CaptainD’s Freeware Game Summary April 2006
Apr 16 '06 (Updated Sep 18 '07)
The Bottom Line Freeware games are... um... free. Some of them are good, too.
CaptainD’s Freeware Game Summary April 2006
Not in the mood for writing full length reviews at the moment, so I thought I’d round up some of the freeware games I’ve been playing recently. If you’re not sure from my description if you’d like them, it won’t cost you anything to try them! :-D
Prodigal - a horror adventure game programmed in AGS, one of the most impressive games I’ve ever seen created with that system. 3D graphics (a first as far as I know!), atmospheric music, and excellent plot somewhat reminiscent of the Broken Sword games, good puzzles – a little dark / gory in places though so not recommended for younger viewers or those with queasy stomachs. (The author recommends a 15 rating on his website).
Get it here: http://prodigal.aedmark.com/download.htm
Ara Fell - a very nice RPG, smallish (to be expected considering this is only Episode 1) but detailed world, very nice graphical presentation and animation, decent music, decent plot, and original control system. One of the few RPGs I’ve played lately that genuinely tries to do something different – various extra commands are at your disposal as you move around, i.e. crouch, jump, etc. The potential is here to be the best freeware RPG ever! A few minor bugs but nothing drastic, well gauged difficulty level.
Get it here: http://www.darkop.com/projects/af1.php
Laxius Power 3 - this RPG has a huge following, as do the previous games, though the first irritated me in the end and the second I just couldn’t get into at all. Typical RPG plot, you have to save everyone etc. This is probably the biggest freeware RPG ever made, absolutely massive with many characters, tons of sub-quests, millions (well maybe not quite millions) of objects, and a purported 200 hours of gameplay featuring 1100 maps!!! Sadly it’s rather too repetitive in places and a bit on the buggy side. Nowhere near as juvenile as the earlier games either, which is a strong plus point. Still well worth a look if you like the genre and particularly if you liked the previous games.
Get it here: http://laxiuspower.com/PHP-Nuke/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=3
Epoch - yet another RPG, again a bit buggy, generally a bit too easy, but makes up for it with a lengthy completion time and some interesting options, coupled with a fair dollop of humour. Not as big as the above but more straightforward - more a game than a mission!
Get it here: http://www.gamingw.net/games/77?l=downloads
Icy Tower - what happens when you make a ludicrously simple, never-ending, stupid game with whacky sound effects? You come up with Icy Tower, one of the most maddeningly addictive and playable games ever made!! (Years after its initial release it’s still getting 20,000 downloads per week!) You play a little character who has to jump up a randomly generated tower as high as he can, making as many “combo jumps” as possible. Sounds boring? Sounds easy? It’s neither, you’ll find yourself playing this little gem over and over again, trying to beat your high scores. The current version (v.1.3.1) lets you download new characters – such as Homer Simpson etc – to jump up the tower with, though to be honest I always found myself reverting back to the original character. There’s a replay function and worldwide high score table. Superb!
Get it here: http://www.freelunchdesign.com/games.php
Scorch Went Bonkers - rounding off this month we have an absolutely insane little game, made for the “one switch” competition, which is designed to make games that use only on button to play in order to make them accessible to people with disabilities. Besides being a jolly humanitarian idea, this game is truly addictive. You have a little cannon (with up to 5 – either human or computer controlled) which you fire using your selected control button. Your cannon sways from side to side, stopping when you press the button, and the longer you hold down the button the more powerful your shot. Another mind-numbingly simple idea that works perfectly but is almost impossible to totally master.
Get it here: http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/2/sd-shoot-em-ups.htm
Well that’s it for this month folks, another round-up of freeware games will come next month – or whenever I get round to it!
Vaguely Related Reviews
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror
Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon
Might & Magic VIII: The Day of the Destroyer
Top Ten Freeware RPGs (not updated because of the above games – not yet, anyway)
See also: My Top Ten Freeware Adventure Games (September 2007 Edition)
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