Here’s a selection of simple but interesting games from Cactusquid. You’ll find a nice collection of arcade games in the first download called Cactus Arcade most of which I’ve also posted as separate downloads, then there’s a whole pile of games rated ‘cold’ to ‘on fire’, cold being not very popular to on fire being the best games. I’ve only selected warm to on fire games plus maybe a few that interested me, but there are loads more to check out. What’s cold to some may be hot to others. I was going to separate the games into single posts, so that I could add the genre to the title, but decided not to. I’d really appreciate comments as to your thoughts on the ones you found really interesting. All the downloads can be found HERE though I’ve also added alternative download links to most of the games. Several of the games did have online high score availability, but the site that hosted those scores has been closed.
Cactus Arcade - mixed genres (45Mb)
This mixed bag of 17 games is a collection of the best Cactus arcade games ranging from shoot em ups and platformers to adventure games and first person shooters.
The pack contains:
Burn the trash, Clean Asia!, Fractal Fighter, Fuck Space, God Came to the Cave, Illegal Communication, Minubeat, Mondo Agency, Mondo Mecials, MSOIDS, Protoganda, Psychosomnium, Retro II, Seizuredome, Shotgun Ninja, The Design and xWUNG.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP96ldF3cFg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GiZUKFsc4
Downloads:
You can download Cactus Arcade or any of the games I’ve posted below from HERE
The following 23 games cover several different genres. Some of the games are very basic, with maybe only a few days work put into them, whereas others have had a lot of work put into them; however, they all have a couple of things in common (apart from being developed by the same game maker), they are innovative and fun to play. I’ve not got videos or images for a few of the games, but will endeavor to add these sometime this weekend. I need to go work on this weekends game giveaways now. :)
Lovecraft Game - Action (3.2Mb)
As the man in the hat you take up arms to defeat hordes of the undead, vampire dogs and faceless Colossi, all to find the treasure hidden in the ghastly forest.
Featuring unique graphics and atmospheric music, this game is quite interesting to look at.
However, it was made as a last minute entry for a competition with a theme I couldn't quite get a good grasp of, and hence turned out pretty bland.
Downloads:
You can download the Lovecraft game or any of the games I’ve posted today HERE
Xoldiers - Action (1.6Mb)
Are you ready to go to war, people? Get yourself set on killing and destroying everything in your way to reach and wipe out the enemy's castles. Steer a battalion of troopers, dodge, shoot and throw grenades at anything that moves.
Comes with a level editor. There should be a database of user generated content, but I think the web site that hosted it has been closed.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Ltkvvgwtk
Download:
You can download Xoldiers HERE
Stench Mechanics - Adventure - point & click (1.6Mb)
Stench Mechanics is a short science fiction adventure created during No More Sweden (a Swedish gaming jam).
It features a short and suspenseful storyline onboard a space ship fuelled by a smelly pink gas. There are three different endings depending on some choices you make, and the game features both sex and violence. Therefore it might not be recommendable for younger players.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxUflaCYlw4
Download:
You can download Stench Mechanics HERE
Precision – Arcade (1.6Mb)
Precision is a game about sprinting, jumping and collecting bottles mysteriously placed on rooftops. It's an exercise in frustration, trial & error and memmorizing levels.
Interesting features include a background that reacts to the music and the possibillity to jump between day and night.
I found the game a little frustrating at first, but found myself getting more and more interested in it. The game is quite hard to master, but once you do, there's a lot of atisfaction at being able to win a level. I've never played an arcade game quite like it before. when you jump from block to block, you don't stop like you'd expect, you move as though you've landed on ice, so you need to time your jumps perfectly.
Use the arrow keys for moving left and right and the up arrow for jumping.
Downloads:
You can download Precision and any of the games I’ve posted today HERE
Kryzta - Arcade (1.8Mb)
How do you defeat an army of attacking enemies without any default means of attacking them? You have them shoot each other.
In Kryzta the player must rely on cleaver maneuvering to rack up a good highscore. The enemies leave points which has to be assimilated when destroyed. However, collecting points makes the player grow and become an easier target.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDFEWOeBnkM
Download:
You can download Kryzta HERE
Ad Nauseam 2 – Shmup (1.6Mb)
This game is not your typical shoot 'em up. There's really no room for bullet dodging here, just blow everything up before it hits you. The game has some very nice explosions.
The game features some slightly obscene imagery, so if you're a bit easily offended, don't play the game. Nothing too bad, just maybe not suitable for kids.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cswRTcd1cs&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7i5cujUZA4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-zc-1zHl1I
Download:
You can download Ad Nauseam 2 HERE
Protoganda II - Shmup (1.6Mb)
Protoganda 2 is a new 2D arcade shooter by cactus, developed in under two hours. Use the cursor keys for movement, and hold the Z key to shoot. The X key can be held down to activate your shields. Press the enter key to start a game from the main menu.
Colliding with debris or bullets will destroy the ship. Originally conceived as an unlockable game for Shotgun Ninja.
A 'retrofied' version of Protoganda: Strings basically.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjneBTAnF7U
Download:
You can download Protoganda II HERE
you can also download the original Protoganda HERE
Shotgun Ninja – Platformer (1.6Mb)
Shotgun Ninja is a new platformer by cactus, in which the developer limits himself to a C64 palette for background, object and sprite colors.
Use the cursor keys for movement, and press Z key to shoot. You can only fire when your assassin's feet is touching the ground. Tap the X key to lob a grenade. Hold the down arrow key to view the floor below you.
There are numerous ways to earn points in this game, from reaching the exit in the quickest time possible to eliminating all the enemies in each level. Proficiency with the wall jump technique is a prerequisite skill.
Controls:
• Left arrow: Run left, cling to wall
• Right arrow: Run right, cling to wall
• Up arrow: Jump, wall jump, cling to ceiling, heighten grenade throwing angle
• Down arrow: Look down, lower grenade throwing angle
• Z: Shoot (not when jumping)
• X: Throw grenade
Tips
• Beating a level fast gives bonus score.
• Not killing any enemies gives bonus score.
• Killing all enemies gives bonus score.
• Killing no enemies gives bonus score.
• Not using shotgun gives bonus score.
• Not using grenades gives bonus score.
• Killing more enemies than you use shotgun rounds and grenades gives bonus score.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMeOWD9VJa0
Download:
You can download Shotgun Ninja HERE
Seizure Dome - Arcade (5.7Mb)
This is a game that works kind of like Sumo wrestling, except you have a gun. Don't let the swarm of enemies push you against the edges of the ring or you will die! Kill them for score, combo kills for bonus scores. Five power-ups and two special weapon pick-ups.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk3hvgeYl5o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBb8w4mXKYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFgYvXdLZ7A
Download:
http://games.softpedia.com/downloadTag/Seizure+Dome
You can download Seizure Dome HERE
Psychosomnium – Adventure (1.5Mb)
Psychosomnium is a small platform experiment that deals with illogical puzzles and dreamlike scenarios. It's hard to describe without ruining it's charm so give it a try and see for yourself if you are clever enough to get past the obscure puzzles.
Please note that the game is not a prank and that there's a point where the game reaches a real end. Sort of. So don't give up!
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Asj4jD3ik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzpWJJ2Z84
You’ll find several walkthrough videos by following the links above.
Download:
You can download Psychosomnium HERE
Mondo Agency - Adventure/FPS (7.5Mb)
You are AGENT-65386. Your superiors believe that someone is plotting to kill the president, but they have no idea who or why. And for some reason, the president seems vital to the world's very existance. It's your task to find out who it is that seeks to destroy everyone so that you can save the world from it's pending doom.
Mondo Agency is a sequel to Mondo Medicals. Features pixel artwork by Cow and music by Aaron Kurtz.
Mondo Agency is the sequel to Mondo Medicals, featuring character portraits by Cow and music by Aaron Kurtz. Step into the shoes of AGENT-65386 as he tries to find and save the president, though very little information is actually given to the protagonist by his superiors besides his mission objectives.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbGK6Ue9GL4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V717NAWobEk
Download:
You can download Mondo Agency HERE
Minuet – Shmup (1.5Mb)
Minubeat is a tiny rythm shmup. There's a "beat" in the background and pressing X or C in sync with it will allow you to release homing bombs and delete all enemy projectiles from the screen. You can also shoot nomrally with Z.
There is a one minute time limit, so you must fight your way to the boss and beat it within sixty seconds.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgidfsqlWjk
Download:
You can download Minubeat HERE
Protoganda Strings - Shmup (2.7Mb)
This game's graphics were inspired by old movies with special effects made without the use of computers. The gameplay is a fairly straight boss fight flare, with a focus on time, rather than lives.
You start out with three minutes playtime. Defeating a boss gives you an extra fifteen seconds. Being killed deducts forty. If the timer reaches zero, you die. There are two different gameplay modes, "absorb" and "shield".
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuQBoZYZGdM
Download:
You can download Protoganda Strings HERE
MSOIDS – Arcade (2.8Mb)
What do you get if you combine a MS Paint doodle with a nifty vector engine and throw on a mouse controlled Asteroids variation? Something wonderful, for sure.
The images posted here don't do the game justice. If you like unusual shooters, this is worth a look at least.
Use space to generate new colours, move with WASD and shoot with the mouse. Simple as that. Make sure to extract the game to a separate folder!
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49EfazE_JeA
browser version:
http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/MSOIDS.html
Download:
You can download MSOIDS HERE
Mondo Medicals - Puzzle/FPS (3.0Mb)
This game could be described as an illogical puzzle game played from a first person view, with plenty of bizarre elements. And it's downright evil. Most of the levels are designed to confuse you, and the solutions aren't always that easy to figure out.
Move around with the arrow keys and press Z to interact with stuff (There are in game instructions, but they might not be that easy to interpret). There are eight levels total, good luck beating them all!
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4q_891gJAA
Download;
You can download Mondo Medicals HERE
xWUNG - Arcade (1.7Mb)
This game is kind of a semi-shmup. The only thing keeping it from being a full blown one is that you can't actually shoot... You play by moving the mouse to swing a ball. The ball's attached to a "wire", and both of 'em kill enemies on contact. Be careful of the debris as it's deadly. There are bosses that appear with regular intervals. Make large combos to get good scores!
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQwwR4ty7g8
Download:
You can download xWUNG HERE
Burn the Trash – Shmup (1.6Mb)
The game's supposed to look like a trashy fever nightmare. Look out for the motion blur from hell.
Your ship is equipped with extremely destructive weapons, but as usual the enemies are no easy targets either. Hold the Z key for a standard beam, or press the X key to clear bullets caught in your blue beam's path. Use both keys together for a special attack which causes massive damage, but use it with care as this weapon tends to overcraft and may destroy your craft altogether. An online high score submission feature is included, and you can press C to play with an alternative ship.
Controls:
Z: Fire beam against enemies
X: Fire beam against bullets
Z + X: Fire strong beam against enemies (depletes time)
C: Change ship
Don't fire too long, you'll overheat and explode! Don't let the time run out or you die. Killing enemies adds more time to the counter.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ZZG1cDdL8&feature=related
Download:
You can download Burn the Trash HERE or HERE
If you want joypad support you can download Joy2Key which is available HERE
Joy2Key is a keyboard emulator for joysticks.
It converts joystick input into keyboard input (and mouse input).
Use it when you want to control an application with joysticks that doesn't support joystick input. If you wish, you can control even Word, Excel, etc. with joysticks!
Fractal Fighter - Shmup (1.6Mb)
The game's your average stylish bossfight bullet hell shmup, with a scoring system that puts focus on combos. It's a fairly gentle one, with a rather friendly start for the beginners, although it gets a bit difficult at the last few bosses (there are ten in total, as well as the optional randomly generated bosses). The player is allowed to choose how many lives he'll have, but the scoring will drop the more lives you select.
The controls are generally pretty simple. Use Z to fire your machine guns, and X to shoot a laser that goes through anything, but has a lower damage/fire rate. You can also use C to find nearest hostile unit of the enemy's current active weapon layer. There is a trick to this though, if you align with the crosshair that shows up and press C again when you hear a little beep, you'll shoot out a few homing missiles. Enter and arrow keys to navigate the menu and to move the ship.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRDAz6cVQXs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evJkWD4EMSM
Download:
You can download Fractal Fighter HERE
Clean Asia - Shmup (5.6Mb)
The eyes of mankind has decided to leave their hosts and take over the earth. Their first move was to escape to the moon, where they developed their hostile weapon technology. Ten years later they return and forcefully take over some prominent countries in Asia. Thailand and New Korea has both succumb to the hostile threat, while China insists on dealing with the eyes themselves and refuses any helping hands from around the world.
America sends a pair of pilot twins with extroardinary sixth senses to battle against the evil eyes. They both have designed their own space ships that seems to be about the only thing in existance that can be used to battle these terrible fiends.
There are two different pilots to choose from in Clean Asia!, and they both have their own ways of handling hostiles. The first pilot is the choice best suited for people with skills, while the second one is more suitable for beginners.
The first pilot uses a thrust move to destroy pieces of the enemy. These pieces shatter when destroyed, and the shatters can be sucked towards the player, to later be tossed at the next piece of the enemy. The thrust move makes the ship invulnerable during the burst. This makes it ideal for flying through bullets if you're caught in a pinch. Finally, some enemies carry weapons that they drop when shot, pilot one can pick these up and use them against the enemy.
The second pilot is more like a standard shoot 'em up ship. It has unlimited amounts of ammunition, but the strength of the bullets can be upgraded by collecting enemy debris. The ship comes with a charge feature that can fire a deadly burst, but it immobilizes the player while charging, which makes it a gamble to use in some situations. When you have reached a debris count of two hundred or more, you can also release a huge energy blast, that will deal some great damage in all directions. There's also a very handy shield that you can use if you get into a tough situation. This shield drains your debris pretty fast, though, so be careful to pick the right situations to use it.
You can select what stage to play on the map screen. All stages are slightly different from each other, both in appearance and enemy behaviour. You must complete all stages in a row to beat the game.
Clean Asia! was designed for (and won) the Autofire 2007 competition at http://www.shmup-dev.com, it has three levels and two selectable ships (with distinct controlling differencies and weapons/abillities), fourteen bosses and around ten regular enemies.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMFf4PuHmjc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxuQFKs4FHQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1alEAHqfPJA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Ix6ttQy7Q
Download:
You can download HERE
The Design - Arena Shmup (1.8Mb)
Don't let the basic graphics put you off this excellent game. I was totally confused when I first played this game, but once you get it, it's a very rewarding experience playing. :)
This game is an unusual gaming experience, yet more normal than it seems. It's a 2D shooter with some unique quirks. The graphics are simplified and stylish, and makes the game look a bit confusing. The controls make the game even more confusing (before you get used to them, that is).
You control two dots on a design, which can shoot at the angle from one to the other. New figures on the design appears and you earn points by removing them. This is what the shooting is for. Note that the enemies can only be killed while they're white. If you shoot an enemy while it's red, the bullet will turn against you. Aside from the normal shooting, you also have three upgrades that'll help you with getting a highscore.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNC4_Pl2C9o
Downloads:
You can download The Design and any of the games I’ve posted today HERE
Illegal Communication - Adventure (1.3Mb)
A description would be going against the concept of this game. You have to figure everything out on your own, even the controls ( although you only use the mouse ). How to make progress is up to you to discover!
The following is an excellent review
Illegal Communication is a stylish 'cyber-adventure' unlike any game I've seen before, GM or otherwise. Unlike many GM games that make the attempt, the game succeeds brilliantly at drawing in the player with its purely mysterious, abstract atmosphere, and despite the apparent simplicity of the graphics, sound and gameplay, this is a game with a great deal of depth to it.
The game really sort of defies traditional genre classification; it contains elements of platform, arcade and puzzle games in basically equal doses. I don't want to give too extensive a description, as that sort of would eliminate the fun of figuring out what to do and how to do it (incidentally a large part of the game). However, as a small disclaimer, I'd like to mention that the game is very difficult; unneccesarily so, in my opinion, specifically since there are save points, but your progress is deleted if you exit the game. Some may not find this a big problem, as the game is short enough to (theoretically) play through in one sitting. It certainly bothered me, though. As far as storyline, what is there is very abstract, though the careful player may be able to decipher it.
The first thing you will probably notice when playing Illegal Communication is the highly minimalistic graphics scheme. In fact, minimalistic is rather too weak a term; monochromatic would be more accurate. Everything is either black or green, and, with only a few exceptions, abstract and starkly geometric in design. There is hardly any shade variation, either; however, this is part of the highly unique stylishness of the game, which I'll address in a moment.
The sound effects are all very well done, and, like the graphics, simple but effective. The same cannot be said for the music; it was, indeed, simple (it consists of a single track), but I felt it only served to detract from the overall mystery and wonder of the game. However, I know others have enjoyed it, so maybe that's just me.
The graphics, sound and gameplay combined are what make this game exceptional, however. The great part of this game is the style. Of course, style is something that is both abstract, and therefore difficult to describe, and not apparent (or appealing) to every gamer. In this case, when I say style, I mean that the flickering monochrome graphics lend the game a surreal, retro sort of feel, and the gameplay adds an almost foreboding feeling on top of that. The overall effect is something similar to that of hacking into a government computer network (or so I would imagine). That being said, I suggest playing it in the dark with the sound off.
Oh, and apparently there is some kind of moral/meaning entrenched in this little game. Tell me if you think you've found it- I never did.
Reference accessed HERE Aug 12th 2010-08-12
Download:
You can download Illegal Communication HERE or HERE and theres an uncredited walkthrough HERE
Retro II - Shmup (1.2Mb)
There are three types of enemies; squares, triangles and crosses. The bullets does no harm to the crosses unless you've got the homing bullets power up. The other enemies go down with eight shots or so... The bombs are a bit hard to control, and if they hit you they get absorbed by your vessel (unless you have the multibomb power up), but you can get them to orbit around you with a bit of maneuvering.
Your vessel has an unlimited amount of bullets, but firing them drains energy. However, your energy is recharged automatically when you top firing. Your energy capacity can also be upgraded by picking up upgrades (the ones that look like 'U's with a circle. When you reach upgrade level four, you shoot twice as many bullets and can have twice as many bombs on the screen simultaneously. When you reach level 11 or 12 you shoot thrice as many bullets, and can have 22 bombs on the screen at the same time. After that the upgrades serve to increase your energy capacity and refuels your energy.
There are also four power ups; laser, multibomb, homing bullets and slow motion. The powerups look like 'P's.
Controls:
Mouse
Left click=Shoot,
Righ click=Bomb
Keyboard
Z=shoot
X=bomb
Arrows=Movement
Downloads:
You can download Retro and all of the games that I’ve posted today HERE
Insect Invade 2 - Arcade (1.1Mb)
Insect Invade II is the long awaited sequel to Insect Invade. Actually, it's more like a remake of Insect Invade with lots of fun stuff added.
It’s a two-dimensional shooter where you are a drunken man trying to defend himself from the invading insects. Of course, these bugs will not give up easily, they will hunt you down!
The graphics are vastly improved, but retain the same feel as in the old game. The developer has added lots of new things, such as explosions, light effects, enhanced backgrounds and a lots more
New elements to the game play has also been added. You can now shoot in 360°, dodge your enemies by jumping over them, climb the piles of carcasses left by all the insects you've slain, toss grenades and pick up a few new power ups!
The sound has also been thoroughly reworked, with midi music and great sound effects!
However, this is still just a tiny arcade game. It was created in less than two days and was never meant to be very serious. Expect some good, clean fun; nothing more, nothing less!
Controls:
Walk - Left/Right Arrow
Jump - Up Arrow
Fire - Left Mouse Button
Grenade - Right Mouse Button
Power Ups
• Grenade craze
• Shotgun
• Comet Gun
• Minigun
• Rocket Launcher
• Weak Enemies
Tricks & Strategies:
• Killing enemies mid-air with the shotgun, machinegun or comet gun adds 2,5 seconds to the counter of all your current power-ups
• Never charge against an enemy.
• Try jumping over your enemies and shooting them in the back.
• Destroy as many corpses as you can, they'll tend to get in your way.
• Don't pay too much attention to the power up counters, they might distract enough to get you killed.
• Power Ups disappear if you don't grab them fast, but don't sweat it. Losing a power up is better than losing your life.
• If you find yourself surrounded by two or three enemies, toss a grenade one way and shoot the other.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39fxQCZSjPk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfXK1LQWA78
Downloads:
You can download Insect Invade 2 HERE
