The Bridge - PC

There is something quite endearing - and familiar - about The Bridge's lead character. Resplendent in blazer, diamond-emblazoned jumper, well-knotted tie and round spectacles, he is an intriguing fellow - and the mystery behind him and the gravity-defying world he inhabits is just as mesmirising.

The Bridge is a puzzler, which likes to futz with gravity, mess with your sense of perspective and takes great delight in being responsible for melting your brain with its collection of gravity-shifting conundrums.

Clearly taking its visual cue from the head-scratching drawings by Dutch artist MC Escher, The Bridge is a thoroughly absorbing title and one which fuses simple controls with visually complex levels.

The player is able to walk the protagonist left and right and can rotate the screen both clockwise and anti-clockwise, with the ultimate goal of reaching a door which then whisks our smartly-presented gentleman into another, more complicated warped world.

Of course, that sounds simple but The Bridge is anything but. Snaffling keys unlocks these doors, but the act of collecting them is a lot tougher than you might initially imagine. They have a tendency to slip into the ether through gaps in the levels as you gingerly rotate the world, dangle tantalisingly just out of reach and perch precariously on ledges.

Even when you manage to collect these monochrome treasures, you still have to navigate your way to the exit - no easy task, especially when giant grinning stone marbles are intent on erasing you from existence and quirky vortexes like to swallow everything and anything that gets too close. Thankfully, The Bridge lets the player rewind time so they are free to finely tune their tactics and this nifty Prince of Persia-like mechanic keeps the game ticking along nicely.

But even though some of the puzzles are maddening - especially when polarity is introduced - the sublime monochrome pencil sketch visuals and gentle music keep the player engaged and seeing what fresh mental torture awaits keeps the player moving doggedly on.

The Bridge, then, is a rather fine game and like any good puzzler there's a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you finally figure out a level. Polished, brilliantly presented and delightfully devilishly, a stroll across this bridge into another world is a trip you should definitely take.

This review initially appeared on the Gert Lush Gaming website. Thanks to Jim for allowing me to post the review here.

Delver

I do love a good Roguelike and the latest to sink its claws into me and drag me off to a grisly death is Chad Cuddigan's Delver – a game which is currently in development for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android devices. Unlike the vast majority of Roguelikes - which are usually viewed from a top-down perspective - Delver is viewed in the first-person, which makes the simple task of rounding a corner a nerve-shredding experience.

The visuals in this spelunking excursion are excellent, with some nifty lighting effects used as you scuttle down corridors, while there are some cool weapons to snaffle, especially the wands which have a devastating effect on the subterranean denizens.

Chad has some big ideas for Delver and although he's constantly beavering away on making it even better, what is here already is really quite special.

For more, head on over to the official website where you can check its development, follow Chad on Twitter and vote the game up on Steam Greenlight.

Radio the Universe

I’ve been on something of a crowd funding crusade of late, throwing my hard-earned cash around as if it were Monopoly money. That said, it has been an incredibly exciting few months, with some fabulous looking projects on the way, including Sui Generis, Maia, Richard & Alice, Ouya and the cheeky little scamp that is Spud’s Quest.

As if all this wasn’t enough, I’ve was tuned into Radio the Universe just before Christmas – a dark and brooding title which, according to developer 6e6e6e, takes its inspiration from games such as Zelda, Dark Souls, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Hotline Miami.

The mere mention of Dark Souls is enough for me to part with my cash instantly, but a quick glance at Radio the Universe’s screens actually brought to mind the overlooked and quirky DS RPG Contact – albeit with a darker edge.

The game hit its Kickstarter target of $12,000 within hours and has now reached all of its stretch goals, which promise to expand the game world, add secondary weapon systems and double the amount of cut scenes.

Head on over to Radio the Universe's Kickstarter page to find out more and see the game in action.

Richard & Alice - update

Back in July, I had the pleasure of playing a small section of Richard & Alice - the forthcoming point and click adventure by Lewis Denby and Ashton Raze. Even though the small slice of action was still in Alpha, there was more than enough included to whet my appetite and make me eager to delve deeper into the intriguing story.

Now the guys are looking for a helping hand and hope to raise a bit of cash to help push Richard & Alice over the finish line. They are using Indiegogo rather than Kickstarter and thanks to the site's flexible funding, even if they don't make the target, they'll still get the cash that's been pledged.

For my thoughts on the Alpha build, click here and to visit Richard & Alice's Indiegogo page, click here. Even if you can't afford to pledge any money to the project, you can vote it up over on Steam Greenlight.

Good luck, guys. Looking forward to seeing the finished product in all its glory.

Kickstarter - Back a winner

Trying to keep up with the plethora of games looking for funding online is an almost impossible task. Every day, some new treasure pops up eager for your cash and saying no can be incredibly difficult, especially when some are only looking for £1 of your hard-earned.

When the big boys muscle their way to the front of the queue, attention inevitably falls on them, while the smaller games who are desperate for just a small slice of the action can be shoved to the side and fall out of favour with an audience always looking for the next big thing. Over the last week or so, a handful of titles have caught my eye on Kickstarter, but they are unfortunately struggling to meet their targets, with deadlines fast approaching. So, here are three of the games I'm currently backing - each covers a different genre, but all deserve a chance of being made.

Maia
Simon Roth describes his latest game as "Dungeon Keeper meets Dwarf Fortress on a primordial alien world". Still not convinced? Well, how about a return to the good old days of the god game, with a heavy 70s sci-fi vibe and atmospheric soundtrack?

There's plenty of reasons to love what Simon Roth has planned for this ambitious game and he's been doing 40+ hour shifts over the last few days to keep Maia's Kickstarter page fresh by answering questions and adding new content to the site. It would be a real shame if Maia didn't reach its Kickstarter target as it is definitely one of the most interesting projects currently looking for funding.

You can visit the Kickstarter page here but be quick - Maia only has five days left and the clock is ticking.

Edit: Maia has now been funded and Simon is now laying out the game's stretch goals. Well done to everyone who contributed.

Spud's Quest
A homage to games such as Dizzy, Metroid and the evergreen Zelda, Spud's Quest is packed with old school charm and, judging by the demo, plays beautifully. Developer Chris D is looking to raise £5000 to finish the game and polish it to retro perfection.

However, as things stand, old Spud is only half-way to his goal with seven days remaining. Download the demo, rediscover the golden age of gaming and then throw a couple of quid in Spud's direction if you can.

Visit the Spud's Quest's Kickstarter page to download the demo and back the project.

Edit: More good news: Spud's Quest has also passed its target with a few days to go. Phew!

Sui Generis
An open-world romp described as Grand Theft Auto meets Morrowind was an offer I couldn't refuse and after seeing what the team at Bare Mettle have up their sleeves, I'm really, really excited about Sui Generis.

It already looks pretty spectacular, with beautiful landscapes and stunning weather and lighting effects, but it is the robust physics engine which is the real star of the show. Not only does this have an effect on objects and items in the world, but it also means epic one-one-one battles are possible.

Combat packs a real punch, with meaty blows sending characters sprawling with well timed swings. With the groundwork in place, Bare Mettle are looking for funding to go full-time on the project to deliver the best game they possibly can.

With seven days to go, Sui Generis is half-way to its target. Find out more on the game's Kickstarter page.

Edit: Sui Generis hit its target with only six hours to go. I'm absolutely thrilled that all three of these games have been funded and can't wait to see how they progress as the months rolls on.

Pioneers

Pioneers is another game of survival, but Eigen Lenk's work in progress is slightly different from other such titles and is showing a great deal of promise.

It's a turn-based exploration game which initially tasks the player with building a ship, garnering a worthy crew, loading the hold with essential supplies, before taking to the high seas in search of fame and fortune.

Quests are dished out from your homeland's cheery citizens but even a simple quest to gather spice from a nearby island is a perilous undertaking. Bears and other wild creatures roam the forested lands and if that wasn't enough to contend with, you need to forage for food, chop trees, set up camp, make sure your band of hardy adventurers don't starve, and interact with local tribes.

Visually, Pioneers is rather smart and uses only four colours - although these change depending on the seasons. It's also packed with character: smoke rises from chimneys, ships bob merrily on the waves, rain pelts down on the explorers as they snuffle about, while a delightful musical score plinks and plonks away in the background.

If you want to try out the latest build, you can find it here, on Eigen's website.

Have fun!

This week's indie round-up

Flug GB
Flug GB is a super cool retro style platformer which reminds me of Sonic the Hedgehog and Amiga classic Super Frog. Only one level is available to play at the moment, but gameplay is exactly what you would expect, with blocks to smash, gems to collect, platforms to negotiate and lots of enemies to stomp. With its neat 8-bit soundtrack and sound effects and GameBoy-style visuals, Flug the Slug's adventure if definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Anodyne
Another game influenced by the GameBoy is Anodyne - specifically Link's adventures on Nintendo's much-loved hand-held. It's beautifully presented and gameplay will be instantly familiar to those who have spent time with classic Zelda games of the 8 and 16-bit eras, with the lead character, Young, stepping on switches, collecting keys from battered old chests and defeating enemies to open gates and doorways.
Special mention goes to the soundtrack, which flits between eerie and unsettling, to beautiful and uplifting and gives the game a rather wonderful atmosphere.
Anodyne is due to be released before the turn of the year on Windows, Mac and Linux and it is also eligible for Steam's Greenlight, so pop on over and give this the thumbs up.

Ghost Racer
Due for release any day now is this latest game from Physmo. It's a far cry from their brilliant platformer Mos Speedrun - another game you should vote up on Greenlight - but early indications reveal it has the same 'one more go' factor. It's obviously a racer, but while a casual glance at the screenshot might indicate a frantic arcade racer in the style of Super Sprint, the cars in Ghost Racer have a much more weighty feel, ensuring essential use of the brake to get the best times. While Mos Speedrun featured multiple ghosts of your previous attempts to beat the level - here, ghosts of people's best laps from around the world are shown snaking their way across the tarmac. Trying to keep up and even better these ghost times is utterly addictive and when you add your Game Center friends to the list, the challenge becomes an obsession. I was given early access by the Physmo team and trying to match their times has given me hours of fun already.

Foam - PC

Over the last few days, I've ploughed around five frustrating hours into Assassin's Creed III. I'm not sure why I bothered. At this stage, it just feels like a re-skinned version of what has gone before and although my Twitter chums tell me it takes anywhere between 6-10 hours for things to open up, I'm really not sure I have the time, patience or inclination to bother going any further.

The antithesis to Ubisoft's big budget trudge is Foam - a quirky little indie game by Stwelin, which has more fun wrapped up in its first 30 minutes than those five wasted hours with Assassin's Creed III.

While Ubisoft's blockbuster has revealed worryingly familiar tasks such as leaping from the top of high places into tiny bales of hay, Foam's colourful world has seen me turn into a one-eyed spiky purple mushroom, interact with strange looking characters, crawl through a tree's interior and receive a telling off for not being able to swim.

It's initially unclear what your objectives are but it only takes a couple of minutes to discover the game is all about exploration and experimenting with objects and items squirreled away in Foam's eerie isometric world.

Objects stumbled upon change the lead character into a range of new guises, which allows the player to explore previously inaccessible areas of the world. It's this gameplay quirk which makes playing Foam so interesting - despite some rather fiddly controls.

I'll say no more for fear of spoilers, but it really is a magical and thoroughly absorbing little game and it's also free, so why not give it a try? Download it here

Skyrim - camera at the ready

I've been mixing Skyrim mods from the Steam Workshop with the magnificent selection over at Skyrim Nexus, Not only that, but tonight I discovered the PC version has a free-roam camera. As a result, I've spent much of my Saturday evening taking more pictures. Here are four of my favourites from tonight's travels.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - DS

I love mystery dungeon games, with Shiren the Wanderer being a particular favourite. However, this latest addition to the Pokemon series doesn't come close and is remarkably similar to last year's Explorers of Time/Darkness. 

Taking control of a Pokemon of your choice, the player wades into a series of randomly generated dungeons, seeking out special objects and defeating evil pocket monsters. It's presented well, but aside from a couple of new features, Explorers of Sky is virtually identical to the last two DS games.

A real shame and a wasted opportunity to broaden this type of game's appeal. If you are interested in mystery dungeon titles, track down a copy of Shiren - it's a far more rewarding game, packs a challenge and has a huge amount of replayability. Alternatively, pick up a copy of Chocobo's Dungeon on Wii. Both these games leave Explorers of Sky in their dust. One for Pokemon diehards only - and it might just be heavy going for them, too.

Look back: Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage - Wii (from November 2009)

Last year’s Shaun White title appeared on multiple formats. I reviewed the PS3 version and was left underwhelmed due to a host of control issues and the bland racing action. This year, Ubisoft have released the follow-up exclusively on Wii and the game is all the better for it.

World Stage can be controlled via Wiimote and nunchuk or Balance Board and all set- ups work extremely well. No matter what your preferred option, controls are fluid and intuitive and it’s a pleasure slicing through the powdery snow or pirouetting off a ramp into the icy night air.

There's a good variety of courses and events, and via the in-game airport hub, the player sets off on a globe-trotting journey in their quest to become the No.1 snowboarder in the world.

World Stage has a distinctly kid-friendly approach and includes a raft of cartoony characters and has a bold colour palette. Impressive camera shake and a nice blurring effect when hurtling down mountains at speed also add to the neon-tinged visual style.

It may not be the most comprehensive take on the sport, but World Stage proves to be an above average ride and one of the better examples currently on Wii.

More Skyrim shots - PC

I've spend the last few days falling back in love with Skyrim, thanks to a bunch of fresh mods. I have more than 70 running now and I'm incredibly impressed with the results. I've only done two of the main quests and I'm spending most of my time exploring and going about things at my own pace.

I've downloaded a camping mod which lets you set up a bedroll and tent anywhere in Skyrim and since I've banned myself from using fast travel, it's a godsend. I've also installed a Zelda music mod which replaces the soundtrack with a variety of classic Zelda themes, along with sound effects which are used in menus and when you level up. It gives the whole game a lighter feel, although when exploring dungeons, the music swiftly changes to Zelda's dungeon themes. You might even spot a Zelda reference in one of the screens below.

I have a bunch of graphic and texture mods installed, too, which not only add detail to the countryside, but also dramatically improve the main cities and towns. I've added some new armour and weapon mods, which makes crafting much more fun. I even have a Monster Hunter weapon pack installed and my character is sporting a huge two-handed Rathalos Great Sword.

Click on the images for the full size versions.

Fishing Resort - Wii

While Japan and the US have been enjoying Fishing Resort/Family Fishing on Wii since last year, there is still no sign of a European release on the horizon. It's a real shame, as Yuji Naka's open-world take on fishing looks rather good.

Not only can you walk, cycle and sail through the game's appealing environments trying your hand at fishing for 200 species in a variety of locations, you can also take on quests, stroll through your own aquarium, modify your character, buy new equipment, explore the resort at your leisure and take on 20 additional mini-games.

With the Wii region locked and data loaders now redundant due to Nintendo's firmware updates, it looks as if this is one catch which will unfortunately slip through the fingers of European gamers.

There's no mention of Fishing Resort on Namco Bandai's release schedule for the remained of this year, while it was XSEED Games who released the game in the US.

What a shame.

Back in the air with FSX

Despite the fact I've just dropped 1200 Microsoft Points on the Alaskan Wilderness expansion pack for Microsoft Flight, it's their previous entry in the series which continues to give me much more pleasure.

Because of the closed nature of MS Flight - Microsoft charge for additional content via in-game purchases - the modding community has been bypassed entirely. A shame, as various teams and individuals continue to produce eye-popping add-ons for Microsoft's previous games in the series.

I've always enjoyed adding new texture meshes to the Flight Sim series but my creaking old computer never really did them justice. So to celebrate the arrival of my new PC, I decided to treat it to some new software for FSX.

The first item on the shopping list was to choose something from Orbx - a company who produce some remarkable scenery and texture meshes to enhance FSX. They have six packs on offer - Australia, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Fjords, Northern Rockies, Central Rockies and South Island: New Zealand.

I plumped for Pacific Northwest, which covers 156,000 square miles of western North America, comprising of large parts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

Next, I bought Rex HD - a complete weather, environment and flight planning add-on. With this programme, you can choose from a huge range of weather and lighting effects and, used in conjunction with Orbx products, ramp up FSX's enjoyability ten-fold.

I've been taking a lot of pictures as I fly around the Pacific Northwest - currently I'm exploring the areas around Victoria - which I've included here. I've also been using the iPad's map feature to plan routes and identify mountains, lakes and other points of interest.

So although Microsoft Flight might be the new kid in town, it pales in comparison with what can currently be achieved with FSX.

Pock's Friend - PC

Japanese indie game website Playism launched their English language site last Friday and along with a bunch of titles which can already be found on Steam, Gamersgate and Desura, there are several games which make their debut on the site.

Free-to-play adventure Pock's Friend was released back in 2008 but it's taken until now for me to discover it. It immediately grabbed my attention thanks to its beautiful hand-drawn visuals by artist and programmer Akira Noyama and although it only takes around 30 minutes to complete, it is packed with more than enough charm to melt even the iciest of hearts.

Pock is a lonely lad who lives in the middle of a forest. He has no friends and can't experience emotions as he doesn't have a heart. But while moping around the forest one day, Pock has an Alice in Wonderland moment and finds himself in another world. Here, he meets Tam, a horned demon and the pair tramp off together on a journey in which Pock finds the true meaning of friendship.

Pock's Friend is a point and click adventure, but the format has been stripped back so there's no inventory system. Instead, clicking on objects and the environment moves the adventure forward. Sometimes a click will have a purely cosmetic effect and part of the fun is poking around and seeing what will happen.

There are even a few puzzles thrown in for good measure, including spot the difference teasers and rotating jigsaw conundrums.

The art style is beautiful and reminds me slightly of Lovedelic's off-the-wall PS1 game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, while the short soundtrack gives the game a lovely atmosphere.

Pock's Friend may be short, but it's a genuinely touching experience and as it's browser-based, the journey is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon coffee break.

You can play the game here

Richard & Alice - PC

Earlier this week, Lewis Denby and Ashton Raze very kindly sent me an alpha build of their debut game, Richard & Alice.

The guys, along with Kyra Hills (character art) and Yonatan Luria (music) have been working on this project in their spare time, and although this is early code, their debut offering is looking very promising.

In the 30 or so minutes it takes to explore this point and click adventure, a genuinely interesting plot begins to unfold.

Set in a world which has been devastated by intolerably harsh weather conditions, Richard is a grizzled war veteran who has been imprisoned since he disobeyed orders in the madness of a bloody civil war. While in his cell, he unexpectedly meets Alice, who has recently been jailed for murder and via a series of well-told flashbacks, we get a glimpse into her background story.

The point and click interface could well change in further updates, but what's here at the moment works well. There's no stuffy inventory system to wade through, with everything clearly mapped out on the right-hand side of the screen. Every item's relevance in the environment is logical and by eschewing overly complicated item combos, Lewis and Ashton allow the player to make quick progress and concentrate on the intriguing story.

The team have peppered the alpha build with wonderful teasers which draw the player into Richard and Alice's weather-ravaged world. Who scribbled the mysterious notes found in a long-abandoned house? Who is the oppressive figure trying to keep Alice and her son under lock and key? And whose blood is it that's splattered over the walls of a family bathroom?

Richard & Alice is penciled in for release later this year and thanks to its well-written dialogue and compelling storyline, I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of this extremely promising game.

To keep up to date with Richard & Alice's development, head over to the game's website where the team will keep you updated. Definitely one to watch.