Robot Wants Puppy is definitely worth several play-throughs.
Wallace and Gromit in Sprocket Rocket
It's pretty amazing that Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit claymation project has been going for over 20 years. What began as a film school presentation turned into an internationally beloved franchise with six titles and plenty of awards under its belt. In May the Wallace and Gromit website launched its fifth game, Sprocket Rocket. A combination of engineering puzzles and physics challenges, Sprocket Rocket is surprisingly accessible for such a brainy game. Sure, there's a learning curve involved with using a line-drawing widget to modify Wallace's rinky-dink flying machine, but once you get over the lateral thinking requirements the game really opens up. Unlike other great engineering titles like Fantastic Contraption, you won't need an advanced degree to figure out the puzzles in Sprocket Rocket, just a little patience and a sense of wonder at how far the Flash platform has come since its humble beginnings.
Armor Games has one of the most talented teams of browser game designers and programmers working today. Their latest offering is the addictive running game Exit Path. The natural evolution of frantic titles like Canabalt and last month's amazing Flood Runner 2, Exit Path puts players in control of a fleet-footed sprite who has to avoid 30 screens of diabolical traps and death-defying jumps to escape a dystopian world of clones and human experiments. Armed with a gorgeous visual aesthetic and a stunning soundtrack, Exit Path would be one of the top games of the month even if it weren't for the fun multiplayer feature. It's great to connect with players from all over the world and compete in quick but challenging races through custom maps. This game is going to go down in history as one of the all-around best Flash titles ever produced.
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