LOWREZJAM 2017 – Part 4
Time for one last peek into the pixel piles of LOWREZJAM 2017 with a few downloadable titles that really stood out to me. This is far from everything that was offered up, mind you, so if you haven’t yet then I strongly encourage you to poke through the many creative titles listed on the other side of that link. There were 234 games submitted overall and I touched on just 30 of them, so you can rest assured there’s plenty more to see and play beyond what I pulled out to show you.
Sunray Valley – Enter a blocky world full of paths and meadows, and figure out how to walk on it. Your cursor lets you examine tiles or walls which adds them to your research list, allowing you to study what purpose they serve and whether or not you can interact with it. This means that the first time you encounter a door you can’t open it or a road you can’t walk on it, but it provides a unique way to progress through an otherwise normal world. If you like the idea of leveling up to step on grass by examining walls, give this one a shot.
The Zipper – I’m sure you’ve played one of those puzzle games where you can’t stop until you hit something, and you have to find your way to the goal by bouncing off most of the level. The Zipper takes that concept and layers some extra style onto it, casting you as some kind of energy bolt zipping around inside a labyrinth of machinery. The instant zapping about helps keep the game from feeling stale, and the familiar gimmicks added in over time take on new life with the high-tech themes supporting them.
ExiTV – This snappy platformer takes inspiration from the VHS classics of the 90s, zapping you inside your TV to duke it out with the Terminator and Freddy Kreuger as you run ever rightward. There’s not much to the landscape besides a few scant platforms but the excellent animation and thumping soundtrack do a lot to keep it engaging. You’ll also need a bit of strategy for the combat, as your shots pop enemies up and maintaining distance is pretty important.
Tromos – Another platformer here, this one more focused on exploration than action. You guide your spy little hero of antiquity through ruins, across mountains, and under the sea to find an artifact to help you vanquish the hydra. With a double-jump and a glide right from the start, the world is quite open to explore and secret paths abound. The combat is also pretty challenging, giving you slow swings, shield blocking, and additional weapons to contend with.
Heart’s Desire: Blue Sea – This charming puzzle game takes on the mantle of sea pollution to give a little meaning to your quest. You’ve been created by Mother Nature to break down garbage like trash bags and plastic junk, either by bumping it or using your special power. You get three moves per turn, and your enemies all have their own moves and attacks. It’s a great little strategy game that expects you to plan out your moves and make the most of your limited options.
That’s it for my adventure in low-rez land! I hope you’ve enjoyed this look, and hopefully tried out some of these neat creations yourself. You can find some truly unique and very entertaining experiments if you take the time to explore. I know of a few game jams coming up in the near future, so watch this space for more peeks into indie dev soon.
Gold-Plated Games 