As Ludum Dare 27 has drawn to a close, I’ve been busy rating and reviewing as many games as possible. As always, the community’s output has exceeded my expectations—I’ve played through 100 games thus far, but over 2000 remain.

Unfortunately, I’ve found that a lot of the games that I’ve played thus far lack a certain polish, at least in the gameplay department—perhaps an unavoidable result, considering the rather stringent “10 second” theme that governed this LD challenge. Many of the games feel as though production was rushed. However, there’s been some truly stunning work in the visual department, as three of my favorite games (listed below) amply display. I advise you to personally check them out, but if you need convincing, here’s a few words of praise:

“Step Out”

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-27/?action=preview&uid=24347

A very relaxing puzzle platformer, “Step Out” features gorgeous environments that mesh well with the bell-like tones of the sound effects. The otherworldly ambience is particularly suited to the game’s core mechanic, which is a 10 second “astral mode” in which your character steps out of his body to interact with the environment around him. Furthermore, the platforming mechanics were solid, leading me to conclude that the creators both cleverly and competently incorporated the challenge theme in “Step Out.”

“Loopy Lumberjack”

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-27/?action=preview&uid=7580

Three qualities especially stood out to me in “Loopy Lumberjack:” the visuals, the music, and (by far my favorite component) the humor. It’s difficult to create a game where “the funnies,” “the arts,” and “the sounds” all come together to blend into a seamless whole, but the creators of “Loopy Lumberjack” managed just that. The only criticism I can offer is that the gameplay was not particularly complex, in that it mostly consisted of button smashing. Nonetheless, the game is fun—almost to the point of being addicting, when factoring in the leaderboard. What pushes this game past the “almost” in addicting is the dance mode—definitely check it out at some point, but I’d caution those of you with school, work, or “real people responsibilities” to wait until the weekend to do so.

“Mebby”

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-27/?action=preview&uid=2958

Speaking of addicting, here’s another game to add to the list—“Mebby,” a schmup that’s a LD equivalent of drugs, chocolate, or both. Again, the game’s humorous elements were one of the reasons I enjoyed the game, along with the great sound effects and visuals. There were plenty of cool (and laughable, but in a good way, I promise!) units and weapons, such as the dubstep emitter, and my own personal favorite, the toilet. Like the previous two games, this is one of those games that are best played rather than talked about—so what are you waiting for? Get to it!

….. and of course I have to plug my own game!

“Keg Quest”

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-27/?action=preview&uid=20961

Written by: Emily Hosokawa