EDGE

Developer: Mobigame

Publisher: Mobigame

Release: 2008

Platform: Android, iOS, PSP, PC (played), Mac, Wii U, 3DS

Genre: Puzzle

Yet another geometric-shaped puzzler, EDGE elevates itself above the rest through sporting finesse in almost every aspect of the production process. Art direction, graphics (tech and art wise), sound (both music and sound effects) and level design are all pristine, and the final product is well balanced between retro-ey and modern.

When it comes to gameplay mechanics things get a bit more complicated--even though that was a conscious design decision as well: the innate "digital" (meaning stiff) character of the main avatar gets in the way of the "analogue" (meaning subtle) needs of many of the most interesting puzzles. That's because "rolling" a cube down tight platforming conundrums or quick shape-shifting environments can only feel awkward and lead to death-by-trial-and-error since quickly reacting out of danger is out of question. In the times the game acknowledges that as a feature and puts it to good use, it clicks brilliantly; but maybe there is near the same amount of frustration around.

"Parkouring" with a cube can be both frustrating and delightful

As a piece of videogame art the outcome is highly positive though. Even if EDGE has its flaws it's good to see this degree of confidence shine through the entire journey of a game in such a cohesive fashion.

Marvel Puzzle Quest

Developer: Demiurge Studios
Publisher: D3 Go!
Release: 2013
Platform: Android (played), iOS, PC, X360, PS3
Genre: Puzzle

Aeons after the "licensed IP golden era" (back when having Disney slapped in a videogame box meant more than Nintendo Seal of Quality by miles) Demiurge managed not only to make a decently balanced F2P match-3 game but also (even rarer) to play in favor of the original material's values.

Mechanics wise the gameplay is pretty straight-forward: matching gems damage enemies while charging special powers within the same spectrum; teams can be assembled to concentrate efforts in a given playstyle or to cover one another's weaknesses.

But battle for what? Ultimately for growing a collection of heroes, which vary from one to five stars accordingly to their rarity--and here the good IP use starts to show. Tokens aren't just digital keys; they're represented by real life comics' covers, both holding the possibility of being a personal meaningful memento for any given player and allowing the devs to explore several iterations of a character without having to stick to a single "definitive" (and inherently controversial) version.

Patch Wolvie: best there is? You're well served.

But there's more. The juggling an Avengers movie scriptwriter must go through to make every single character meaninful is amplified here in sheer numbers and scope alike--from godlike, almighty characters like Thanos to literally Howard the Duck (and everything between) each and every piece of IP has a chance to shine through some fine-tuned balance job. Obvious stuff are in play, of course (charging red gems for Iron Man's Unibeam, for instance), but many interesting mechanics are pulled from passive powers, starting with Hulk's "Anger" (creating green tiles when hit above a certain threshold) and developing towards more complex (and well-informed) behaviours like Carnage's unruliness serving trouble to friend and foes indiscriminately.

F2P is devilish though, and the usual "behind the curve" feel for a non-paying player is here, light as it is; but even that it's not enough to break the carefully handled Marvel spell.

Super Mario 3D Land

Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: 2011
Platform: 3DS
Genre: Platformer

Being given birth some fitting 9 months into the hardware’s maturing life Super Mario 3D Land is the first non-gimmicky title to make the 3D slider truly useful—if not almost mandatory in a couple dizzying sections.

But having the best 3D in the platform comes at a cost—and at times a high one: a heavily scripted, stiff camera system. Compelling as they are, the beautifully crafted levels are meant to be experienced in specific ways; that is less harming when it’s just about the game showing off, but it steadily grows in annoyance in tighter platforming sections, leap-of-faith star coins or the battles where Bowser looks awesome at expense of the very ground the player needs to thread.

Gorgeous, but not very functional.

Another structure issue keeps that very same top-notch design from being fully enjoyable: ol’ time limits are just pointless where the series is now—to the point there are extra clocks clumsily scattered around with the sole purpose of making exploration affordable.

Despite never quite unlocking its full potential Super Mario 3D Land remains a fine example on Nintendo’s ethos of making good hardware-informed software.

Braid

Developer: Number None
Publisher: Number None, Microsoft Game Studios
Release: 2008
Platform: X360, PC (played), PS3
Genre: Puzzle

Video games as an art form were already proven back in 1985 with the physics + levels design of Super Mario Bros. working together flawlessly (and arguably even before in any risk/reward arcade tweaked to perfection), so it’s curious—and a stark commentary on the medium’s audience—that the issue could only be officially brought to table through some blatant “artsy” releases in the late 2000s. That’s exactly the case with Braid—and it’s probably the most impactful game from that crop too.

As a puzzle-platformer it’s just mediocre: puzzles are often single-minded and obtuse, while mechanics doesn’t communicate well; on the platforming side its physics are too wobbly/bouncy to be reliable—given that they can help conveying the dreamy atmosphere in the player’s hand at a cost.

Some puzzles can have terribly specific solutions.

As a storytelling catalyst, it’s heavy-handed—as if the abstract gameplay needed the help of some overly detailed depiction of a vague plot (even if disguised in some “poetic” fashion of sorts) to float. (The fact that the ending is tied to a mandatory 100% completion run weights on that too.) But in any art medium (games included) information in excess can hinder the user’s relatability, and that disbalance between gameplay and plot shows.

But everyday judgement aside, perhaps the core of the experience is really the best it has to offer: the time-rewind mechanic, gimmicky as it is, is what really subverts the medium’s long-lasting basic values, with or without plot excuses. The lack of strict “lives” or “tries”, or even further, the downright “inability” to die, speaks louder than any essay on the matter could to propose other ways of approaching “challenge”, “difficulty”, “rhythm” and many more subjects within game design’s craftsmanship; and Braid’s value lies precisely here.

Endless Ocean

Developer: Arika

Publisher: Nintendo

Release: 2007

Platform: Wii

Genre: Sim

If observing a traffic jam makes mankind pale in comparison to a highly organized school of shiny fish, Endless Ocean may have stayed too true to that. Every earthly aspect of the game ranges from lackluster to downright cringeworthy: people’s 3D models are ugly, walking cycles are terribly stiff, jetski cutscenes are shameful... Even the human half of the soundtrack (“voiced” by Hayley Westenra) falls short against Ayako Saso’s magnificent instrumental background music.

But here’s the thing: if gamedev resources are known for being finite, it’s also good to see Arika putting their money where the heart is. As soon as the player drops below water line the state of things change dramatically.

It’s surprising to see how good-looking the game is despite running within Wii’s infamous last-gen hardware restrictions, and that's only possible due to some smart texture tricks applied to both animals and environments (the later can feel empty and bland at times but are still organic enough to hold the stage together well enough). Also, motion controls here (specially using the pointer to play single-handed) work as a charm to elevate gameplay’s immersion (no pun intended) and help to fully realize Arika’s vision for the series (named Everblue in the first two PS2-exclusive entries).

It looks much better from below.

Tech stuff aside, Endless Ocean truly shines when it comes to meeting sea life on the spot. From small clownfish to dolphins and beyond (even stretching the reality a bit to make it fit a small fictitious sea) every life form is beautiful and believable--to the point of making some special encounters really unforgettable. And such being the case, it’s not hard to pour dozens of hours into the game while looking for different critters throughout several locations and the seasons of the year.

Add to some “bestiary completionism” the fact that items can be salvaged from the sea bottom--while watching a beautiful map shed as its secrets are uncovered--and there's the perfect collectathon for those not in a rush.

Crazy Taxi

Developer: Hitmaker
Publisher: Sega
Release: 1999
Platform: Arcade, Dreamcast, Game Cube, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox, X360, iOS, Android (played), GBA
Genre: Racing

It's an obvious statement, but a particularly blatant one by today's standards: every frame of Crazy Taxi screams "90s". Radioactive colors, stiff 3D models, virtually an interactive Offspring (literally the main source of licensed music in the game, sided by Bad Religion) MTV music video—something (tellingly enough) actually brought to life a bit later in Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication.

But Dreamcast's innate anachronism (both ahead of its time technically and late to the party stylistically) had stretched to a point that couldn't be foreseen at the time: Sega's contemporary software would fit smartphones perfectly.

Gameplay-wise Crazy Taxi could be taken simply as arcadey for its short-bursts, over-the-top fun, but it holds up especially well as a free mobile re-release. Getting a proper "credits" cutscene can still be a bit tough for modern audiences, but darting through its proto-open world (while following a broken compass that encourages the driver to explore instead of sticking to proper routes) is as exhilarating as ever—and put current digital stores' competitors to shame at ease. Also, despite the original controls hardware setup being fairly complex, it seems to have flowed seamlessly into touch screen environment (the same happens with Chu Chu Rocket’s port; both testify in favor of Sega's then-modern approach to accessibility).

Breathtaking pointy vistas.

The only thing holding Crazy Taxi from being completely polished for 2010s and beyond is its sometimes tricky physics; but that's a sin still committed often—probably even more nowadays than back then—and even so it still pulls that off better than most games around anyway.

The Ninja

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Release: 1986

Platform: Master System

Genre: Shoot ’em-up

Sitting somewhere between proto-run 'n' guns like Commando and contemporary shmups (surprisingly leaning more towards the later) the ill-named The Ninja should have deserved at least a bigger audience—if not necessarily critical appraise.

Selling an adjectiveless ninja game as the fad was rising quick and steadily (Shinobi came out one year later, Ninja Gaiden followed the next one) would be hard in any system, but Sega's MS still holds the record for the ugliest art style to ever grace Western shores, and that was truly the case here. Screenshots couldn't get the job done either, but despite not being a looker the game has a distinct visual signature that is even lifted by the clean HUD-less Sega approach at the time.

Getting past that steep entry point starts to pay when the action gets rolling. The basic premise—killing enemies with shurikens, enhancing strenght/speed with power-ups—is only the foundation for some subtle flavoring that brings a more-than-the-sum-of-the-parts taste to the final product. Auto-scrolling levels break the regular pace every now and then and are cleverly justified narrative-wise: a mountain to be climbed against an avalanche, a classic Frogger-like river chase, a stampede of horses within the castle’s gates... Even simple tricks like exchanging the floor tileset for a stone wall to create a climbing level—with vertical speed handicapped accordingly to tweak the feels—manage to pull the trick with simplicity.

Even some pseudo-isometric view is pulled with coding techniques alone

Not only that. The Ninja most likely will send an unadvised player back a couple levels in their first playthrough for some hidden scrolls hunt before moving on, but it gets away with it with more elegance than Ghosts'n Goblins: playing through it again with more of a keen eye brings the apparently straight-forward action game to a new level. More: an accuracy bonus system rewards skilled players with higher scores, making it yet another game for arcadey intials hunters—opposed to casual button mashers by a mile and a half.

Yet to be properly played or praised, The Ninja is still a testimony to how a game can be tackled and perceived in several ways solely with slick, light ideas implemented well.