Chances are if you tell someone a game is "retro", they'll either clap with delight or roll their eyes. It's true that a lot of games will use the whole "retro" tag as a cheap way to pull in an audience, but these three games are proof that the retro style and even the old-school gameplay can be just as addictive and surprisingly effective as anything else you'll encounter online today.
- MoneySeize - People may say it's not about the cha-ching cha-ching, but secretly, way deep down, we all want our very own Scrooge McDuck Money Bin to swim around and defy physics in. Matt Thorson's challenging platformer about a spiffy little dude with a spiffier name who wants to collect all the money in the world appeals exactly to this instinct. Of course, he wants to build the world's largest tower, but whatever; details, schmetails! Replete with tricky jumps, dastardly enemies, and cunningly designed levels, MoneySeize wraps difficult but not impossible gameplay in a tasty retro style that makes it the perfect snack for aspiring billionaires with twitchy fingers.
- Don't Look Back - Terry Cavanagh has been doing the retro thing for years now, but in some surprisingly different ways. This challenging platformer with a vague arthouse vibe pays homage to a certain Grecian myth as you uncover the narrative through the terrain around you. While the difficulty level makes it one of those games only a certain set of gamers will embrace, Don't Look Back showcases just how striking it can be when you marry story with gameplay... especially when you force your players to work more than a little to get to the payoff.
- Dino Run - Pixeljam's highly addictive dino running game is now available in tasty downloadable SE flavour, but the original is still as appetizing as ever. You play an adorable and fleet-footed little raptor trying to outrun a meteor shower and his eventual demise across a series of levels, leaping over obstacles like trees, rocks, and other dinosaurs as you go. Dino Run is a perfect example of the "just one more try" school of gameplay, and the simple but colourful visuals make for some very nice eye candy. Complex? Nope. But if you're looking for some casual extinction, Dino Run packs tons of charm and personality into its pixellated package.
While we welcome any comments about this weekly feature here, we do ask that if you need any help with the individual games, please post your questions on that game's review page. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and rediscover some awesome!
MoneySeize described as NOT impossible?
More like Barely Possible
Casual is my favorite kind of extinction.
I approve of this vault. MoneySeize has to be my favorite though.
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