The letter N was a weird one. In fact, I can’t remember having so much trouble settling into a rhythm for an Indie Scene entry. Seems every game I tried, something just didn’t sit right.
Does that mean I didn’t find anything of value? Well, first a little background.
N:
When it comes to selecting games for a new letter, I first refer to a master list on which I throw on any indie games I hear about that sound interesting.
If the guys on Rebel FM start talking about a new addiction, for example, I’ll make a note of it. Or if I see a story on a blog about a clever sounding game, it’s on there. Same with any games you all suggest in the comments below, which carry a huge weight.
Typically, this technique has been successful. This time, though, I couldn’t catch a break, starting with…
Norwegian Wood (PC, Mac, free)
I forget where I heard about this game, but it was on the list. And it sounded interesting. Utilizing The Beatles song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," it times projectiles in tune with the beat.
The problem is copyrights. Obviously a small indie team can’t afford to license a Beatles song, so they devised a nice workaround: Simply drag the MP3 of the song onto Norwegian Wood’s executable file.
For me, though, I’m only a casual Beatles fan and don’t have the MP3. Likewise, I won’t illegally download the song just to play the game. The Indie Scene don’t roll like that. One of you will have to let me know how it is.
OK, moving on.
Nodes (Browser, free)
Finding this game was somewhat roundabout. Rebel FM’s Tyler Barber recently talked up a couple indie games called Nod and Node. I couldn’t track down either one (and actually don’t think they’re out yet). I did, however, come across Nodes on Kongregate, which I figured was close enough.
Too bad it didn’t do a whole lot for me. Nodes is a simple puzzle game in which you manipulate laser-linked nodes to light up a handful of circles on the field. Think about it as connect the dots…with lasers. All told, it took maybe 20 minutes to beat…and maybe another two to evaporate from my mind.
Nodes isn’t terrible, just bland. Let’s move on.
Nikujin (PC, free)
Up next, I decided to go with what I imagined would be a slam dunk. Seeing as N stands “ninja,” I figured I could find a winner. Some quick research led me to Nikujin, a game featuring an adorable, doughy, naked ninja. What’s not to love?
Well, quite a bit. First, simply downloading this game is an ordeal. Since it first released a few years ago, I found that a few of the download links I tried brought me to a page in Japanese with no download link in sight. After finding one that worked (linked above), I discovered more hoops in the form of installation instructions. Since the file was in Japanese, I had to rename it to an English .exe file. And so went the language barrier with the menu options, so I had to look up translations for them.
Now, this would all be worthwhile if the game were good – and doesn’t that screen look divine? The actual gameplay, though, doesn’t stack up. The wall run and wall stick abort far too quickly, making any multi-wall jumps a huge pain. In particular, that wall stick latches you onto surfaces at inopportune times before sliding or launching you off the surface. Your sword swings will carry you off ledges or into enemies, and the checkpoints don’t even toe the “fair” line.
When I got in a groove, I started having fun. I’m a stubborn gamer like that. Plus, I have to give props to its first boss battle: fun and challenging. But imagine a game with the difficulty of the Ninja Gaiden NES games but without the precise controls, and you can imagine the frustrations it begets.
Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! (PC, free)
I found this final game through the Indie Game Database, and was drawn to the genre: adventure. Back in my formative gaming days, I was a big fan of adventure games, including the Sierra suite of "Quest" games and LucasArts’ classics.
Nelly Cootalot doesn’t reach those highs, nor should it be expected to, but it has its charms. Like any good adventure, it serves up some clichéd characters (such as Capt. Rehab and Baron Widebeard) who say goofy things as you mine the dialogue trees.
The puzzles check off the necessary fetch quests and word scramble. You also have to discover some obscure solutions based on seemingly random inventory items.
I found Nelly to be wholly competent, yet it doesn’t get much beyond that. This may be in part due to its target audience, which I think is younger and more female than I (Nelly’s a spunky young pirate looking to establish herself), but I think it mostly doesn’t hit the tongue-in-cheek highs of another indie adventure, Ben There, Dan That, which I covered way back in the Bs.
And with that, I wrap up the Ns, which certainly left its mark in my mind. As always, leave any suggestions for future entries below, and let me know what you think of the games I covered this time.
Previous entries:
A, B, C, D, E,
F, G, H, I, J,
K, L, M
The Indie Scene Interview: The Odd Gentlemen