The narrative
You and your associates are having a meeting with the president. At some point during the meeting, the president apologies and says he needs to leave to room to relieve himself. Upon him leaving the room however, you hear a thump and sound of the door locking. Moments later a beeping commences. You look over the president's desk and see that the nuclear warhead codes have been activated and a 30 minute countdown has been commenced. You must stop the countdown and escape the room!
The puzzles
You will see on the desk [1] there is a number pad to enter the code to stop the countdown and a warning which informs the players that there are only 3 tries before the system locks. Upon searching the desk, players will come across the president's journal. There will be reference to the president's stash of secrets. The players must begin searching for this.
The stash will be found in a compartment of the couch after taking one of the cushions off [3]. This will be a safe with an electronic display. The players will turn on the safe and the display will ask the players to prove that they are the president by asking a series of questions using the pad to input. The questions include: When were you born; who is your favourite artist; who was your first love; and what is your favourite place (piece together then use book on shelf to find).
The information to answer these questions correctly will be found throughout the room. Birthdate can be found by looking through the calendar to get the date [8] and by finding an old birthday card on the bookshelf which shows the age [5]. The president's first love can be found by reading through the journal. Favourite artist can be found by looking at the back of the painting on the wall. Favourite place is found by piecing together scraps of a drawing. The pieces will be found in the desk [1], shelf [5], in the bin [9] and the dresser [6]. These can be put together to form the drawing. The players will then need to look through a book of places on the shelf to find the name.
Upon accessing the vault, the player will find drugs (fake) and scraps of paper inside with numbers written on them. The scraps correspond to the painting. When lined up in the correct places, the player will see that the numbers are arranged in a cross fashion. The player will have noticed before that along with the name of the artist on the back of the painting, there is also a quote which reads: “When your mind is addled; follow W S N E." This means the player the player must enter the numbers in the order corresponding to those directions West (left), South (down), North (up) and East (right). When the code is entered correctly, the countdown stops and the game is won. A 'spare key' found in the safe can be used to unlock the door.
Room mockup made with RoomSketcher: http://www.roomsketcher.com/
Listen to the Cat is a puzzle game in which players control a cat which must call upon its human relations and use them to open doors. You cannot open doors yourself as you are a cat. You can call upon humans by meowing at them to get their attention then tracing a path to the door you wish the human to open. The human will hold the door open momentarily, allowing you a chance to get through. Puzzles will require you to traverse through multiple doors, chaining actions of multiple humans to do so. Before calling upon them, humans will always have their own actions they are taking part in such as cutting vegetables, watching TV or reading a book. In these instances you cannot simply meow at the human to get them to come, you must instead attract their attention by disrupting their activity. For the case of the human watching TV, you may have to find a way to cut the power or change the channel to something less interesting. In harder levels you'll have to do one action to attract a human to allow you to do another action to attract another human and so on.
Image source: http://lovemeow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/20101101.jpg
This game is set in feudal Japan. You were once a member of a powerful family; now banished and left with nothing. You have just received a letter informing you that you father will be executed in 26 days in the center of your home town. You have 26 days to travel along the country on horse-back, back to your home time in order to save your father.
You will have to make sure you have food and drink to sustain the player as well as sleep. If these needs are not kept satisfied, speed, vision and reaction time will suffer. The player needs to balance time with resource gathering. The player will run into inns and villages along the way where they will find individuals which get in the way, or help the player in some way.
If the player gets into a fight, they can use their sword and daggers to defend themselves. Weapons will also need to be used to save your father. If you reach the home town before the 26th day, you can rescue your father from his cell and may even have time to learn more about the environment and enemy behavior to make things easier. If you arrive on the 26th day, you may need to rescue him as he is about to be executed, this is much more challenging.
Horse riding is similar to that of Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption:
Image source: http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/3/30036/1377466-rsg_5f00_rdr_5f00_screenshot_5f00_376.jpg
Earth Upside Down deals with the troubling idea of Earth's gravity becoming inverted. In fact, this inversion was entirely your fault; caused by leaving an unfinished device on in the laboratory.
The goal of this 3D platformer is to make your way from your home to your laboratory while dealing with this gravity inversion. While inside buildings, the player is usually not in danger of dying (unless in the case of a high ceiling) but will have to use platforming mechanics to navigate through the building. During these levels, the player will have to dislodge objects to create paths to climb.
To get to the next building, and come closer to the laboratory, the player must traverse outdoor levels. In these levels, the player must be careful not to fall up to their demise as they will have to restart the level each time they do so. During these levels, platforming will include climbing along fences, light posts and roofing gutters.
The game ends when the player reaches the laboratory, disables the devices and peace is restored to the universe.
Think of the sinking ship level in Naughty Dog's Uncharted 3:
Image source: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q94mvYjoV0Q/maxresdefault.jpg
Reconnaissance has you play as with an agent with a camera. Your goal is to gather as much intelligence as possible on the fort that your organization is wishing to infiltrate. You are not a soldier, and carry only a pistol for self defense; you can die with just a couple shots.
Using your camera, you must take pictures of as many points of interest as possible in the fort. This can include points of entry, locations for ambushes and traps, mechanisms to make use of and more. The aim is to gather as much intel as possible so that you have more options for your planned infiltration by your comrades.
If you die out in the field, you'll have to start your search for intel again with a new agent. If you happen to come across the camera of your predecessor, you can use the intel it holds. However, after each successive attempt, guards are more alert.
The player can leave the field at any time by traversing to the edge of the level. The more intel you have gathered during your mission, the more options that will be available to you when you plan the infiltration; thereby increasing chances of success.
Camera mechanic would be similar to that of Sucker Punch's Sly 2:
Image source: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sly/images/0/0e/ReconBallroom.png/revision/latest?cb=20120618162631
In a civilized world where power comes from music, national anthems are the only thing that determines a strong, powerful nation from a weak and vulnerable one. For this reason you, one of the greatest composers the world has ever known, is tasked by one nation with creating and maintaining a powerful anthem which will leave all other nations shaking in their boots.
You will begin the game with a handful of instrument types for your orchestra and a small choir. Throughout the game you will be upgrading this force to ensure that you remain powerful by unlocking new instruments and expanding your orchestra and choir. You can incorporate different tones into your anthem which reflect your nation's society and values. The anthem must dissuade other countries from conflicting with you but it must also appeal to your nation's people.
One country may have an anthem of a particular tone which also manages to appeal to surrounding countries that share the same political stance. The player will have to adjust their own anthem to counter as it increases the rival nation's power but must also be aware that it could reduce their own nation's happiness. If there is not a good balance between national power and national pride, national growth will be hindered and you will find your country being left behind in the power race.
Image source: http://artsmeme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/pressbanner.jpg
The Identity Game involves making wanted people 'disappear' by creating whole new identities and lives for them. The game takes place at a desk in the underground base of the criminal organization you have been hired by. A security leak has meant that the identities of many of the agents of this organization have been compromised, with more being found each day. It is your job to set up a new life for these individuals by first selecting a place for them to be relocated to. The game takes place in the United States of America and the player can choose any state to send this individual to. Based on the characteristics of this individual, the player must then construct a lie that seems believable. This includes a residence and job. The real challenge comes in creating the fake identities and documents, however. Players must be very careful with the accuracy of the data they input as if a fake ID were to be discovered, its holder would be arrested which poses a threat to the organization you represent. Each in-game day has a time limit and it is important for the player to create new identities for as many people as possible as more will identities will be compromised. If too many agents of the organization are captured, the organization will disappear and you will lose your life.
The UI of the game will be similar to Papers Please:
Image source: http://papersplea.se/img/Shot11-Jorji.png
Flatulence is a competitive game, best played against friends, which is set in a zero-gravity environment. The aim of the game is to consume combinations of gas-producing food in order to make your character fart as this will propel them upwards as there is no gravity. Each round has a time of one minute and the winner is whoever makes the best combinations, giving their character the most height.
Combinations of food are made through a simple mechanic. There are 6 different types of food in the game and a combination of 6 is randomly chosen and shown in a row. The player has 5 seconds to choose up to three slots to 're-roll' a food item for that particular slot. Flatulence comes from having multiple foods of the same type or having the whole row include all 6 foods.
The player with the highest height at the end of the round wins that round. A match includes multiple rounds depending on the number of players.
Image source: http://freedomaustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/fart.jpg
Tailor Wool is a game for touchscreen devices in players must dress up various blobby beings who enter your shop. The game plays similar to Zen Bound as the beings are dressed by rotating them so that the wool wraps around to form clothing. The player will have to dress the beings in different clothing such as jumpers, beanies or pants and with the correct colour of material. Each level has one being who provides a specification of what they want i.e the design and colour. Sometimes the player will have to incorporate more than one colour of wool to create a simple pattern. Levels get harder as body shapes for some beings will be harder to work with as well as the patterns involved and as they progress, the player will be provided with less and less wool so must ensure that wool overlaps as little as possible when it is wrapped around the being as this would be wasteful. The levels are unlocked in sections. In each section, all levels are available and a certain amount of points are needed to proceed to the next section. Not all levels need to be completed. This is done as the game is not intended to be too challenging. Points are awarded based on the grade that the player receives for each level.
Image from Zen Bound by Secret Exit
Precision Demolition is a 3D game for mobile devices in which each level contains a structure consisting of many parts. The goal of the game is simply to make this structure completely collapse given only a limited number and variety of demolition tools which can be placed anywhere along the structure.
These demolition tools include basic explosives (most common), more powerful explosives (fewer of these), acid mines (used to erode metal structures) and incendiary mines (used to burn wooden structures). The player will need to use these tools very carefully to ensure the structure is completely destroyed. The player cannot progress to the next level until this happens. The player can choose to place all explosives at once, then detonate, or place and detonate one by one.
In exchange for in-game gold or through the use of micro-transactions, the player can also call in special tools such as acid rain which can weaken a structure overall so it falls down easier.
Image source: http://www.paulnoll.com/Books/5000-Words/5000-pic-explosive.jpg
Space Tycoon is a tycoon game in which you must build up your space tourism empire, through the acquisition of ships, advertising and attractions. Play begins with a single ship, and a base on a bustling future city on Earth. It's hard to get the attention of customers with all the glowing billboards covering the towering buildings above your grounds.
Throughout the game, the player will purchase new and better ships which can take customers on journeys further from earth, eventually reaching other planets in the solar system. The player can upgrade these ships, and the income can be invested in building up advertising of your own on Earth to grab the attention of people passing by. All the while the player will be building up their reputation.
As their fortune grows, they player will be able to build space stations that hold restaurants, hotels and other services. Eventually the player can choose to hold their base within a space station instead of within Earth.
The player must be weary of their competitors in this field, as they will attempt to steal customers away, potentially hindering your growth. In this future world, it is not uncommon for corporations to engage in secretive and dishonest practices; the player can choose to do the same by stealing ships from competitors or sabotaging their advertising or reputation to steal their customers. This can make growth faster, but players must be cautious not to be found out as this will significantly affect their reputation.
The player can also choose to remain honest and employ other tactics to gain the attention of customers.
Image source: http://www.centives.net/S/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/090912_0304_AffordableS11.jpg
Inventor and master baker, Jimmy Goodman aims to track down the fabled recipe of the 'God Cake'; a cake so delicious that anyone who eats it comes under the influence of the baker. If the legend is true, the recipe is found with the mountains of Yum. Jimmy has a rough map to guide him as well as a journal of clues to aid him on his quest.
Knowing that the area is home to sugar-loving, blood-thirsty creatures, Jimmy has equipped himself with an arsenal of weapons to defend himself. The most prominent item in this collection is his patented cake canon which fires cakes into the mouth of its target until they are too fat to move.
Along the way, Jimmy will come across obstacles where it is unclear which way he must proceed. At this time, the player will need to read the journal to solve the clues and riddles to be able to proceed on the quest.
Image source: http://www.clker.com/cliparts/d/6/1/1/119498631918056439birthday_cake.svg.med.png
In Droplets of Treasure, water drops holding sparkling treasure fall down a cliff. In each level there are at least 3 of these droplets. As the droplets fall onto the cliff, the droplets will break up into smaller droplets, with only one still containing the treasure in each set of the smaller droplets. These droplets will roll down the cliff, getting mixed up, so the player will have to keep an eye on which droplet contains the treasure. The challenge comes from having multiple droplets will treasure that the player will need to keep track of.
At the bottom of the cliff, the droplets will lie in their respective 'lane' that the original larger droplet it came from fell down. They player will have one chance for each cluster of droplets to pick which droplet contains the treasure. The player is awarded points for correct guesses and the game increases with difficulty as more droplets are added to keep track of and at a faster speed.
Spy Drones is a game in which you pilot a drone into an enemy base without being detected, with the goal of acquiring secret information. The player will have to take care to avoid guards, security cameras, laser grids, magnetic fields as well as objects that could destroy the drone's motors such as birds.
If the player is detected, guards will commence shooting upon the drone and the base will go into lockdown, making it very difficult to retrieve any more data. At this point, the player must focus on escaping else the data they've already obtained will be lost. This risk vs. reward system is the heart of the gameplay as the player only has a limited time to obtain as much valuable information as possible before the enemy initiates their grand evil plan. More information increases chance of success of thwarting this plan…
Data is obtained by sneaking and approaching a computer. When a computer is in sight and within a certain range, the player can hold a button to begin siphoning data. The drone can be upgraded to be quieter, faster, have an increased hacking range and be supplied with gadgets to disable security systems.
As the player upgrades their drone they will be able to attack more secure bases which have more valuable information.
Image source: http://www.richmondmediamarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DRONE.jpeg
Marble Rush is a 3D physics based puzzle game in which players must direct a marble from a high platform into a far below pot. The pot will be some horizontal distance away as well, and the player must use gravity and an assortment of physics-based tools to guide the marble into the pot.
In each level there will be some tools already placed. These tools are fixed and are more powerful than the ones found in the player's toolset and will usually be necessary to use to get to the pot. Tools can include springs for height, air jets for horizontal push, gum which can slow down the marble, conveyer belts to carry it along and ramps of different shapes. There will only be a limited number of tools to use in each level, and they can be placed anywhere in the 3D space of the level.
Levels get harder as the player progresses, the pot will also become smaller which means the player will have to experiment a lot to get their marble path just right.
Image source: https://blog.etsy.com/en/files/2013/05/marbles-etsy.jpg
This game requires strong reaction time and focus. The game screen is split into four sections. In each section there are a number of cats running in different directions; up, down, left or right. A cat must not be allowed to cross into the square of the other cats! The player has the ability to change the direction of a cat by tapping on that cat. Tapping on a cat will change its direction by 90 degrees in an anti-clockwise direction. If a cat collides with a side of the screen, it will also change direction to 90 degrees anti-clockwise. As levels progress there will be multiple cats in each section which the player needs to ensure remain in their section for the duration of the time limit, with bonus points awarded for exceeding the time limit. Different types of cats will move at different speeds and fat cats have a change to fall asleep while running. When this happens, any cat running behind the fat cat will bump into the cat, waking it up, and change direction to being moving in a clockwise motion. Rotations for this cat will become 90 degrees clockwise. If the player taps the sleeping cat a few times before any cats hit it, the cat will wake up and no cat will have its direction changed.
In this game, the player control an outer-space energy which is capable of moving asteroids around space. The game progresses in levels. In each level there is at least one planet and one asteroid in the galaxy. The aim of the game is to build mass and velocity great enough such that the impact of the asteroid will destroy the planet.
The player moves an asteroid through space, consuming energy in the process. To replenish energy and continue building speed, the player will need to direct the asteroid through pockets of energy found in the space level.
Additionally, rocks and smaller asteroids in space will be magnetised and absorbed into your asteroid through the use of energy, thereby increasing the mass. The player may attempt to destroy the planet but will only be successful if they are at a sufficient speed and mass.
The player needs to optimise their path through space in order to have the best chance of planet destruction. In later levels, players will need to destroy multiple planets by controlling multiple asteroids.
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Image source: http://images.forwallpaper.com/files/images/c/c175/c175ca22/141328/impact-impact-crash-armageddon-an-asteroid-the-planet.jpg
In this game you are an individual with a very important role in a very important spy agency. Your job is to create disguises for agents out in the field and design gadgets to aid them in infiltration.
The game plays out in your office, as agents will approach you for aid. They will outline the task they are about to set out on and detail the enemy's facility they are attempting to infiltrate.
For them to be successful, you will need to use the information given to design an appropriate disguise that will let them get in without drawing attention. You can customise the agent's appearance by changing their outfit, hairstyle, accessories and makeup as required.
The player also needs to design gadgets based on what defences the facility is said to have so that the agent's chance of success is increased. The agent may also run into unforeseen obstacles so it's a good idea to provide gadgets which could account for this. The player cannot simply give the agent all the gadgets they have as this will make the agent move more slowly and more noisily; reducing the chance of success.
Gadgets include EMP emitters, smoke bombs or lasers. These functions can be given to accessories such as rings or watches. It is important to make gadgets more compact to make them stand out less; this can be upgraded over time.
You get paid for successful contracts so that you can purchase new disguise and gadget components to allow the agents to embark on more dangerous and rewarding missions.
Image source: http://cdn1.spiegel.de/images/image-537148-breitwandaufmacher-idet.jpg
In New Earth, the world's population has become too great and all resources are dwindling. The player leads the programme which must find a new world to populate.
The game begins with the player designing a ship. The player will have access to a large array of different parts. The ship will need to be able to travel for very long distances. An estimate is shown of how many light years the vessel will be able to travel.
The next phase has the player pick of planet that has a good chance of supporting life which is in range of your ship's travel. If the player sees a more desirable planet that is out of range, they can leave a marker and attempt to redesign the ship to be able to take them there.
The player must then fly the ship to the planet. Upon arrival, the next stage will be to evaluate the environment and employ tools in order to make the environment as close to Earth's as possible. When this is done, you can contact Earth which will send people to colonise the newly terraformed planet and the player will be able to set off to the next planet they wish to terraform.
Image source: http://gila.faking-sanity.net/terraform/PlanetTerraform.jpg
In this game you play as an old wise man in a village located in a vast plain encompassed by cliffs not scalable. After being founded by lost travelers who had stumbled across the rich land, the village had flourished and thrived for generations. Yet now, all resources have been used up, and the villagers must find a way to leave their prison.
The old wise man which the player controls is able to call upon the trees for help. He must grow them taller and taller until he creates one which is big enough to climb up and escape.
The game starts off with this man creating small trees close to the village. The old man can also order the other inhabitants of the village to scavenge for what little food they can find to keep the people going. Once a planted tree has been grown, its seeds can be collected. The old wise man can combine these seeds with herb life found around the area and plant the seeds.
The seeds will grow again, but taller than the previous ones. As the game progresses, you will be creating taller and taller trees until you have the seeds which are capable of growing trees which are tall enough for the villagers to climb up and leave.
Image source : http://aswewander.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/aswewander_mblissm_monikablissmorris_travel_photo_0049.jpg
Strays is a 3D game exclusively available on next gen consoles which revolves around the idea of stray cats and features the best fur physics around. The game begins with the player taking control of one cat. You must use your abilities of cuteness to acquire food from citizens around town in order to survive.
As you progress throughout the game, the cat will desire more extravagant foods more and more. To do this you will have to increase your powers of cuteness! This can be done through actions such as using big cute kitty eyes, standing on hind legs or buddying up with other stray cats in order perform a cute little dance to be really impressive.
The stray cats club will grow and leach more and more off the inhabitants of the town, while producing more and more offspring. The game ends when the humans have no food left to give the cats and the cats rule the town.
A touch screen game for mobile devices ~ start as a novice forging swords, develop you skills and make swords for clients of increasing importance.
One round of Sword Smith involves the player receiving a contract for a sword. This contract will outline the quality that the sword needs to be, the purpose it is to be used for. The player will not be told what material the parts of the sword need to be made out of, it will only need to meet the provided specifications. In some cases, the client may explain to the player why this sword is so important and provide a condition for a bonus. For instance, a client may say that the sword should be good enough to kill dozens of opponents in battle and that if it performs this well, the player will earn extra money. After completing orders for a few more swords, the original client will return and inform if the sword is worthy of the bonus.
A sword is made by first selecting the best materials for the different components of the sword based on the contract. From there, the metal is heated and the player is able to mold the basic shape of the sword to the particular shape and weight the contract requires, and tap on the screen to flatten it. From there the player refines the guard, pommel and hilt. After cooling the metal, the grip is added by wrapping leather around. Extra's can also be added such as gems as the contract requires. However the player must not make the value of the sword exceed the client's budget as they will not pay for the sword if this happens. Players will also earn more money the quicker the contract is completed. The more demanding clients that come later will expect the contract to be done even quicker!
As the player's level increases they will begin to get more demanding contracts which pay more. In this game, money is used acquire more tools and materials for the forge. There is also a practice mode in which the player can fine tune their forging skills. They can spend your time perfecting these designs and are able to display them on your wall. The more swords that are on the wall of a particular level, the more likely the player is to receive contracts of that level as this demonstrates their skill. This encourages the player to keep honing their skills and replacing the swords on display.
Image source: http://anglofilmia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Picture-98.png
Sock Shop is a 2D game for touchscreen devices. In this game, you are an employee at the Sock Shop. Throughout the day people will come in and express their dire sock-related needs. Sock Shop specialises in producing replacement socks in the case where one sock in a pair has been ruined.
Customers will enter the shop, show you their favourite sock and tell you how its paired sock was destroyed or lost and it will then be up to you to create a copy of this sock to create a pair.
The original sock will be shown on the left and you will need to create the sock on the right, by dragging the wool of different colours as if painting. To do well you must get the patterns and colours of the sock right! You will be timed and receive points based on how well you've made the sock and how quickly it has been done.
After creating the sock, the customer will be shown with their new pair and the player will be able to see whether or not they are satisfied.
Image source: http://www.cliparthut.com/clip-arts/378/crazy-sock-day-clip-art-378562.png
The peasants of an isolated medieval village were the first to witness this being from outer space, this 'Death Robot' which left their home in a blazing inferno, before heading towards the nearest castle, at a pace not so much faster than a turtle.
In Death Robot's Long March, you assume the role of various commanders who are tasked with destroying this machine whose sole purpose appears to be laying waste to the kingdoms of the land. As you may expect, the weapons of the time don't have much of an effect on the Death Robot. A ballista bolt may send him flying, delaying its assault on the nearest castle it can find, but it will do little in the way of damaging it.
You must be smart, using your military weapons and tactics to slow down the Death Robot's assault, create traps to crush it and generally do what little damage you can. You have to protect various castles throughout the game. The first castles you attempt to protect will not survive! The Death Robot is simply too powerful. After the castle is destroyed, you will move to the next closed castle. Because the robot moves so slowly, some time has passed before it reaches this castle and because of this, technology has developed somewhat which you have access to and will need to employ in your efforts against the Robot. You will be given an indication of the direction from which the Robot will attack and you can anticipate its path in order to lay traps.
As more and more castles are destroyed, time will advance more and you will have access to better weaponry. This can include, catapults, ballistae and canons. If you manage to detach a part of the Robot from its body, you can send men to retrieve this and this technology will allow the technological world to advance at a much faster rate.
Its up to you to save the world! The fewer castles are destroyed by the end, the better you've done.
Frog King is 2D platformer for windows and consoles. The aim of the game is to control an underling frog in the frog kingdom and guide him on his path to overthrowing the ruthless frog king, who catches all the incoming flies and steals them away for his personal consumption. While his people starve, he grows bigger by the day.
As a frog, the player is able to leap and use their tongues to catch flies and attack the king's thugs. Throughout the game, the player will gain experience from incapacitating thugs and stealing flies before they can be taken to the Frog King. There will also be other creatures which you will need to fight. The player will need to platform to climb higher and higher. Starting from the bottom, crossing the river, climbing the hill and lastly, ascending the tree to where the King is perched.
Along the way the player will meet other frogs who can be helped or help you on your quest.
Image source: http://www.litstack.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/frog-king.jpg
