Progress report: First week of June ‘20 (a.k.a. Free Games Week!)
I mentioned something special last week, and here it is! Last time I checked free and unreleased games took up a fifth, maybe even a fourth of my wishlist… and since I can’t do anything about unreleased games, I decided to take a look at some of the free ones!
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9.03m
0.2 hours playtime
no achievements
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Artificial Iridescence
0.4 hours playtime
no achievements
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Banyu Lintar Angin - Little Storm -
0.3 hours playtime
no achievements
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blue.
1.1 hours playtime
no achievements
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Drowning Cross
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eMemories
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From Head to Toe
0.5 hours playtime
no achievements
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Meteor 60 Seconds!
0.7 hours playtime
no achievements
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Open World Game: the Open World Game
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Oppaidius Tropical Cruise!
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Session Seven
2.8 hours playtime
no achievements
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The Mind of Marlo
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The Secret of Tremendous Corporation
0.7 hours playtime
no achievements
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Under What?
0.4 hours playtime
no achievements
9.03m - Reading about this one, I saw the term “empathy simulation” crop up a few times, and I suppose it is one. In this, um… empathy simulation, you’ll enter San Francisco’s Baker Beach and look for butterflies, representing possessions left behind by the victims of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami. Once paid to support the cause, 9.03m is now free for anyone to wander in. It’s hard to say whether it’s worth it or not, but it lasts 20 minutes at most. I experienced it and I invite you to do the same, if you have not done it yet.
Artificial Iridescence - This makes no sense. The premise is interesting, but the VN is ridiculously short. It’s supposedly related to the dev’s other games, which also means there was no sense in me playing it (considering I’m not interested). But I did, so there. Not worth your 20 minutes; not even if you’re really bored.
Banyu Lintar Angin - Little Storm - - Another motion comic from Mojiken Studio, this time focusing on three siblings and their daily life. Comprised of about 30 illustrations and accompanied by a track remindful of anime of the slice-of-life genre, it hopes to bring you back to when you were younger, or remind you to appreciate the simplicity of life itself. Personally, I found this one easier to digest than A Raven Monologue, thanks to lack of second meanings.
blue. - A narrative simulating gender dysphoria. While I understand that inverting controls are a crucial part of the gameplay, I can’t recommend blue. unless you absolutely don’t mind those.
Drowning Cross - A twenty-something with a drinking problem finds out his boyfriend got into a car accident and gets roped into the mystery of the titular cross. The visuals are great, everything stands out where it needs to, and the music was enjoyable enough for me to want the OST separately. However, the presentation wasn’t as good. While the mystery was unique, I didn’t feel for any of the characters (the environmental stance the dev shows through the main character was annoying) and near the end I found myself getting absentminded trying to hurry it up. For a free game, it was good enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if it costed at least a buck, but if it actually did, I might not have gotten it in the end.
eMemories - That’s all there is? Well, damn. This is a super short memory game; you’ll be matching pairs of beach balls, leaves and… Christmas ornaments? to reveal two sets of nudie illustrations. So bad I’d say it couldn’t be paid, even if the dev tried.
From Head to Toe - A short narrative about a couple wandering their home town during a snowy evening. All interactivity is within clicking or holding the mouse buttons when prompted. The art style isn’t my cup of tea (most notably the way the characters’ faces are drawn and the fact that they’re not animated when speaking), but I found the voice acting amazing. I was actually surprised there was voice acting in the first place! I wish I understood the ending a little bit better though… I know it’s meant to stay open, but sometimes it’s not enough and I keep craving more. Still, it’s a good way to spend 15 minutes.
Meteor 60 Seconds! - What would you do if you knew a meteor was going to destroy the Earth in the next 60 seconds? This game will let you find an answer. With a minimalistic art style and comedic dialogue (which could use a little polish, but I digress), this one is fun if you’ve got half an hour to kill.
Open World Game: The Open World Game - I have officially found the best open world game out there. Comprised of five vast locations offering over a hundred entertaining side quests and dozens of collectibles, which in turn yield enough experience to make your head spin, along with skill points. You can later spend said skill points to unlock three skill trees, each of them designed to suit a different playstyle. The main story is truly compelling and the sound design of the whole game is astounding - I can not believe this game is free. If you like open world games, you absolutely have to try this one.
Oppaidius Tropical Cruise! - Oppaidius returns with even more random and perverse humor… and a much easier minigame. Since Serafina from the prequel is gone, she’s now been replaced with another beauty: Angela, the songstress. There’s also another girl making an appearance, but encounters with her are a wasted potential. Sadly, compared to its predecessor, Tropical Cruise ends on a less than satisfactory note… however, that’s only because the next installment aims to continue the adventures of the protagonist with Angela. The art and the music are just like in the prequel; the abrupt ending aside, I can’t believe this is free. If you’ve been wondering about it, check it out! You won’t miss anything by skipping the prequel (although you get bonus points for having completed it in this one).
Session Seven - Enter Ryan, a husband and a father, who wakes up in the basement of his own house without any recollection of how or why. You’ll be helping him escape, and through that, discovering what led up to him being locked in there. Along the way, you’ll get a few choices that will shape up said backstory and determine which ending you will get (and there are a total of three). I didn’t understand one of mine, but my best bet is that the choices didn’t connect together very well. The art is fantastic and the music brings the atmosphere (although it forgets to loop sometimes, don’t know if that’s just my issue); for free this game is a steal.
The Mind of Marlo - In the same vein as How to Cope with Boredom and Loneliness, The Mind of Marlo introduces Marlo Davenport, a man diagnosed with Spontaneous Silly Head Syndrome. In this hour-long, documentary-style game you’ll get to learn about his past, as well as current life and help him as he attempts to battle his condition. Not too extravagant, but a good time; I’m eager to see what the devs could come up with next.
The Secret of Tremendous Corporation - Imagine a world where one game-making company is so great it owns a 100% of the market shares. Being its new recruit, you learn that there’s a secret behind its success. But what is it? The Secret of Tremendous Corporation was originally made during a game jam a few years back, and for a 48-hour project, it’s a decent 30-60 minute long point and click. The actual secret was kinda underwhelming when I think about it though. Aaand there’s one particular puzzle you might get stuck on like many others before you, so remember: it’s all about the sequence. Can’t believe I’m leaving all those nice games to fester in my library.
Under What? - A game-ified comic. Saying anything about the plot would be spoiling it, so I’ll just say that the art style is wonderful and the music sets the tone perfectly.
See you next week! :)
Thanks for this round up, it has prompted me to look at some of my free to play backlog (and increase it again with a few of your recommendations!)
Hey, you’re welcome! I see most people here playing extra-long games and while that is fine (I myself seem to avoid that whenever I can), it’s also good to sit back and relax with something that’s short, sweet and, most importantly, free.