No cost... no publisher... no problem! It's mind-boggling to think how many devoted developers are working tirelessly, month in and month out, to deliver games that are not only free of charge, but free of outside interference that would impede any creative independence. As gamers, we are the beneficiaries of this abundant talent and dedication, freely shared, and it's our privilege here at Adventure Gamers to honour their efforts. With today's article, we conclude our whirlwind five-day retrospective that began with Year One, Year Two, Year Three, and Year Four. It's a lot to take in, but it's well worth the investment to catch up.
August 2014 – Generation Ship by Shide
In recent years, the Unity engine has grown more popular among developers. With its 3D capability and fairly wide cross-platform support, it’s not exactly hard to see why. It is even starting to usurp Flash as the lead choice for making online games, with Generation Ship being but one example. The setting of a spaceship in trouble is realistically rendered, with the lighting reflecting off the metal panelling and walls. Your actions can result in a ship teeming with plant life or overrun with wild animals. But this is a game that is more than just pretty graphics.
This sci-fi flight out to a disaster flows through Ludum Dare.
September 2014 – A Tough Sell by LabLabLab
Rarely do we get to play the bad guy in the story. Whilst player characters do take a lot of stuff that doesn’t belong to them, they are generally on the side of right. It is therefore always refreshing when a game like A Tough Sell comes along, and we get to play a character that is indisputably up to no good. The antihero in question is the wicked stepmother from the tale of Snow White. Your task? To successfully convince Snow White to eat the poisoned apple that you have prepared for her.
For those feeling up for a bit of wickedness, the game can be found online at the developer’s website.
October 2014 – The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo by Michael Lutz
If you’ve come across a horror story on the internet that purports to be true, you’ve probably stumbled across some creepypasta. With their roots in the real world, these tales are ripe for disturbing horror games, and The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo is just such a game. The story starts off pleasantly enough, with you going over to a friend’s house for a sleepover. He always has the best games, with his eponymous uncle cited as a source. But as the evening wears on, things get weirder, and the news that the uncle is going to pay a visit that very night is not as good as it might seem.
Creeping yourself out completely is as simple as heading over to the online game at JayIsGames.
November 2014 – Vortex Point 5: Monster Movie by Carmel Games
After a while you start to see the same developer names turn up again and again each month. Depending on their abilities, this can be cause for celebration or frustration. With Carmel Games, it can go either way as the sheer rate at which they produce games almost guarantees a range in quality. Vortex Point 5: Monster Movie is one of their better games. Vortex Point is a town that acts as a magnet for all-things-supernatural. As in the previous instalments, you take on the role of psychic investigator Kevin as he finds himself in a 1940s horror film. The cartoon graphics are smoothly animated as always (though not as brightly coloured as normal) and all the characters are fully voiced with wild enthusiasm.
To take your role as the hero in a classic monster movie, dive over to the online gaming portal MouseCity.
December 2014 - Mu Complex: Episode 1 by StudioCime
We play games to escape the mundanities of life, like an office job sitting in front of a computer. That being the case, making a game that seems to have you doing just that would appear to be an odd choice. But Mu Complex: Episode 1 proves more than it seems at first. Apparently offered a position at the mysterious Mu Complex research facility, you have to perform a series of tasks to prove your worthiness for a role there. As you work up through the levels of access, you find hints about the experiments conducted there. But what is their ultimate goal?
Your application to join Mu Complex awaits you, with the online portal Kongregate hosting its testing platform.
January 2015 – You.Me.Hell. by Biscuit Placebo
Human relationships can form an important part of the story in adventure games. Sometimes these are played for drama, other times they are played for laughs. You.Me.Hell. is definitely in the latter camp. Tova is always on the verge of breaking out into a violent rage, whilst her partner Tor is about as laid-back as a person could be. Now the conflict between them may or may not have taken them to hell. As well as the rocky environs of the underworld, this tale will take you into their past, including the party where they met. Is this unhappy couple doomed?
Available across multiple platforms, this tale of a less-than-heavenly relationship can be acquired from the developer’s website.
February 2015 – Little Briar Rose by Elf Games
Whilst it shouldn’t be the only thing people consider, the art style can be a major influence on how a game is perceived. For developers wanting to achieve a specific tone, choosing the right look can be vital. The creators of Little Briar Rose decided to present the game as a stained glass window, with features made up of panels of subtly different hues. This aesthetic fits the story – a version of the tale of Sleeping Beauty – very nicely, its fantastical setting appearing to be lit by the sun shining through from behind. With a hero prince wearing a flamboyant hat with a feather in it, and a forest inhabited by a variety of imaginary creatures, this adventure is a pleasure for the eyes.
The developers are looking at a larger commercial release in the future, but for now this version can still be found at the bottom of the developer’s website.
March 2015 – Sleuthhounds : The Unlocked Room by SeaLeft Studios
With his penchant for mentally challenging mysteries, it is no surprise that Sherlock Holmes has inspired more than one game. In Sleuthhounds: The Unlocked Room, you get to play a slightly different version of Holmes. The hero of this tale is Pureluck Holmes, a master detective who is actually an anthropomorphic dog. Setting out on a new case, Pureluck has been waylaid and now finds himself chained up in a dungeon. What first seems like a villainous plot to keep him from investigating turns out to actually be a test of wits. It would be a harsh blow to his reputation were he to fail.
To sleuth your way out of a tricky situation, head on over to the developer’s website to download the game.
April 2015 – The Knobbly Crook: Chapter 1 – The Horse You Sailed In On by Gnarled Scar Manipulations
A not-uncommon way of starting a story is to have the lead character caught up in some dire situation. After this opening scene, the narrative then goes back in time to explain how they got there. This is the setup for The Knobbly Crook: Chapter 1 – The Horse You Sailed In On, with O’Sirus the Snip facing some sort of tribunal. In his defence, he recounts the tale of his quest to become a Guffaloon, a member of the royal guard. He had begun hearing a spooky, ethereal voice that told him he just needed to travel to The Knobbly Crook. For a humble paper farmer, this seemed too good to be true. And sure enough, he soon found that even this simple journey would not be as straightforward as he might wish.
Set sail on a bizarre journey aboard a most unusual horse by downloading the game from Steam. (Free, though an account will be required.)
May 2015 – Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space by Artificial Hair Brothers
Way back in 1988, LucasArts (then still Lucasfilm Games) introduced us to intrepid reporter Zak McKracken. In Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders he thwarted the plans of some evil aliens, the Caponians, to take over the Earth. Fast forward more than a quarter century later and we finally have the fan-made Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space, which continues his adventures. The end of his last escapade was supposed to have kept the Caponians from ever returning to Earth. But when Zak later stows away on a plane, it seems to come under attack from his old foes. His daring escape inexplicably winds up with him back in his apartment, but while all seems temporarily well, our investigative hero soon finds himself on another world-spanning quest to protect the human race.
If you want to save the human race again, grab your reporter’s notebook and download this game from the developer’s website.
June 2015 – Somnamulizer: A Tale from Olympus U by Alex Whitington
In myth and legend, the origins of the gods are dramatic and awe-inspiring. Some rise up from the chaos before the creation of the physical world as we know it, whilst others arise from the destruction of their predecessors. What they don’t normally do is go off to university to study how to wield divine abilities. But in Somnamulizer: A Tale from Olympus U, that is precisely what young god Hypnos is doing. He is supposed to be a deity of dreams but he just can’t seem to get a handle on his powers. Exasperated, his overbearing mother provides a helping hand in the form of three guides. Hypnos will of course use these to aid his studies, not to try to get to a party to win over a girl he likes.
If you feel up to taking on a dream job, you can download this game from the AGS database.
July 2015 – Don’t Escape 3 by scriptwelder
It is a convention in gaming that, if you are trapped in a small location, your purpose must be to get out. This series of games turns that concept on its head, with the aim being to stay in instead. In the first game this was because you were a werewolf wanting to prevent yourself from wreaking havoc when the moon rose. In the second game you needed to fortify a location before a zombie horde descended on you at nightfall. In Don’t Escape 3, the reason for not wanting to escape is not so obvious. But once your investigation turns up the true horror of your situation, you find that not escaping is going to be harder than it looks.
Resist your natural urge to break out by heading over to Armor Games to play this game online.
Final Thoughts
So that’s five years of Following Freeware.
In picking just a single game each month for this retrospective, I had to ignore many other games I loved along the way. To all you freeware developers out there, I’d just like to reiterate that having your game in the regular monthly articles means I (and/or Willem) thought your game was good. I am in awe of the quality adventures I keep seeing being produced for free, and I urge you all to keep up the good work.
With a constant stream of new and interesting games each month, I don’t see the freeware adventuring scene disappearing any time soon. All being well, that means that the Following Freeware articles are here to stay as well. Here’s to the next five years.