I have a "joke" for you all, "joke" being in "scare quotes" for good reason. Excited? Here it goes: What do you call someone who believes that he is the only person in the world, and that the world is created slope by slope before him, so that he can tear up the landscape with rad tricks and daredevil speed skiing? Give up?
Solipskier! It's a punchline of sorts, and it's also a fast-paced game, from developers Mike Boxleiter and Greg Wohlwend (aka Mikengreg aka Intuition Games), in which you draw hills and dales for a fast-moving ski-sprite to slalom.
In the beginning there is nothing, until you click the mouse and begin to draw the landscape, which ski-dude immediately begins to traverse. Click and move the mouse to continue drawing. You can draw straight paths, steep climbs, speedy declines, and little ramps for jumping. If you stop drawing and can keep your skier airborne, he'll perform nifty tricks, which will add to your score. Guiding your skier through gates and tunnels will also increase your score, while certain obstacles will cause him to crash. Good thing that gates, obstacles, and other features are indicated ahead of time with helpful distance counters that appear on the right side of the screen.
Analysis: Solipskier is super-fast-paced, and also super-coy with instructions. The game insists on trial-and-error instruction, so don't be surprised if in the first few runs your skier crashes and falters before you understand what's happening. But the zippy pace, coupled with the speed-blur animation and headbanger soundtrack, creates an intensity such that you'll want to try again right away. After a few rounds you'll start to figure out how to create jumps and consistent speed, and get a better idea of how to avoid various obstacles. It's all about learning the tricks you need to get the highest score, before you crash and burn, and are prompted to try again. Even after some mastery is achieved, it's still a game that lends itself to rapid, ephemeral sessions, played one after another.
Solipskier is a curious formula, one part Canabalt, one part Line Rider. It works very well, though, particularly in intense, attention-deficit-sized portions. Play it to satisfy your yen for solipsistic ski-dudes and the fleeting ski-worlds you create for them.
Thanks to Max for sending this one in!
I think it is worth noting that Mikengreg are in fact fucrate and aeiowu. (Sorry, I don't know how to link to tag them). I can't wait to see what else these guys come up with.
Wow. This game is awesome! I recommend it to anyone who likes fast-paced. That is all.
This is good, I wish it wasn't so "pixely" though :/
Are they allowed to use music from Angra (at the end of the game.) ??
I like this. Its different, and fun.
AHH! My trackpad finger!
AWESOME!!! A freeplay mode would make this game even awesomer.
What's the classical music piece played when you die?
I believe it's Chopin's 20th prelude in C minor.
Thanks, I was wondering the same thing.
Interesting concept! I'm not a fan of holding the mouse button for long periods of time, though, and it doesn't seem necessary.
This is the exact kind of refreshing, fast-paced, rainbow filled game I love to play. Love it!
It's great. I love it.
Addicting! Hi is 3,214,870
At first I really hated this. It didn't seem to make sense, even after reading the hints I couldn't really get up any speed. Yet it seemed so... Neat!... I couldn't stop playing, and suddenly, everything clicked. I was hitting 100x multipliers and flying so fast I could barely see what was next (which of course, is usually what killed me)...
The best part about this game is that, despite its appearance, it's very forgiving. Sure you'll get frustrated at first and die a lot, but when you stop dying you'll realize that making a mistake isn't the end of the world. Sure, missing a gate drops you down to half your multiplier, but at the same time you still are likely to stay alive. Flying through the air is your best friend, if you're out of the picture for a long period of time you're doing things right. And remember, stop clicking to do tricks, it helps a lot!
Takes a while to get the hang of, but once you do it's great fun. My highscore is 6,610,782.
Most def a lot better on iPhone it's a lot more smoother and high paced my personal high score is 145million something lol anyways love the game going play some more
IN ONE MINUTE, I GOT THIRTEEN MILLION!!!!!!
My record is 992.361.408))
I couldn't stop playing, and suddenly, everything clicked. I was hitting 100x multipliers and flying so fast I could barely see what was next (which of course, is usually what killed me)...
The best part about this game is that, despite its appearance, it's very forgiving. Sure you'll get frustrated at first and die a lot, 9apps but when you stop dying you'll realize that making a mistake isn't the end of the world. Sure, missing a gate drops you down to half your multiplier, but at the same time you still are likely to stay alive.
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