Though its several years old now, this great bossa nova noir game, Gravity Bones, still remains our number one pick for among the best games ford PC in the free category. It is a short standalone game in which the first person player seems to be some kind of secret agent.
There are only two levels and you can play through the entire thing in probably about 20 minutes - at least once you figure out how the heck to get to that fourth bird. It is mission based with a learning arch embedded into the process, which is executed quite cleverly. It comes in a zip file and needs no installation. It requires about 20MB of disk space.
Fine and good, but why do I rave about it so, you might ask. The great fun in this game comes from both its experience-based playing method as well as its strikingly realized aesthetic world. Calling this a first-person game, while accurate, doesn't do justice to its originality. This one is kind of a new genre all of it own: bossa nova noir!
It wouldn't be accurate to deny it having a story, but the sense of story is much more sophisticated than the paint-by-numbers storytelling of so many popular games. As the various tasks are fulfilled a story does take shape, but what is exactly happening is always a bit up in the air. Indeed, in keeping with the distinctive visual style, it wouldn't be unfair to compare this game to a avant garde film: which is to say that the story is subject to considerable interpretation.
Just a few brief moments after starting, the player is injected right into the action. You discover yourself stepping off an elevator amid some sort of Euro-spy scene. Even as the elevator descends (which is kind of funny, down from where exactly are you coming?), you're aware of coming into dressed guests of some black tie cocktail party. The fete is spread out over a series of terraces overlooking breathtaking vistas of a mountain enveloped lake. A cool bossa nova sound track accompanies your meandering through the crowd of squares (inside joke). You're initial mission has already begun.
This first level, really a test run, is quickly completed. The second level seems to take you behind the scenes. Once more you are delivered by elevator. This time you emerge in a scenario that is more elaborate and complicated. On this second level, your missions take you through a series of back corridors and over a number of exterior catwalks during an ominous and stormy night.
Incidentally, one of my few complaints about this game is that I could have done without the clue cards. They at least should have been optional. On the first level I ignored the protruding card corner and simply wandered around the party. Eventually I stumbled upon the briefcase necessary to complete the mission. That was way more fun.
The aesthetics of this game are almost as much fun as the play. Boldly foregoing the usual polygon realism the game conjures up a vivid world of its own that works beautifully with an espionage sensibility that stops just short of being self-mocking. It's maybe ironic without descending into cheesy.
This short and sweet game is still a total winner. If you haven't yet checked it out, you definitely should. For both play and aesthetics alike it remains our number one choice among the best games for PC in the free category.
There are only two levels and you can play through the entire thing in probably about 20 minutes - at least once you figure out how the heck to get to that fourth bird. It is mission based with a learning arch embedded into the process, which is executed quite cleverly. It comes in a zip file and needs no installation. It requires about 20MB of disk space.
Fine and good, but why do I rave about it so, you might ask. The great fun in this game comes from both its experience-based playing method as well as its strikingly realized aesthetic world. Calling this a first-person game, while accurate, doesn't do justice to its originality. This one is kind of a new genre all of it own: bossa nova noir!
It wouldn't be accurate to deny it having a story, but the sense of story is much more sophisticated than the paint-by-numbers storytelling of so many popular games. As the various tasks are fulfilled a story does take shape, but what is exactly happening is always a bit up in the air. Indeed, in keeping with the distinctive visual style, it wouldn't be unfair to compare this game to a avant garde film: which is to say that the story is subject to considerable interpretation.
Just a few brief moments after starting, the player is injected right into the action. You discover yourself stepping off an elevator amid some sort of Euro-spy scene. Even as the elevator descends (which is kind of funny, down from where exactly are you coming?), you're aware of coming into dressed guests of some black tie cocktail party. The fete is spread out over a series of terraces overlooking breathtaking vistas of a mountain enveloped lake. A cool bossa nova sound track accompanies your meandering through the crowd of squares (inside joke). You're initial mission has already begun.
This first level, really a test run, is quickly completed. The second level seems to take you behind the scenes. Once more you are delivered by elevator. This time you emerge in a scenario that is more elaborate and complicated. On this second level, your missions take you through a series of back corridors and over a number of exterior catwalks during an ominous and stormy night.
Incidentally, one of my few complaints about this game is that I could have done without the clue cards. They at least should have been optional. On the first level I ignored the protruding card corner and simply wandered around the party. Eventually I stumbled upon the briefcase necessary to complete the mission. That was way more fun.
The aesthetics of this game are almost as much fun as the play. Boldly foregoing the usual polygon realism the game conjures up a vivid world of its own that works beautifully with an espionage sensibility that stops just short of being self-mocking. It's maybe ironic without descending into cheesy.
This short and sweet game is still a total winner. If you haven't yet checked it out, you definitely should. For both play and aesthetics alike it remains our number one choice among the best games for PC in the free category.
About the Author:
To get the scoop on the best pay games for PC, you need to check out Mickey Jhonny's picks of the best games for PC. Those keen on the joys of emersive, parallel worlds will love his article over at Pretty Much Dead Already on the phenomenon of the Walking Dead Fanfiction .
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