2007 Casual Game of the Year
At
some point Casual Games broke off from the rest of Indie games and became very
popular. Despite that popularity, many great casual games from indie
authors are ignored by casual gamers every year.
With a hope of bringing to light great Indie Casual Games that deserve your
attention, we're happy to present the top 5 Indie Casual games of 2007.
5th Place - Pathstorm
| Developer: Cavebug Games |
Players: 1 |
| System Requirements: Windows 98+, DirectX 7+, 700 MHz Processor, 128 mb RAM | |
Website |
Download |
Pathstorm is a mix of multiple game types. You may see similarities with
Picross, Aargon and Minesweeper, and in each case the comparison is well-made.
As a mix of different games, Pathstorm stands on its own by providing logic
puzzles that are solved in an unique fashion.
The goal of the game is to determine how balls are moving from their starting
gate to another gate. The screen begins obscured and is revealed as the
player uncovers areas with their mouse. To discover the right area,
players must carefully watch and listen after sending balls into the unknown.
It's curious and unique and a lot more fun to play than any description could
convey.
4th Place - Words Kingdom
| Developer: Magic Indie |
Players: 1 |
| System Requirements: Windows Me+, 600 mhz Processor, 128 mb RAM | |
|
Website |
|
The people's faith in me is failing and it is no wonder why. I've been
pushing again and again to move the Barbarians from our land, but in this
portion of the country I have not yet been able to succeed. The sands of
time are counting against me, and though my best efforts have been put forth, my
weakness shows. I desperately need a 5 letter word using W & Y before the
bonus time runs out. I'm sure it would be enough to vanquish my foe.
Bringing to mind the excellent
Dungeon Scroll
(our Indie Casual Game of the Year winner in 2003) Words Kingdom
continues the
trend of mixing wordplay and adventuring. The music is a standout,
bringing the feeling of a long lost world home. Gameplay hinges on not
just making words or even long words, but timing your longer words to when
they'll make the most impact and score you the most points. Each level
passed frees another part of your country from the clutches of the Barbarians
who are terrorizing the people who are waiting for someone to rise up and save them.
3rd Place - Chocolate Castle
| Developer: Lexaloffle Games Ltd. |
Players: 1 |
| System Requirements: Windows 95+, or Mac OS 10.2+, 300 MHz Processor | |
|
Website |
Download |
Looking something like a cat from Hello Kitty, my little pink friend is about to
have such a wonderful looking treat that I'm envious. However, she isn't
the only one looking for a tasty reward. There are three more hungry
animals, and despite what the veterinarian in me would say, they're all eating
chocolate tonight.
Chocolate Castle combines simplicity in concept with cute characters and
fantastic 8-bit graphics. The result feels retro, while also being
freshly innovative. Players sic their fluffy animals on their
corresponding colors of chocolate. However, the animals only eat once, and any
chocolate that isn't directly touching the piece being eaten will be left
behind. Chocolate Castle is what we think of when we think of 'different'
puzzle games, and it is well deserving of its spot alongside the best casual
games that have been released this year.
2nd Place - Professor Fizzwizzle and the Molten Mystery
The Rage-bots are gone, but they have been replaced by a new, even more fiendish
foe, Bat-Bots. Professor Fizzwizzle seems to get himself into all kinds of
scrapes and his
newest adventure, through puzzling fun, is a doozy.
Following the same basic approach as
the original, Professor Fizzwizzle and the Molten Mystery once again
provides a variety of different objects to interact with and dares gamers to
figure out the way to the exit. The graphics have progressed nicely to
this sequel and a kids mode is still included for the little ones, but the
adults may spend time checking that out as well since the normal mode leaves many
gamers questioning their own intelligence, or lack of it. As good a puzzle
game as exists, Molten Mystery is another great Fizzwizzle game that
no-one should miss.
2007 Casual Game of the Year - Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island
| Developer: Large Animal Games |
Players: 1 |
| System Requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, DirectX 8.0+, 700 mhz Processor, 128 mb RAM | |
|
Website |
Download |
A
little bluebird was going to be my next cover. I watched him flutter into
some trees and, moving ever so carefully, I got him in my sights. The shot
would have been perfect if it weren't for the fact that I'd used a low power
telephoto lens. While swapping to a higher power lens, my target
moved on. I remain undaunted, however. Patience is a virtue; and for
those looking to get their photos on a magazine cover, it's a necessity.
Snapshot Adventures mixes the two most popular hobbies in the world, photography
and bird watching, into one brilliant game. Requiring a steady hand with the
mouse to capture birds in a variety of poses, Snapshot Adventures also allows
for a tremendous amount of customization in the equipment you pick for each
assignment. It's topped off by a cool scoring of each of your photos and a
deep bird designer that can create just about any bird you can imagine.
Soaring over its opponents, Snapshot Adventures was a sure pick for the Casual
Game of the Year.
Casual Game of the Year Award History
History:
2007 - Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island
2006 - Eets: Hunger. It's Emotional
2005 - Professor
Fizzwizzle
2004 - Revolved
2003 - Dungeon Scroll
By: Russell Carroll
Posted: Wednesday December 12, 2007
Action
Adventure
Arkanoid
Fighting
Platform
Puzzle & Casual
Hidden Object
RPG
Shooter
Simulation
Sports
Strategy
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