We're used to the usual game mechanics. Press B to jump. A to stab. Hold down a bunch of buttons at once with your chin when you run out of fingers to tie your boss's tie before he berates you. (Take my breath awaaaaaay.) But when a game lets us twist the world around us? That's something to take notice of!
- Dual Transform - Andrew Plotkin took runner up in our 7th Casual Gameplay Design Competition, and it's not hard to see why. In this interactive fiction game, your job is to make... virtual realities, of a sort, which would be hard enough if you also weren't trying to make one that felt undeniably real in ways the user can't deny. To say Dual Transform is a bit more different and difficult than your typical text game is a bit of an understatement, since it forces you to really think outside the box and get creative, even to the point of offering little instruction as to how you're supposed to even begin to tackle your task. But with some brilliant writing and evocative imagery, this is one interactive fiction title with a great premise you'll want to check out.
- I Have 1 Day - Why does Link get all the spotlight? Lots of heroes have to rewind time to save the world (or in this case, yourself), and you've only got one day to do it unlike that pointy-eared shmuck. In this point-and-click adventure from Cellar Door Games, you find yourself both trapped in a prison cell and under the effects of a nasty curse that has something to do with that coronation going on later. The first is easy to deal with, but since the cure for the curse takes more time than you've got, you'll need to use your logbook to rewind time to go back to places you've already been. It's all very wibbly-wobbly, but pack in some humour, some great retro visuals, and one intriguing magic mystery, and you've got one great little game.
- Fault Line - It's really never a surprise when Nitrome does something clever, but give us the ability to fold levels in half and an inexplicably spooky soundtrack straight out of a 1970s horror flick and you've really got something clever. In this puzzle platformer you play a little robot with clunky legs (so cute) and the ability to grab parts of the screen and pull them together to turn blockades into passageways and bypass threats. It's one seriously cool little mechanic, and all trussed up in some very stylish visuals makes this one a fantastic treat any time.
While we welcome any comments about this weekly feature here, we do ask that if you need any help with the individual games, please post your questions on that game's review page. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and rediscover some awesome!
Update