Following Freeware – October 2014 releases

This month you can explore some dangerous ruins or find that a library is not the haven of peace and quiet you had hoped. Perhaps instead you’d prefer to explore the past of a historical figure from a famous fantasy series. On the other hand, an evening at a friend’s house could be fun, with the chance to meet a mysterious relative an added bonus. The year’s top text adventures also offer a variety of experiences, whether recovering a stolen magical artifact, befriending your favourite game developer, or escaping a jungle with the acquired power of animals. All these await in this month’s round-up of releases from the freeware scene.
 

Steve’s Selections

The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo

The choice between staying in with a babysitter and sleeping over at your best friend’s house was a no-brainer. Their parents always provide plenty of snacks and drink and they always have the best games to play. In fact, often they have games and consoles that aren’t even out yet. Their uncle works for Nintendo and always passes along the good stuff. As you settle in for a night of fun, a storm sweeps across the town. As the evening wears on, news comes that the uncle is coming as well, arriving at midnight. But as the appointed hour draws near, excitement turns to unease. Why have you never actually met this uncle before, and why doesn’t he appear in any of the family photos? Getting to meet him at last is a good thing, isn’t it?

Michael Lutz has created a game with a seemingly mundane situation that may not be as pleasant as it seems. The game is text-based, though with illustrated backgrounds, rendered in a soft pastel style. These mostly depict your current location, such as the bathroom or the kitchen. Occasionally – usually for sections where you recall past events – these are changed to more abstract designs. Locations have appropriate background noises, the den where you are spending the night ringing with the sound of video games. There are also event-appropriate effects, like the grandfather clock chiming as time advances.

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You navigate through the story using highlighted links in the text. Usually you will be presented with a list of actions, such as playing a game or going off to grab a snack. Most of the time these will be individual words in sentences, often leading to thoughts about the subject in question. A handful of actions advance the clock, with time moving along in hourly chunks. The initial setup could lead the player into a false sense of security, but this is undoubtedly horror of the creepypasta variety. Choices made early in the game affect those available later, and some choices even play out differently depending on what time they are made. There are initially five endings available. Obtaining a particular ending from these first five unlocks a sixth ending, providing a profoundly satisfying conclusion to the tale. There is no save system, so those wishing to unlock the special ending will need to set aside up to an hour to replay.

The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo can be played online at JayisGames.

Kingdom of Liars: Stonepath

A gate between realms has been opened and fiends stalk the land. With this disaster, your time as a member of the city guards known as the Hernessians has come to an end. Now you rove the land seeking out demons and the sorcerers drawn to aid them in return for power. In this quest you are joined by both former colleagues and new companions, including a former witch-hunter and a trainee witch. This pair have a history tied to the opening of the gate, but their skills are vital in the ongoing struggle. Now your pursuit of an evil pairing has brought you to some ancient ruins. As well as your prey, will you discover long-lost secrets inside?

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Hyptosis here brings together two series, Kingdom of Loathing and Hood. Playing both is advisable in understanding the backstory, with links to all episodes available at the start. The graphics are the same first-person slide-show format of these two series, with the same dingy watercolour style. The play window is somewhat larger than before, with the greater area used to provide more detail to each scene. Other characters do not appear on-screen. Instead, buttons appear in the top-left corner of a scene each bearing the name of a present character. Conversations bring up a full-body illustration of the character you are conversing with, all dialogue being text only. Animation is limited to background detail, such as falling leaves, and the occasional movement of devices you interact with. A semi-dramatic medieval tune plays throughout the game.

Using simple point-and-click you interact with each scene, using on-screen arrows to move to neighbouring locations. You will start at your campsite, but will soon delve into the ruins. Here you will find decay has taken its toll, with crumbled walls and vegetation everywhere. Some magics still operate within the ruins, such as a mystical force field, though repairs are often necessary to get their controls to function properly. An inventory appears at the bottom of the play window, and items can be highlighted in this for use on the environment. You will need to mix up a magical recipe and locate more than one cunningly disguised combination to reach your ultimate goal.

Kingdom of Liars: Stonepath can be played online at Newgrounds.

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