In the first Best of the Web (BOTW get it?) segment we’re going to take a look at some Flash games that don’t require a Facebook game.
Robot Unicorn Attack is an Adult Swim game where you take the role of a robot unicorn on a mission to make it through a land of fairies, dolphins, and rainbows. You could classify this game in the “Running Sidescroller” subgenre that was popularized by one of the other BOTW game, Canabalt. You play on a two-dimensional plane, where you jump from cliff to cliff and break through giant stars with a rush attack. If you’re on the fence about this game, listen to the song Always by Erasure. If you can make it through without stabbing yourself in the eye, go ahead and give Robot Unicorn Attack a chance.
P.S. This game also has a Facebook version with leaderboards, weekly tournaments, and a heavy metal nightmare mode.
One Chance is a game that goes beyond just being a game—it’s more of an exercise. The game predicates itself on the idea of what kind of choices do you make if you can’t just restart from a checkpoint. You take the role of John, a scientist who has just cured cancer, and watch as the world falls apart because of a snare in your vaccine. You have six days to live and you need to make the choice between being with your family or desperately trying to find a cure. The game then saves your choices and refuses to let you replay them. Do you make decisions that you would want to make or those that reflect who you actually are?
Canabalt was the game to make running in one direction cool. The premise is super simple. You jump out of a window to a rooftop and then to another platform and so on. Sometimes there are boxes or chairs to slow you down and if you miss your jump, it’s game over. But as you’re running, you begin to see the giant robots in the distance and you start to wonder what the hell was that ship that flew over my head. Then a missile drops from the sky, which destroys your character. To top if all off you have the bumping tunes of DannyB slowly hypnotizing you as you’re making your jumps from rooftop to rooftop. This game spawned Robot Unicorn Attack, Bit.Trip Runner, and Mirror’s Edge iPad. With it’s stylized black and white graphics, amazing soundtrack, and simple but addictive gameplay Canabalt is the perfect game to end our BOTW flash games segment.
P.S. Canabalt also has an iPad version!
