ds homebrew game reviews for 1.21.08

I’ve been playing a number of homebrew games the last couple of weeks, but I’ve not had a chance to write them up. Most of them are puzzle games for this week, and they are pretty good. Unfortunately, I couldn’t write up all the games I’ve been playing so I’ll have to continue soon.

The games are described below the break.

Updated games:

• Super Mario Galaxies .71 has released with more levels and content, looking like a more complete game. This is quickly becoming a better game . . . a keeper game for your homebrew library.
• Closed v1.0 by Cobain has been released, continuing ali banana’s work. This is quite a puzzle game which I’m not smart enough to figure out.

New reviews:

area 10– kukulcan’s puzzle game is simple but appealing. You have red and blue balls. The object is to get all the blue balls in the bottom screen and the red ones in the top screen. The trick is that you cannot completely close off the opening between the two sides. Instead, you can control the opening so that you can block balls.

This is based on a flash game, but it is well done. The responsiveness is good, and the graphics are well done. You have options for the speed and size of the balls, as well as the option to play with a DS motion cart. The music is very energetic, but you can turn it off.

Simple, Area 10 is definitely worth downloading. I think it’s entertaining enough to keep on your DS cart even though it is nearly 2 MB.

chatnoir–This is another simple but highly addictive puzzle game. Cravesoft has created a game that is somewhat random and has a lot of replay. The object is to prevent the cat from leaving the board of hexagons. You can block the cat by clicking on a hexagon, turning it blue. Each time you tap a hexagon, the cat moves in a direction. The trick is to click the hexagons in such a way as to eventually trap the cat.

And that’s it.

The game has no options or music. The graphics are elegantly simple, reminding of the Wii cat [the one seen when updating headlines].

I really like this game. It reminds me of the elegant simplicity of strategy board games. I think it’s a keeper. I know my kids, even my five-year-old daughter enjoys it.

chroma–noxneo has created a little atmospheric game based on Joe McKay’s The Colour Game. In Chroma, the top screen is split: the left half is the color objective, and the right half is the color that you control. In the bottom, there are red, green, and blue sliders. Adjust the sliders until the right half matches the left.

The music is a loop of Jean Michel Jarre‘s ‘Oxygen 3.’

Another nice, simple puzzle game. It’s not as addictive as chatnoir, but it’s interesting. It doesn’t have a save feature, so I had to restart it each time I wanted to play. I think it’s worth checking out, but it’s probably not something you’d play too often.

grid soccer–falafel’s game is a type of soccer game for 2 players. The controls were somewhat difficult for 2 people, and the other person I played with lost interest fast. The graphics are basic: a grid with lines and squares. I don’t have much to say for it.

Don’t bother with this one.

quadrangulards–bfth has released 0.1 of his tetris-like game. In this release, only one of the three possible modes works, lineal. You can also select from one of three difficulty levels. The object is to connect four squares of the same color in a row either vertically or horizontally. You have to perform a certain number of these matches for each level to reach the required number of points for each level.

You cannot control where the next color square appears [that I could tell], but you can move the colored square to an empty spot: click on the colored square and the available moves are displayed. Without lifting the sytlus, select an empty square. You can move diagonally, vertically or horizontally.

The game tracks your stats: how many moves you’ve made and the time. The graphics are somewhat basic, but they work. The music is a loop and repeats fairly quickly, but there’s no option to mute it.

This one never really hooked me, but it’s not a badly designed game, especially if the other modes are completed. This is a work in progress, but it’s worth trying out to see if it’s your bag or not.

scrogger–V0.1 is scognito’s entry in the 2007 Drunken Coder’s compo. It is a puzzle game of 10 levels. Taking off of Frogger, the object is to make the frog jump on each of the lily pads, which makes them disappear. The object is to jump on all of the pads, but you cannot jump backwards. You can jump only forward, left or right. So, the trick is to find the right path.

I really enjoyed this little puzzle game. It’s cute but tough, especially with the higher levels. I definitely recommend scrogger, especially if you like puzzle games. I’m looking forward to any further revisions.

sopwith–Lazy1 has released v0.2 of his port of sdl sopwith, which is itself a port of the classic game. This early release is very playable, although I found the game somewhat difficult on the smaller DS screen. The object is to destroy enemy buildings and armaments.

I think the game has potential, although as an older style game, the graphics are simple pixels. The game didn’t capture my attention, but I didn’t see it as a game to avoid. Some might enjoy playing it.

uummarmuit–This interestingly named game is birslip’s entry in the 2007 Drunken Coders compo. This is a cute 3D game in which you use the stylus to move a boy to collect all the presents in the woods . . . but guess what else is the woods? polar bears! Fortunately, you can shoot [by tapping or using the triggers] at the bears to eliminate them.

You can select one of two difficulty levels, but there is also online help.

The game is not very difficult, but it is fun . . . and it’s 3D, which is always good. I recommend you download the game and check it out. The Christmas theme is not so heavy that you can’t enjoy the game well after the holidays.

xump ds–Kukulcan’s second game for this week is a beta port of the puzzle game Xump. Like many of his efforts, this game is solid and well done. The gameplay is simple: move the character across all the squares to remove them, so it’s a matter of finding the right path. The board is made up of squares of different colors and different functions, like teleporting or skipping squares. I’m not familiar with the original game, but kukulcan writes that he has modified the original game.

The game will eventually include 32 levels, among other possible improvements.

This is a cute little puzzle game with no obvious flaws. Even as beta, this is worth trying out.
xump ds–kukulcan