GAME > Sulkeis (Ryan Langewisch)

Sulkeis is a ‘demake’ of the popular 2003 GameMaker game, Seiklus, as indicated by the game’s title. Unlike the original, which took six months to develop, this was created in less than a week. Basically, it’s a much more straightforward take on the exploration concept explored in Seiklus, while holding some of the memorable parts of the original game, including the large plants and the small coloured objects which must be collected to unlock the door to reach the finale. The graphics follow suit, with much more lower resolution sprites, though they still hark back to the colourful flowing environments of Seiklus. Sulkeis is near faultless, only with drawbacks like the reported small glitches and the occasionally frustrating level design. There are also some nice tunes to be heard, varying from area to area. This brilliant adventure has a great chance of being awarded in Game Jolt’s ‘Indie Game Demake’ contest.

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GAME > Silly Anthony, Don’t Run Away While I’m Filming! (Ryan Langewisch)

Created to celebrate the first anniversary of the hit indie games weekly video show, ByteJacker, SADRAWIF is a fun platformer in which the show’s cameraman (Jon) chases Anthony when he decides to run away for reasons we’re not aware of. Controlling Jon, you must run over rooftops while trying to keep Anthony in the camera shot – failing to do so results in ‘Game Over’. Various harmful objects must also be avoided, ranging from drink cans to bubble gum; this can become very tough and timing jumps becomes a core skill needed to progress well. There is also a wide range of characters from indie games dotted throughout that can be collected, adding to replayability. The graphics are very refined; especially considering SADRAWIF was made in only two days. The overall visual style is very consistent and there’s enough variety to keep you interested. For music, the game includes a remix of the familiar ByteJacker show introduction, expertly created by Ryan’s brother. The track really adds to the authenticity. Any ByteJacker fan must play this!

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GAME > The Great Double Dog Unicycle Dare (Ryan Langewisch)

TGDDUD is hard. Wheely hard. So hard, I only just managed to proceed over the first gap (I’m terrible, I know). Anyway, it’s a platformer where you are dared to ride a wobbly unicycle that is unbelievingly hard to manage – if you play anything like me, you’ll be smashing your keyboard plentifully. Other than that, it’s a pretty basic platformer with the normal challenges you’d expect. The graphics have a very definitive red style and when they’re all put together, they work. It pretty much proves that minimalistic work on the visual side can still make a game look good. As with pretty much every game by Ryan Langewisch I remember playing, TGDDUD comes with a very retro background tune. And, as usual, it fits perfectly. If you complete this, you really should give yourself a pat on the back.

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GAME > Inturbonauter (Ryan Langewisch)

Inturbonauter is another GM bullet-hell shoot-‘em-up, but this one comes with some pretty nifty effects. You venture through 30 fairly short levels of increasing difficulty (a fun ‘Random Mode’ is also included), where you must fire continuously at the boss positioned in the centre of the battlefield, until you’re greeted with the message ‘WIN!’ (or ‘FAIL!’). Facing masses of spiralling bullets in varying formations makes this no easy game, but good hand-eye co-ordination will go a long way. An interesting feature pulls your bullets to the centre of the arena (towards the foe); I’ve never seen this before, so it’s a pretty cool idea. The visuals are… pretty mad, it has to be said; ever-changing highly contrasting colours and flickering effects really add to the experience, increasing the excitement factor. Upbeat music is also incorporated, giving the shooter a suitable atmosphere that makes you want to just keep on playing.

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