The Freeware Thread

If you want to act like He-Man, grab a sword and stand on the peak of one the mountains in Valua then stick your sword into the sky screaming "I HAVE THE POWER!!".Then get struck by lightning just like He-Man.

Moderator: Commodore

User avatar
RobertP
gore Arnold
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:53 pm
Location: Burning Oak retirement facility

Post by RobertP »

I saw a couple of cool games in the list, but where's

Cave Story?

http://www.miraigamer.net/cavestory/

It's a platformer with some exploration, a couple of chargeable weapons, a decent story and RISING ACTION.

Also: The guy who made it is Japanese.

Edit: I just saw Nadir mentioning it, and.. considering most of you live online, you probably came across the game already.

Battle for Wesnoth

http://www.wesnoth.org/
Image
It's a turn-based strategy game in a fantasy setting. All units have experience points and are able to level up, transforming them into stronger characters.
My waste is my weapon.
User avatar
Zenith Nadir
this is my hammer
Posts: 2767
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 11:40 am
Location: between the black and white spiders

Post by Zenith Nadir »

i didn't list cave story because EVERYBODY EVER KNOWS IT around here

hell, it even has its own entry on zultimate: http://zzt.org/zu/wiki/Cave_Story

it's a great game, mind you, i beat it so many times, i even got the best title screen with the hidden music

i think i may make a few more recommendations later, i've found one or two more cool games
he looked upon the world and saw it was still depraved :fvkk:

Overall: Rotton egg for breakfast
User avatar
Dr. Dos
OH YES! USE VINE WHIP! <3
Posts: 1772
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2003 12:00 am
Location: Washington

Post by Dr. Dos »

I never had the patience to keep rebeating Hell.

I did have the patience to get the normal non hell ending only using the Polar Star.
Visit the Museum of ZZT
Follow Worlds of ZZT on Twitter

Apologies for the old post you may have just read.
User avatar
Zenith Nadir
this is my hammer
Posts: 2767
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 11:40 am
Location: between the black and white spiders

Post by Zenith Nadir »

i figured that attempting it with the polar star was a fool's errand, but i did do it with the machine gun!

anyway, here's a thing

Image
Knytt Stories
I think a lot of people were put out by "Knytt" coming out after the uniquely Scandinavian bounce-a-thon that was "Within A Deep Forest", feeling it was kind of dull and empty. Personally I like Knytt, but I can see where the complaints are coming from (although it's not like WaDF didn't suffer from it, too). Knytt Stories keeps the minimalist mood from Knytt but gives the player more to do, in the form of Metroid-style power-ups. It also has an editor and a bunch of great add-ons, so once you've beaten the main game, "The Machine", the running around doesn't have to end. The add-on worlds can also be found on Nifflas' site: I recommend pretty much everything else Nifflas has made for the game ("A Strange Dream", "Gustav's Daughter" and "An Underwater Adventure", in particular), and "Afar" (which is a nightmare on hard mode, by the way). There aren't that many great ones, yet...

Image
Poyo
Kind of an old standard, I've talked about this game before but there's no harm in going over it again as it's not real well-known. You are Poyo, a little purple dude with the ability to "warp", a short-term form of teleportation. You wish to escape the world you live in, but to do so you must travel through 50 levels to meet with the Ruler before you can use his interdimensional hatch. Great fun, maybe a bit easy though. I personally didn't think much of the music supplied with the game, so if you like you can download my replacements here (unzip and overwrite into the game's music directory)

Image
Plasma Warrior
A short Metroid clone, which takes what Nintendo tried (and failed, in my opinion) to do with musical/graphical atmospherics in the original Metroid, and does them much better. You control a scouting robot who must find data on the sudden disappearance of the entire personnel of an extraterrestrial excursion. It's great, the game feels weirdly foreboding, but as I said, it's very short; I beat it inside of an hour.

Image
Paroxysm
Found this on the same site as Plasma Warrior. You are in an ultraviolent deathtrap of a dungeon and have to escape it. Kind of easy to blow through, although there are multiple paths to choose. Lots of horrible, torturous fun!

also, if we're talking flash games, here's some great ones:

Grow Series (there are like a billion of these)
Pieces (a lot like knytt stories, pretty cool)
Open Doors (really goddamn hard, i got to level 12)
Shift (actually, shift 2 is better, but play both)

Also, I feel kind of bad for giving Cave Story an honorary mention but not Lyle in Cube Sector or WaDF, even if everyone does know about them. So:

Lyle in Cube Sector (THE FUKKEN SHIT)
Within a Deep Forest (i should note that all these nifflas games would not be as good without sara sandberg's little characters populating the scenery, so let's hear it for her)

and while i'm at it:

Aquaria (not freeware, but the demo is free, ~2 hours long and totally worth playing. it appeals to the part of me that likes girly fantasy crap, like those silly gothic metal bands)

i'll add more games to this thread as and when i feel like it. advertising is fun
he looked upon the world and saw it was still depraved :fvkk:

Overall: Rotton egg for breakfast
User avatar
Quantum P.
Level 17 Accordion Thief
Posts: 1433
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2003 1:41 am
Location: Edmonds, WA
Contact:

Post by Quantum P. »

Battle for Wesnoth is pretty neat. I'm not usually interested in the medieval fantasy-type stuff, but I still like it.
User avatar
Commodore
fgsdfs
Posts: 2471
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 5:44 pm
Location: :noitacoL
Contact:

Post by Commodore »

dood how can you say metroid failed with atmospherics? metroid's graphics look better than that screenshot. that game's pretty tight for 1986, and the composer went on to do earthbound's music.
*POW* *CLANK* *PING*
User avatar
Zenith Nadir
this is my hammer
Posts: 2767
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 11:40 am
Location: between the black and white spiders

Post by Zenith Nadir »

no, sorry
he looked upon the world and saw it was still depraved :fvkk:

Overall: Rotton egg for breakfast
User avatar
Stak
Watching you post
Posts: 373
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2003 2:38 am

Post by Stak »

Even I will admit that the original Metroid kind of sucked

Super Metroid was aces, though
User avatar
RobertP
gore Arnold
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:53 pm
Location: Burning Oak retirement facility

Post by RobertP »

http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=lamulana
La Mulana. An MSX tribute game.

You assume the role of a Japanese Indiana Jones-kind of guy,
who has to explore a temple in the jungle. It's a side-scrolling
action game with a lot of puzzles, mainly dealing with
objects in your environment.

Image

http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/279/F ... rries.html
Fury of the Furries.

Because it's about furries who are all very special.
My waste is my weapon.
User avatar
EvilMario
newcomer
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2004 9:09 pm
Location: In a land before time.

Post by EvilMario »

I enjoy this thread.

And yes, original Metroid is meh. Kid Icarus is the ticket for frustrating overrated platformers on the NES.
User avatar
Zenith Nadir
this is my hammer
Posts: 2767
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 11:40 am
Location: between the black and white spiders

Post by Zenith Nadir »

i've tried playing la mulana a few times, but there's a waterfall early on that seems to be impassable if i go in one direction, and a giant moving statue that kills me if i go in the other, and also everything kicks my ass

it's annoying
he looked upon the world and saw it was still depraved :fvkk:

Overall: Rotton egg for breakfast
User avatar
Aplsos
ill make a meal of you
Posts: 429
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2004 3:06 pm
Location: beautiful downtown joelville
Contact:

Post by Aplsos »

i got up to the final boss in la mulana, but i just couldn't figure out how to beat one of its fifteen thousand forms without taking damage seemingly at random.
r
User avatar
Commodore
fgsdfs
Posts: 2471
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 5:44 pm
Location: :noitacoL
Contact:

Post by Commodore »

zenith you have to kill something to find a block then put it on a dias and you enter the cave. but yeah, the game makes you fight for a method to save so it's a pretty rough start.
*POW* *CLANK* *PING*
User avatar
Zenith Nadir
this is my hammer
Posts: 2767
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 11:40 am
Location: between the black and white spiders

Post by Zenith Nadir »

a couple more flash games for you; dino run may just be self-explanatory from the name and screenshot, knuckleheads is a puzzle/platform game, both are great

Dino Run

Image

apparently this game has like, a zillion hidden things to find, but i've been too busy running like a bastard to look for them


Knuckleheads

Image
he looked upon the world and saw it was still depraved :fvkk:

Overall: Rotton egg for breakfast
User avatar
lemmer1800000000000000000
fggggggetytg385
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:35 am

Post by lemmer1800000000000000000 »

Post Reply