Jumping Line

My Rating: 9.5/10
Desura Community: 9.2/10

So the original reason I bought Jumping Line was because it was only a dollar on Desura!

Jumping Line is one of the most basic platformers I've played, controlled completely by moving the mouse left to right. Moving the mouse to the left makes the line go left and moving the mouse right makes the line go right. Despite these simple controls this game is fun and can be challenging at times.

I'd classify this game as a casual game, whenever you get to a checkpoint it saves, so you can exit at pretty much any time, and unlike some platformers it doesn't feel intense in the slightest.

Mostly what makes this game different is the simple controls and the level design, it seems to be one really really long level with various different mechanics involved. It starts off very simple, make it across the gaps, after that they start throwing stuff at you, standard platforms moving back and forth at first, rotating blocks you have to jump across, changing it so you are jumping off the ceiling instead of the floor, some parts you have to gather a set amount of (I can't remember exactly what it is...) stars (I think) to carry on. Though for gathering the stars there is no real death penalty, if you die, you restart at your last checkpoint, everything you gathered is still counted as gathered, so it's a very casual game.

Simple, casual, only a buck, what's not to love about Jumping Line?

Get it here: Desura.com

VVVVVV

My Rating: 9/10
Desura Community: 9.3/10

Don't mistake the title for a zig-zag, this is actually the title of a game.

Everyone has played at least one retro platformer. If you like retro platformers and you don't mind a challenge you'll probably love VVVVVV. Two things strike me about this game, it is difficult and the world is strangely open, you wander around this open world looking for levels to go through. Your main purpose is to find your missing crew members, and as a secondary goal there are round shiny things that you have to pick up.

Since the game is so bloody difficult, you have an infinite amount of lives, the challenge here is not beating the levels with a given amount of lives, simply getting through the levels is not the challenge, nothing so vast. No, the simple challenge lies in getting from checkpoint to checkpoint.

Other than possibly The Impossible Game on Xbox 360's indie games, I have personally not played a harder retro style platformer, and I don't think I'd be able to stick to one, I am honestly proud to say I beat the main world on VVVVVV but never really touched all the additional side worlds they give you. If you love a challenge this game is for you, if you get mad when you die a lot, then I suggest you either play this game when you're calm or just stay away, either way, a great game and everyone should check it out if they haven't already.