Shotgun Ninja

Once again, another game from prolific developer Cactus. This time we have a tale of an accountant, a Ninja, shotguns and ‘nades, and some pretty fucking intense wall climbing. All in C64 graphics! The game is a simple platformer that has you running around levels, shooting up baddies. The goal is simple, find the key, and reach the exit. The means are simple, you have the ability to wall jump, you shoot with Z (while on the ground) and you can lob grenades with X (using up and down to change trajectories). Shotgun Ninjas also posses an online score board. Not really much else to say about it, just get to playing.

source: tigsource (awesome blog the way, please check them out…

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Clean Asia!

Clean Asia has to be one of the most unique, unforgiving, difficult, addictive shooters I have ever played. Developed by the great Cactus this game is highly recommended for fans of shmups, or just fans of gaming in general. Upon startup you have a choice of two drastically different ships, and three very different levels. While asthetically the same (both ships are just a simple white dot) the moveset and capabilities are totally different.

The “Attractor” is a Katamari/Tumiki like fighter, with the only controls being Thrust (Z) and Attract (X). Basically, by using your thrust (which makes you invincible) and ramming yourself into enemies and breaking them apart, you attract the debris to your ship holding X. You then use fire the debris back at the enemies by either letting go of X, which releases all the debris, or firing the collected debris in a stream by holding down Z while holding down X. If you get your timing down, you can decimate bosses in seconds. Of course, to collect debris you must get dangerously close.

The second ship, “Reflector” is more along the lines of your traditional fighter (Z to fire, X to reflect bullets, C for charge shot, V for bomb). While pieces still break off the enemies, you absorb them and use them as fuel for your abilities. You primary fire levels up from absorbing the debris of enemies. The extra abilities, such as Reflecting, Charge shots and Bombs are very powerful, but drain from this pool, and in turn level down your primary fire. This turns the game into a delicate balance between using your abilities to survive and keeping your primary fire strong enough to take enemies down.

Each of the three levels are highly challenging, with themes ranging from a Warning Forever like boss rush to just some good ol’ Bullet Hell action. This game is fucking hard (at least for this poor blogger) yet I keep coming back to it. And once again, Cactus proves that he can do no wrong.

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You Found The Grappling Hook!

Being the Messhof fan that I am, I’ll just make things simple and plug his new platformer. A simple game in which you navigate your avatar from A to B with the only ability (other then jumping) is a simple grappling hook. Pressing space bar jumps, pressing space bar again fires your hook. The controls behave exactly how you would expect them to, allowing you to swing and hook multiple times Wik-style. The first few rooms get you used to the controls, where the last few rooms begin to throw spike floors, bottomless pits and spiked moving platforms. There isn’t much fan fare upon completion, but if you want a quick fix of platforming, look new further. Here’s hoping Messhof brings out some new ideas with this one.

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Punishment

Masochistic. If you play this game for anything more then fifteen minutes, that is exactly what you are. This is one of the most intense platformers I have ever played. The premise is simple, jump from platform to platform, and just get to the top. Of course, like anything worth it, nothing is that simple. As you proceed each stage the level begins your perception begins to turn, quite literally. Should you make a mistake you simply fall back to the previous floor. For the most part the Punishment sticks to precision platforming game play, with minimal obstacles(there still are a few nasty ones). If any of you complete the game, I will herald you as a god.

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If you think it is impossible, here is a speed run.

Death Worm

Finally, there’s a game that allows me to live out my boyhood fantasies of being an oversized, frenzied sand worm that has a particular taste for the blood of undersized white men! I forget if that was a childhood fantasy or sexual fantasy come to think of it. In any case, I found this entertaining (and slightly disturbing) little game by chance, and surprisingly it kept me pretty well occupied for a lazy sunday. Rack up a high score by rampaging through the Iraqi desert (not sure if it’s actually Iraq, gonna assume) and destroying as many tanks, seagulls and endangered wildlife as possible. Controls are a breeze, and the fun factor is definately there, worth a download and maybe 15 minutes of your day. See if you can beat my high score! 417 (Which isn’t very high unfortunately).

Death Worm v. 1.04

Once In Space / Burn The Trash

I’m a gamer at heart, even though my budget doesn’t permit me to be. Thus, in order for me to get my game on for the wonderful price of free, I scour the intarnets in search of quality free games. Every now and then I come across a few that do hold my attention for longer then 15 minutes.

Once In Space

While I wish I could play Mario Galaxy, I am devoid of the hardware needed to play it. One the plus side if I want some Gravity based platformer action, Once in Space is there to save the day. Aesthetically I find the game cute, with the hand drawn graphics, and music by indie game god Nifflas. The game is a simple, grab the stars, get to the exit. The main gimmick is that on red corners, you can change your orientation (down is now up, etc.). The tutorial level does a good job teaching the basic gameplay, though it doesn’t tell you to hold down Control when shifting directions, which through me off a little (but I’m a little slow, so eh). The are a ton of levels to be played, each with easy and hard modes, which are both just a devious in the later stages. And hey, it’s free!

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Burn The Trash

Glitched out looking shoot em up with glitchcore soundtrack? I’m in! This shmup made by cactus is something that I haven’t been able to put down lately. The odd graphics and soundtrack just seem to assualt the sense. The controls are simple, Z shoots fire that burns enemies, X shoots fire that burns bullets. If either firing mode is held down for too long, you overheat and blow up. Each level ends with your prerequisite huge boss. There is an online leaderboard included as well. There isn’t really much else to say, if you are a fan of shmup style games, this is a perfect choice.

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