Oh, hey, auntie pixelante has released another awesome Flash game

It's called Dys4ia and, basically, it takes you through transgender game developer Anna Anthropy's rather tumultuous experiences with hormone replacement therapy.

I'm sure some will say it's not really a game, at least not in the traditional sense. My response to that: Anthropy's not exactly a traditional game developer, so what did you expect?

Anyway, I quite enjoyed my brief playthrough of Anthropy's latest Flash-based effort. I'm sure this will sound awfully odd, but it's kind of like an extremely linear WarioWare game, as each segment has you complete a (generally easy) task while reading a small bit of on-screen text.

Although such gameplay--if it can be called that--could be be boring in the wrong hands, in Anthropy's hands it's surprisingly compelling. Of course, it helps that she keeps things interesting by rarely calling on the player to complete the same "task" more than once.

As for Dys4ia's superficial aspects: Its pixel-based graphics are, as is seemingly always the case in an auntie pixelante game, superb, as is Liz Ryerson's spacey, new-age-ish soundtrack.

It only takes a few minutes to complete a single run-through of Dys4ia, so if you have the time and interest I'd highly recommend giving it a go (here) as soon as possible.

See also: Previous auntie pixelante posts

Fabulous flash game alert: /Escape\

I did a lot of fun things this past weekend: I baked, played tennis, read a bit of Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and wrote a number of posts for this blog.

I also spent (some would say wasted) a good chunk of time playing /ESCAPE\, a Flash game that was created--in 72 hours, no less--by Ian Brock (graphics), Josh Schonstal (programming) and Guerin McMurry (music) for Ludum Dare 21 and that's now playable at kongregate.com.

For those of you who need to know a bit of information about a game, even free ones like /ESCAPE\, before giving it a go: It's a score-attack title that tasks players with wall-jumping again and again and again in an attempt to avoid being impaled by spikes and singed by an ever-advancing laser beam.

One of the best parts of /ESCAPE\, in my opinion: It requires the use of just one keyboard button. (What can I say? I'm lazy.)

Oh, and in case any of your are curious: My high score so far is 258.

Fabulous flash game alert: Fat Wizard

I'm sure I've said this before, but just in case I haven't: I rarely play games on either of our computers. For a number of reasons that I won't go into here, I prefer to play games on the good ol' boob tube while sitting on our oh-so-comfy couch.

That said, every once in a while a computer game--usually of the online variety--catches my attention to an extent that I break down and give it a go. A few past examples: Haunt the House, Robot Unicorn Attack, Treadmillasaurus Rex and Winterbells.

Well, today I'm adding another game to that list: Fat Wizard.



If I were forced to describe it in as few words as possible, I'd say this Adult Swim title is a real-time tower defense game.

Basically, players step into the shoes of the titular wizard and help him fend off advancing hordes of baddies--birds, pigs, snakes and more--who have their beady little eyes on the pudgy protagonist's precious dragon egg.

As for how you keep those baddies at bay: Left-clicking on or near an enemy sends a fireball in its general direction, left-clicking and then drawing a line creates a stationary lightning bolt that stops most creatures in their tracks (i.e., it fries them to a crisp), and clicking and holding the left mouse button for a few seconds causes a field of icicles to pop up from the ground and impale any and all on-coming adversaries.

As is usually the case with such games, things begin at a rather leisurely pace but quickly pick up speed. Don't let that warning keep you from checking out Fat Wizard, though; even if you're like me and you tend to check out around the time the action becomes a bit too frantic, you're still sure to have a grand ol' good time with this comically cute game.

Play: Fat Wizard

Fabulous flash game alert: Haunt the House

Anyone looking for a lovely little time waster would do well to check out The Super Flash Bros' wonderfully charming--thanks in large part to Adam Vian's art--Haunt the House.

The premise is pretty simple: You're a ghost who wants to rid your house of a pack of (30) noisy partiers. To do that, you'll have to possess lighting fixtures, pictures, pieces of furniture and more until they're so scared they race out the front door.



Don't frighten the partiers too much, though, or they'll freak out and do something stupid--like jump out the nearest window.

Play Haunt the House here.

(Via borderhouseblog.com)

A somewhat gay review of Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars

My first thought upon playing auntie pixelante's latest creation--a twitchy, throwback of a game called Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars--was that it could confidently and comfortably sit alongside such classic quartermunchers as Robotron and Sinistar.

Of course, pixelante was inspired by Midway's Wizard of Wor while creating Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars--she even goes so far as to call the latter a "reinvention" of the former in a recent blog post--so it's likely she expected or at least hoped for such a reaction.

Regardless, her creation is a more-than-reasonable reproduction of those stress-filled games so many of us relished as kids. Calling Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars a simple facsimile of its predecessors, though, does both it and pixelante a disservice.

Sure, Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars looks and sounds a lot like the aforementioned games that inspired it--what with its sparse backdrops and pixelated baddies (who the titular protagonist taunts with appropriately lo-fi barbs like "I'm not finished yet!" and "Kneel before your queen!")--but it blazes a few trails, too.

Case in point: Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars, like many of today's Flash-based games, is a one-handed affair. The titular Spider-Queen's "bondage ray" is always on, so all gamers have to do is aim said ray at one of her highness' escaped slaves in order to wrap them up and rope them in.

If you think that might sap the game of the tension that's typical of the genre, think again. Even without a shoot button there's plenty to stress out about while playing Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars--especially when the attackable-only-from-certain-angles Armors, fiery Alchemists and slippery Assassins (all of whom are topless, by the way) start to fill the screen.

Thankfully, the tension never ratchets up so high that the game becomes unenjoyable or unplayable. Oh, you'll die--a lot, especially on the later boards--but if you're anything like me you'll have a blast right up until your last breath.  

Play: Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars

Fabulous flash game alert: Mission in Snowdriftland

In the run up to Christmas in 2006, a Nintendo-backed platformer called Mission in Snowdriftland appeared on the Internet.

Part game and part advent calendar, the Flash-based Mission in Snowdriftland featured 24 levels--a new one opened up each day from Dec. 1 through Dec. 24--of wondrously wintry action.



Although this Extra Toxic-developed game was removed from the Web on Jan. 16, 2007, it reappeared a few days ago (on Dec. 1, to be specific)--seemingly to promote a bunch of DSiWare and WiiWare titles.

If you're any kind of platformer fan, I suggest you get your butt over to mission-in-snowdriftland.com pronto--before it disappears for another four years.

Fabulous flash game alert: Action Escape Kitty

Twitter has proven to be a nice source of gaming news today.

First I discovered (a few years late, admittedly) the Super Mario World hack known as Kaiso Mario World thanks to a tweet about Super Meat Boy. Then I was introduced to a cute, Flash-based shooter called Action Escape Kitty (screenshot below) thanks to a tweet from the folks behind shmups.system11.org.



I completely suck at this kind of game, so I didn't make it very far when I tried it earlier today, but don't let that keep you from giving it a go. (Pssst... you can play it here.)

See also: GunBlood, Robot Unicorn Attack, Treadmillasaurus Rex and Winterbells

Fabulous flash game alert: GunBlood

OK, this one isn't for the kids--nor is it for faint-of-heart adults. If you can handle a bit (or a lot) of blood and gore, though, Wolf Games' Western-shootout-themed GunBlood is the flash game for you.



Play it here.

See also: Robot Unicorn Attack, Treadmillasaurus Rex and Winterbells

Fabulous flash game alert: Treadmillasaurus Rex

I know I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again: I rarely play PC games.

In fact, the only PC games I seem to play (and enjoy) these days are free-of-charge Flash games, like the previously blogged about (see below) Robot Unicorn Attack and Winterbells.

Well, I added another title to that (admittedly short) list a few minutes ago: Treadmillasaurus Rex.

Like the games mentioned above, this one, developed by 23-year-old John Cooney (aka jmtb02), is deceptively and deliciously simple. In fact, all you do is move the titular T-Rex back and forth--using the arrow or WASD keys on your keyboard--on a treadmill while avoiding--by jumping, again using the arrow/WASD keys--lasers, spikes and other such obstacles.

Sounds easy enough, right? It is--or, well, it would be if it weren't for the damn "Wheel of Awesome" that sits behind the treadmill, spins every few seconds and effects the gameplay in various ways (by moving the lasers closer together, for example, or by reversing or speeding up the treadmill).

I think it's a blast to play, but don't take my word for it; go give it a try the next time you have a few minutes (or hours) to spare. Just be ready to see the following screen with some frequency.



See also: 'Fabulous flash game alert: Robot Unicorn Attack' and 'Fabulous flash game alert: Winterbells'

Fabulous flash game alert: Winterbells

I don't play many Flash games these days. In fact, the last one I spent any amount of time with was Robot Unicorn Attack.

That all changed yesterday when I was introduced to a wonderful little gem called Winterbells.



Don't be fooled by Ferry Halim's cute-as-all-get-out graphics--this game is one tough cookie. Although my current high score is 33,210, my typical score is around 3,000.

Anyway, if you find yourself with a few minutes (hours) to spare this afternoon, I'd highly recommend giving it a go. (Play it here.)

See also: 'Fabulous flash game alert: Robot Unicorn Attack'

Fabulous flash game alert: Robot Unicorn Attack

Even before I played it I knew I'd have to write a post about Robot Unicorn Attack, a two-button platformer that can be found on Adult Swim's games site. I mean, it stars a frickin' unicorn with a rainbow-colored mane--I can't think of a better game to cover on a blog called "The Gay Gamer," can you?

This image isn't related to Robot Unicorn Attack in any way.
I just thought it was cool.

Thankfully, there's more to the game than a gay-friendly unicorn. Not only does it serve as a fun little diversion from your daily duties (I'd never slack off at work, of course, but I know a number of people who would be more than happy to do so), but it has a subtly wicked sense of humor, too.

Play: Robot Unicorn Attack

Butter Star Galactica, eh?

Scottish DJ and electronic music producer Hudson Mohawke is using a devilishly simple (and stylish) Flash game called Butter Star Galactica to promote his latest album.

I have to say, I just spent a good 15 minutes playing it--and even though I wasn't sure what I was doing (or what I was supposed to do), I had a hell of a time doing it.

Check it out here if you have a few minutes on your hands.

Play this (free) game: Icycle

The guys and gals over at IndieGames.com owe me, oh, at least a hundred dollars. Why, you ask? Well, they're responsible for turning me on to DampGnat's fabulously fun flash game, Icycle.

I spent a good hour or so--an hour I should have spent working--playing the damn thing earlier today and I only stopped after dying about ten times (OK, it might have been more) on the fifth level.

I'll hold off on sending the IndieGames crew an invoice, though, since I enjoyed that hour more than I would have if I'd worked :)

Given that glowing recommendation, you're going to head over to DampGnat's site and give Icycle a try as soon as you have a second (or a minute, or an hour) to spare, right?

Hmmmmmmmm... I'm sensing some hesitation. Are you the kind of overly serious person who refuses to jump into a game without knowing anything about it? If so, take a gander at this trailer:



Now, keep in mind that unless you're some sort of gaming god (or goddess) you'll be seeing those rather humorous death scenes quite regularly.

If you're anything like me, though, they'll make you laugh out loud--and they certainly won't keep you from continuing your cryogenically preserved character's quest.