Umbrella Adventure is a hand-drawn, hand-animated adventure-platform game.

A story of friendship, trust, adventure and confectionery. Travel across land, air and water, through the darkest, deepest corners of the Forest, in wind, rain and snow, to solve the mystery of the theft of over one hundred delicious cakes, through a world brought to life by rich atmosphere, immersive soundscapes and detailed visual effects, presented in greyscale widescreen.

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Slide Colors by TayKrOn is a new puzzle game reminiscent of a 2D Rubik’s Cube, made up of sliding colored tiles into a goal location. Each row or column, which wraps around the back of the gameboard grid, can be rotated to slide game tiles into groups of other tiles or placed in its assigned goal. The challenge comes, just like the Rubik’s Cube challenge, from the interactions between the tile you’re bringing home, and any other tiles on the now-moving row. It’s the type of puzzle that would lend itself well to a break-time distraction or to a MegaTouch console in my local bar.

I should admit that I had some technical issues with the game. I couldn’t get the game window to maximize, and the game froze on me more than once. I tried installing it on a second computer, in case it was just Vista misbehaving, but that didn’t fix all the problems. Also, there was a moment’s delay before the game responded to my clicks, just long enough to be frustrating.

Gameplay:
The first few levels of the puzzle mode in Slide Colors are dully simple, leaving you plenty of time to look at the screen and spot room for improvement. All the text is awkwardly translated, with common ESL mistakes. Slide Colors could use some editing, but if you understand all your base are belong to us, it’s not too hard to understand what the game presents to you.

Stick it out for a few underwhelming levels — and only writing this article kept me playing — and the challenges are no longer lining up a couple tiles on slideable rows with a couple goal squares. With more boxes and targets, the placement of each box interacts with with others becomes a challenge. After several dull levels, Slide Colors reaches the brain-tickling mix of excitement and frustration that marks a good puzzle challenge.

In addition to puzzle mode, you can play a match-3 version. Sliding a row of tiles, instead of swapping adjacent tiles, adds a nice twist to the popular cubicle slacking game, Bejeweled. In match-3, a sliding move is only valid if the new location creates a set of three, while in puzzle mode, all moves are valid. Oddly, this game doesn’t seem to register combos… if you match and eliminate three tiles, and the refill tiles form their own group of three, nothing happens.

The different play modes keep players engaged by using essentially the same rules and interface for a different challenge.

Graphics:
TayKrOn took a simple, clear grid and added bright candy colors. Besides bold color choices, each colored tile also had a shaped icon, so it was extra easy to tell the different types of tile apart. You’ll still need to differentiate between the colors to find the right box in the puzzle mode, but the match-3 mode can be played using colors or icons to make groups. I’m not colorblind, but I do spend a lot of time squinting at MMO icons, so I really appreciate the extra accessibility for any visually impaired players.

Sound/Music:
The background music became annoying after just a few levels. Still, the game doesn’t rely on sound, so you can mute it and continue to solve puzzles without any disadvantage.

Lasting Appeal:
This is a solid breaktime puzzle game, and the different puzzle styles help hold players’ interest. But any new puzzle game needs to distinguish itself in a very crowded genre, and unfortunately what made this game stand out from other puzzle games was mostly the English usage mistakes and the technical frustrations.

Telltale’s Wallace and Gromit: The Last Resort is a hilarious adventure game. In this installment, Wallace and Gromit plan a holiday at the seaside only to be derailed by some bad weather. Not only is the holiday off, but Wallace and Gromit’s basement is flooded by plumbing problems. In true Wallace fashion, the underappreciated inventor schemes to open a beach resort in the flooded basement. But it won’t be Wallace and Gromit without things going horribly awry. For Wallace and Gromit fans, it’s sure to please.

If you are a fan of the Telltale series, you will be happy to know that the gameplay is the same as the previous installment, Fright of the Bumblebees. Like other adventure games, the gameplay of The Last Resort involves interacting with elements of the environment to collect items and clues to solve puzzles. The player is once again transported to West Wallaby St. to gather clues by interacting with familiar residents (and some new ones) to solve the abovementioned puzzles. This definitely showcases the great job the animators did on the characters. The puzzles themselves aren’t that difficult and you won’t find yourself horribly perplexed or at a loss. With generous hints provided by the characters, many of the puzzles can be straight forward (this can be changed with the “hint-o-meter”).

Like the previous installment, The Last Resort is broken into chapters with a particular goal (i.e.-collecting items to set up a beach resort) and the player takes turns playing as Gromit or Wallace to complete each chapter. Once the “resort” is established, the action moves to keeping the “patrons” happy with their beachside holiday. The chapter, Hounds of Horror, was also a nice departure into the realm of mystery and added a new dimension to an otherwise run of the mill point and click adventure game.

My only criticism on gameplay is that at times the dialogue/story dominated over actual gameplay, that’s the only area where The Last Resort fell short for me. I found myself playing more to see where the story took me versus the mental challenge. For a casual game audience this works and I didn’t think it took away from the experience. Also, I wish I could have seen more of the Rube Goldberg type machine puzzles as in Bumblebees. Challenge aside, the colorful dialogue and humorous story will keep you engaged in the game. Telltale made this episode standalone, so don’t worry if you haven’t played episode 1.

With The Last Resort, Telltale has continued the precedent set by Fright of the Bumblebees with their top of the line animation style. I’m still impressed by the way the animators have captured the claymation feel and even the facial expressions of Gromit. In this regard, the animators did a great job on the characters. The outside environment could use a little more work. Some of the environments seemed a little drabber this time around, but I think that’s the point – with a beach resort in a cellar and all.

Telltale continues to impress with the music and sound effects. Hats off to the top-notch voice acting, I felt like I was instantly transported to West Wallaby St., which is to say, subtitles were helpful at times. This is an essential component in Telltale’s objective of making a playable Wallace and Gromit episode. I only experienced some minor interruptions in the dialogue, but it didn’t ruin the game for me. Since much of the puzzle solving revolves around the characters interactions, it’s important to get these little things right. And Telltale got this one right – Spot on!

The Last Resort is a good additional to the Telltale Wallace and Gromit adventures; however, both games lack a certain replay value. Fans of Wallace and Gromit are sure to be happy with the latest installment, but it’s hard to see the fun in solving the same puzzles over and over. Additionally, the action is limited to a few environments which also cuts down on some replay value. On the positive, the player tends to feel injected into an episode of Wallace and Gromit and it’s great to experience the franchise from an interactive perspective. So far, Telltale has done a great job bringing the Grand Adventures home.

A 2-D physics-based puzzle platformer by Piece of Pie Studios about a lost pet goldfish in a bubble of water. Lead it back to the shy young girl who longs for her best friend to return. Overcome various physical and logical puzzles as this poetic coming-of-age story unfolds.

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The Pack incudes:
Machinarium (Win + Mac + Linux versions)
Machinarium Soundtrack (MP3)
Samorost2 (Win + Mac + Linux versions)
Samorost2 Soundtrack (MP3)
Hi-res Cover Pictures for Machinarium and Samorost2

You can buy this great bundle here: https://sites.fastspring.com/amanitadesign/instant/amanitadesignchristmaspack

You can read our demo review of Machinarium in Issue 8 of the Indie Game Magazine!

The latest issue of IGM not only features a slick new cover, it also features over 15 reviews of the latest and greatest indie computer and video games. This issue features Positech’s Epic and aptly named Gratuitous Space Battles along with the excellent adventure game, Time Gentlemen Please. We also take a look at a ton of other games including: Eufloria, Machinarium, And Yet it Moves, Windowsill, Fat Princess, Zuma’s Revenge, Lunnye Devitsy, and more! There’s also a developer interview, a guide to beginning Indie Game Development, an Indie Xmas List, and more. What are you waiting for, buy this issue now and support indie games and the geeks who write about them.

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The point and click adventure games were all the rave for pc gamers back in the 90s, but with fancy 3D graphics cards came new, exciting pc games. Lucky for us, Telltale games has kept the adventure genre from fading into obscurity with its episodic games. LucasArts Monkey Island franchise is fondly remembered and treasured by its fans despite the franchise not having a new release since Escape from Monkey Island in 2000. That is until now.

Resurrecting a franchise is tricky business and can bring with it equal parts delight and regret. While Monkey Island has changed over the 10 years since the last game, it is with great pleasure that I assure fans that its wit, humor, and core gameplay remain intact. Tales of Monkey Island is a triumphant and hilarious re-launch of the classic LucasArts series and it all starts with the “Launch of the Screaming Narwhal,” but more on that later.

Like the previous games, the protagonist of the game is Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate. Guybrush can be controlled with the mouse through a frustrating click and drag system or with the keyboard. The movement system with the mouse is one of the most obvious blemishes on an otherwise highly polished and enjoyable interface. Trust me when I say stick with the keyboard.

Tales of Monkey Island (TOMI) doesn’t have an interesting game mechanic; it’s a point-and-click adventure game, pure and simple. What matters most in an adventure game are the characters and stories and to a lesser extent the puzzles. Each episode of TOMI (so far) has delivered memorable and enjoyable characters, hilarious moments, and some stand out puzzle sequences (see Episode Mini-Reviews). The most shining triumph of TOMI is still the fantastic writing. Jokes, puns, witty snipes, and all around tomfoolery pour out of every scene and interaction of the game. This superb writing and humor is what makes Monkey Island so enjoyable; Tales of Monkey Island keeps you playing and laughing. I can’t think of a game, indie or not, that surpasses the dialogue in this series. Telltale games’ writers deserve a round of applause.

These humorous moments wouldn’t be possible without some hilarious situations and amazing voice acting. Surprisingly the writers do a good job tying all these situations into a compelling overall narrative. The story and situations of Monkey Island far exceed expectations and SitCom standards. It’s consistently funny and well voiced, which is more than I can say for most television shows.

While it’s important for an adventure game to have a good story, it needs puzzles to give the player something to do besides simply watch the onscreen antics. The inventory system adds some depth to puzzle solving since it allows for items to be combined, but for the most part the puzzles are not exceedingly hard or frustrating to solve. As long as you visit each locale and pay attention to the dialogue, you shouldn’t get stuck (plus the Telltale forums always have help). Like other adventure games, you can’t die and spend the majority of the game clicking on things in the environment. If you hate point-and-click adventures, TOMI won’t sway you.

Tales of Monkey Island is great sequel to the LucasArts classic. The adventure gameplay hasn’t changed much, but neither has the excellent writing and storytelling. The production values are still superb and while the graphics don’t have the highest polygon count, clever camera angles and quirky art direction make up for it. The characters are charming and the game is witty.

Episode 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is one of the best episodes thus far. This episode introduces the main conflict: Guybrush botches a voodoo spell and releases pirate pox across the Caribbean, but focuses on Guybrush washing ashore and being stranded on Flotsam Island. There’s a memorable puzzle in a crazy French man’s lab and a rather large island to explore. I was especially a fan of Flotsam’s jungle which brings back some of the old screen mazes found in old adventure games such as Zelda. Screaming Narwal serves as a great introduction or refresher back into the world of Monkey Island.

Episode 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay seems to be one of the shortest episodes thus far, but I loved that from the very start the player was allowed to explore several locales in any order they so choose. Episode 2 reunites Guybrush with his beloved bride, Elaine in the Merfolk town of Spinner Cay. Pox-stricken pirates are blockading the city and it’s up to Guybrush to find some ancient artifacts to summon some helpful sea creatues. Despite the freedom to explore the Jerkbait Islands, Episode 2 feels easier than the first. It’s great that Monkey Island avoids reusing locales from the first, but ultimately Episode 2 is a little disappointing.

Episode 3: Lair of the Leviathan does not really address any of the control or interface issues, but continues the overall narrative with new locales and characters. Episode 3 is more polished than the last and story-wise is one of the best vignettes to date. Lair of the Leviathan starts with Guybrush, Winslow, Morgan LeFay, and their ship getting swallowed by a huge Manatee. Like the other episodes, antics ensue inside the belly of the beast. Highlights abound in this episode with a Pirate “Face Off”, Manatee mating game, and a captive ‘newlyweds’ dialog puzzle. My only complaint about Lair is that it is much more linear than the previous two episodes and lacks exploring. Regardless, Episode 3 puts Telltale back on the right track.

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You may have noticed the little link crop up last week on our homepage, but today we’re officially announcing our YouTube Channel. Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect:

What is it?

It’s a place on YouTube that will compile and list all of the great indie game trailers and videos out there.  We’ll continue to highlight game trailers on our site, but there’s a ton of stuff out there and this will be 1 centralized place to see the latest indie game movies, chat about them, rate them, etc.

Why YouTube?

Pretty simple because they’re the biggest social video site and Vimeo sucks and removes indie game videos and such.

Will IGM be posting their own Videos?

We have a few ideas for videos that we may get to if the channel is popular.  No promises, but we may eventually post video reviews, indie play by play etc.

How do I submit my Indie Game Video?

For now, shoot us an Email with the Subject: Game Trailer.  You can also DM or @ us on Twitter (probably a little faster response).