Game Review Marathon!

Recently I have been doing some research on games. A good friend of mine had a small list of short games that he recommended! Here's a couple that I managed to pick up and try out!

I want to be the Guy (IWTBTG):
IWTBTG, created by Michael "Kayin" O'Reilly, is a quirky game that'll send your blood pressure through the roof! This game will test your skills to the limits and will test your patience even more. Being to the point where difficult and challenging are understatements to describe this game, IWTBTG is a 2D platformer with very simple controls and a goal that's easy to say but harder done: reach the end. There are cameos and references everywhere in the game but be sure to keep on your toes. One very important concept to know about this game, though: There is no health. You take any damage and you die. It's available for download and play for free! But be warned, it'll make you want to flip your table like if you were the Hulk!

 Passage:
Passage is a 2D developed by Jason Rohrer. A very simple game that only utilizes the arrow-buttons for controls, the game's key strength lies in symbolism. The game starts off with the protagonist on the left side of the screen and unable to see very far to the right, with a lot of pixels blending in together but can choose to go in one of two directions: Right or Down. Should the player choose to go right, they will find themselves now attached to a girl (presumably to mean marriage) and the two now act as a single unit. This, however, poses a problem that the player that went down does not have to worry about. With the man and woman now acting as a single entity, their combined width doesn't allow them access to areas further down that the single man would have been able to access and obtain additional treasure. After a while, the man and woman begin to show signs of aging and eventually, both succumb to their old age and die. Passage's symbolism is that life is what you make of it, whether you should make a mad-dash towards the end and skip all the treasures, refuse to get married and get all the treasure you can, or make the best that you can with your love. How you play is up to you. Passage is available for free download.


There is only one level (TIOOL):
TIOOL, made my John (No last name given email address: jmtb02@hotmail.com) is a very interesting game where, like the title says, there is really only one level. This allowed John to make the game larger, not by changing the level, but by changing the mechanics of the game itself and for allowing different ways for the game to be played (and the level to be completed). The core mechanic for the game revolves around adaptability and change. Changing the mechanics and having the player adapt to those changes! This game is available for play for free online.

Fantastic Contraption (Note: this game was not on the list presented by my friend but I feel like it should be and would fit in well):
Fantastic Contraption is a 2D online puzzle game made by a large team of people at fantasticcontraption.com. The reason why I believe this game should be on the list of games is because of the mechanic is creativity. There is never just one specific way to reach the goal. People have made catapults, battering rams, and simple moving machines all to achieve the same goal. With the power of creation and creativity at your hands, your imagination is the limit with how you achieve your goal in this game. It is available for free play at fantasticconraption.com.

Judith:
Judith, made by Terry Cavanaugh, is a 2D first person game that emphasizes control. I won't spoil any parts of the game, but I will say that you will need to play until the end of the game in order to fully understand what is meant by "emphasizes control". An interesting concept that I enjoyed about the game is that you play from 2 different points of view. This presents an interesting way to tell a story that has two parts that come together in a very nice way. This game is very short (probably 15 minutes) and is a available online for download to play!

Some other games I have seen in action (but have not actually played) include:
Don't Shit Yourself:
A very short text based game (with some pictures) that encourages the player to end the game in many different ways to find all of the game's achievements.

Dys4ia:
An interesting game that provides some insight on the challenges of changing genders through its gameplay! The game emphasises teaching to help show its players a new viewpoint through the game itself.

Burn the Rope:
This game is very short (can last under a minute) but the main attraction with the game is the credits! Sometimes, the best part of the game isn't the gameplay or the mechanics itself but instead, the music or atmosphere.