Oozy and the Tower of Wulu is a nice casual game, that throws a couple of game-mechanics into a jar, to make them a cool mix of fun, arcade and puzzle. Some elements remembers on Sokoban, other on arcade-classics from the 1,5 birds-eye perspective.

The aim of the game is, to explode energy-bubble with slime. To do so, you have to first throw worm-slime. Not on all fields it’ll explode. That’s why you will have to build longer slime-explode ways with stronger energy sometimes, otherwise the energy-bubbles won’t burst. Best try a round, then do the tutorial level. Cool and convincing game, like it!

Spaces of Play are coming back with a lovely new “handcrafted game”, called “Spirits“. The gameplay is, let’s name it, somehow derived from the good old Lemmings, but there are also many other games, that use the same game mechanics. The plus on that game are the handdrawn-styled, athmospheric graphics and the soundtrack, that tries to avoid sounding computerized. Sounddesigner Martin Straka used a libary of “orchestral sounds” to achieve that effect. I think the best aspect of that game overall will be the gameplay in itself. I still enjoy the first iPhone game “Mr. Bounce” from Spaces of Play: clean designed and still one of the best “Arkanoid variants” that are on the market. In other words: this guys know their craft!

Spirits is also IndieCade 2010 finalist. Let there be indies!!

Everybody Edits is a must-see for everyone interested in gamedesign. In many ways this casual game is kind of radical in its design choices. After the game started, you can choose between “play levels” or “join level edit session”. If you choose to “join level” you will be thrown into a huge level with many other people, who play the same level. (In that sense, this game is also a “massive multiplayer” experience.) The levels do not necessarily have a fixed “goal”, but maybe you will find yourself struggling through mazes, trying to reach the “end” of the level (sometimes there are crowns to collect). Now what is radical about this? Some levels has dependencies included, like blue-keys, toggling blue walls, green-keys toggling green keys etc.. But not always this keys are in reach. Sometimes you have to wait, until some random player in this huge level will toggle the key, in some place of this level: this is a random dependency of a random player.

There is more radical random in this game. Let’s go to the level editor! You will be just thrown into a level-edit session. Along with other players from the internet, there is a lot of activity going on in each level-edit session: everybody can edit the level at the same time. You navigate, by playing with your player sprite and can add or remove blocks with the mouse. So editing and playing is also at the same time. Just while many other players from around the world are doing the same: playing, building and modifying the same level… This adds up to a really random experience, but people “swarm behaviour” is still “wise enough” to really build “intelligent parts” in each level (besides really useless and insignificant parts). Because the levels are huge I even doubt, if anyone would have the guts to simply edit one single level from beginning till end. Maybe only the social-aspects allows the levels to complete.

Everybody Edits is a little bit of everything: a multiplayer experience, a online-social experiment, collaborative game-design and a great piece of interactive art. There is also a cool development-blog online. (via)

Up Down Ready (alternate link) is a refreshing small experimental game, that explored the minimal game mechanics of pressing the keys up and down on the keyboard. The aim is basically to “avoid obstacles” in changing scenes. There is the moment of surprise, because every scene got a variant of the basic core-play: sometimes you steer an airplane, sometimes a jumping horse… The mechanics of every scene are instantly understandable within seconds (otherwise this game would be unplayable). Maybe the best about this game are the cool graphics – a good demonstration, that graphics do make a difference. The process of game-making is (or will be) a little bit documented at updownready.net

PS: Thanks Corin for the hint to this game. Here is some thankful linklove to the Freeplay Independent Games Festival

Neco Touch (authors webpage) is a tiny flash(punk) game, that would make up a really great party-game – if it would be a little be more difficult! In order to meet the cute kitten, you have to steer a moving cross to a color-matching circle. Really basic gameplay, and very fun. Well rounded by the japan-like pixelartwork and the light jazz music. “If your points reach a million you win, if they reach zero you lose.” Unfortunately the score-system isn’t very balanced, so it takes ages to even win or loose a single round! Some minor tweaks would make this really a great game!

PS: This game was inspired by the “games by artworks” compo!

The Other Side is a moody flashgame, somewhere between N and Jumpman. The style is basically about shadow-shapes, the aim about collecting glowing stuff to enter the exit to the next level. Similar to Jumpman, the level rotates by 45 degrees – if you enter ramps in that case. Most levels got “hidden stuff”, that only influences gameplay and is visible, while you “glow”. This two-folded level-design somehow reminds me on Time Fcuk. All in all the game is fun to play, later levels get a little more tricky to solve, but I wonder, if one or two more game-elements wouldn’t buzz up the whole gameplay experience…?

Jeez, jump and run-lovers have a really good reason to cheer up: Frogatto is a free platformer with astounding fresh and detailed pixelart, solid gameplay, that is available for all operating systems! That are good news, especially for Mac OS X and Linux-users, because there is a decent lack of free indiegames with that flavour. The sourcecode of the game is open-source (the code, not the artworks!), only iPod/iPhone users have to pay five dollar for the game. The developers also accept donations. I would say: just have a download! It is absolutely worth it!