Sometime in the mid to late nineties, mainstream video games left me behind. I wish I could say it was a gradual thing, like two entities slowly drifting apart, but no, it was sort of like being pushed out of the car on the way to a party. It seemed like everything was going hard core First Person Shooter or MMO and while I’m not here to knock those kinds of games, they just don’t do it for me. There’s a disconnect between us. Which is to say, I suck at them.
I’m one of those games who was weened on Mario and Zelda and just never quite developed a taste for the other stuff. 3-D games? Awesome, I guess, but if you really want to excite me, show me a side-scrolling platformer with juicier graphics. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to get into the next gen systems before. I bought a PS2 a while back, played games like Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, GTA 3, and Devil May Cry.
I tried, I really did, but by the end I was spending all my gaming time on ported game anthologies from the Atari and NES systems. And then I sold the PS2 and didn’t really give gaming much of a thought…until recently.
[read on after the jump]
All the advancements in indie game developers, or perhaps I should say, the more savvy marketing practices and diverse gaming delivery systems, have really engaging platformers rolling out every month. I can't tell you how interested I am to try some of these out. I'm even thinking of finding a hand held system and getting back into for-pay games.
But that's for another day. Today I'm here to talk to you about a game I found that brings back all the fun of those side-scrolling adventures of before in a slick green-and-black shell. I'm talking about Hunted Forever and I'm warning you that this game, if you're like me, is more than a little addictive.
The game is free to play on your computer and the button control is pretty straight forward. You use the arrow keys or "WASD" to run and jump across the screen. Your instructions are pretty sparse as well. This game is not attempting to give you an epic story, it is pretty clearly attempting to be engaging for anywhere from 5 minutes to 50 (or beyond, depending on you, the gamer). The game instructs you thusly:
Instructions for all meatbags: Find your way to headquarters. Retrieve all "machine parts." Upgrade at safehouses. Attempt to not die.
All that's left to do is decide how hard you want to make it on yourself (Easy, Normal, Pure, or Hardcore), and you're off. And by that I mean RUN! This game is about speed and the danger picks up as you go along. You'll have to puzzle out how to get the machine pieces, which look like giant gears, without being roasted by a laser or blown up by falling bombs. Those little obstacles are being thrown at you by a giant machine hovering above or in front of you throughout the game. You get a respite from this menace while under a safehouse, but leave that area and it's right back on top of you.
I'll admit, I've been playing on "Easy." As I said, it's been a while, but I can see that this game has replay value in ratcheting up it's difficulty level. Would I play again if I were to beat the game? Sure, I would.
Of course, the game isn't without its faults. I have discovered one quirk that prevented me from continuing on my way once. My character was continually being pulled backwards, as if being sucked out a space hatch. Forward just wasn't an option. In my next go around, I chose a different path, and that seemed to resolve the issue. Just a quirk, but I'm passing it along. I'm still recommending you give it a whirl and let me know what you think.
Welcome back to my space, gaming world. It's been quite a while. Game on.
That looks great!
I'm a big fan of online casual games, even platformers. This one looks fun--I'll check it out from home.
@Harry - I hope you like it! I have to admit, it's become a new addiction for me. Like you, I'm a big fan of the casual games and this one has been really satisfying. Thanks and good luck!
Sorry, Kyle. It's beautiful, but I didn't like the way the guy responded to the controls. V frustrating.
Hey Harry, that's okay. A better game reviewer would have spoken about the controls that, if I'm being fair, could be described as "dream-like," in their, um, softer than normal response. Anyway, sorry it didn't float your boat, but maybe I'll find something even better next time. Thanks for trying it out anyway!