Free Games: Virtanen Games
Thanks to a GayGamer reader my weekend was like totally ruined. Because of Decompiled, I've still got laundry to do, a disco ball to clean, and a long list of other castle-related chores waiting for me. See, over at his blog, Decompiled posted about a rather intriguing set of free indie games created by Virtanen Games. Each of these deceptively simple games features a one or two twists on some familiar interactions and frames them with evocative stories and a uniquely captivating atmosphere. Are you a fan of Kyntt Stories or Cave Story? Then you'll want to head on over and check some of these out.
My attention was drawn to their games by The Manipulator, a stealth-action ode to vector graphics, but what really struck a chord with me was Virtual Silence. Told as from the perspective of a young boy with autism named Jason, the player travels through a surreal landscape of beautifully constructed lo-res environments in hopes of curing the disease through a virtual reality experiment while disembodied voices watch his progress. The color-coded gameplay is easy to pick up and more faithfully recalls Adventure than any other game available today. Everything seamlessly tied together through some delightfully unusual audio design. Bit of warning, many of the games featured here involve some intense light flickering that those with epileptic issues may want to avoid (each are labeled appropriately).
By the end of my weekend I didn't get nearly as much done as I should have, but these games, unlike so many retail releases today, were so irresistibly engaging that I couldn't pull myself away from them. So much so that I didn't mind facing a grumpy boyfriend reminding me that it was my turn to do dishes. Not sure if he sends his thanks, Decompiled, but I do.
[Virtanen Games] via Self Deprecating Journalism
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Posted to Video Games on 5 January 2009
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: free games, pc, readers, the manipulator, virtanen games, virtual silence
You are welcome :)
Iji is another wildly awesome single-man project everyone should check out. There's even a lesbian love affair described in some of the journals scattered throughout the game. You can download it from www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php. The soundtrack is also brilliant, and both are deliciously free.