Live from GDC!
This week I'm in San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference and wow, there are a lot of mobile games here. After wandering the show floor in an overwhelmed daze, I stumbled upon four games that are either out, or will be coming out in the near future.
Liquid Sketch (Link)
This game focuses entirely on fluid dynamics, one of my favorite kinds of mechanics. The goal is to fill buckets scattered throughout each level without losing too much fluid. To make things more complicated, some of the buckets are color-coded, which means you have to match the color of the liquid with the appropriate bucket. My colorblindness makes this a little tricky, but there are plenty of puzzles that aren't highlighting my disability.
Back to Bed (Link)
This student-created game features a sleep-walker who finds himself in an MC Escher-inspired hell-scape. His only hope: A creepy dog creature with a love of apples. The art style in this one is super cool and as the levels progress, there are plenty of mind-blending, physics-breaking twists and turns to give you a headache.
Monsters Invade Oz (Link)
Monsters Invade Oz is an RPG that calls to mind Pokemon, Final Fantasy and Super Mario RPG. Surely there are worse pedigrees to use for inspiration. In addition to a monster collection mechanic, there are also random encounters and an action-heavy, reflex-based combat system that isn't just a matter of mindlessly tapping the best spell. Well worth a look.
Rollers of the Realm (Link)
It's a pinball RPG. I feel like there's really no reason to continue on from there. Seriously. A pinball RPG.
