Review: Small Worlds (PC)
Small Worlds is a browser based casual platformer that was created for the Jay is Games “Casual Gameplay Design Competition #6″. While it can be finished in just a few minutes, it is one that has stuck with me for days.
You are alone on what appears to be some sort of science fiction base. The base appears to have sustained heavy damage and it’s up to you to restore power to one escape pod. You do so by traveling into different worlds where missing pieces of the station have been lost.
The game focuses on exploration in a very interesting way. When you first begin, you can see your character and a few steps in either direction. As you explore more of each level, the screen zooms out to show more and more of the map. This allows you to see what you have explored of each world in it’s entirety.
This is a unique take on level design. It forces the game designer to stick to very small levels (hence the game’s title) or else you would soon be unable to see your character well enough to progress.
Since there are no enemies to fight, the fact that your character is continually getting smaller on the screen is not a detriment to controlling him. The visuals, while simple on the surface, are quite detailed and intricate once you have zoomed out an entire level.
The soundtrack is mesmerizing. This is one of those situations where the music fits perfectly with each game world and adds an ambiance that really shows what can be accomplished when working in multimedia entertainment.
There are only five worlds to visit, which is a shame because it really got its hooks into me. I would love to see a more fleshed out version of this concept. Maybe someday we will see a full version of the concept emerge on a download service like Steam or Xbox Live.
You can play Small Worlds on the Jay is Games’ website for free.
Tags: Armor Games, browser games, Casual Gameplay Design Competition, Casual Games, David Shute, flash games, independent games, PC, platformer, Small Worlds
This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Russ "The Bus" Walsh says:This game reminds me, “Another World” would make a great FOG in the next few months.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:Aren’t you a little too “not European” to be calling it by that title, Russ?
November 10th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:“Out of This World” (the SNES version) is on my list, as is “Flashback”.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Russ "The Bus" Walsh says:I’ve never actually played the “Out of This World” version.