Hello Worlds! Is an interesting game, to say the least. It's a mind-!@#$ and you're going to love it. You take on the role of, what appears to be, an octopus. I can't tell you exactly what you are because the sprite is so small it's almost a simple blip on your screen. That's less important that I make it sound, the reason your sprite is so small is because you're going to need all the screen space you can get.

Hello Worlds! Mechanics play like this: it's a typical platformer in most regards. You run, jump, collect coins, and solve puzzles. The puzzles are where the fun lies. Depending on the stage you are in, you will have anywhere from 2-4 split-screens; each with their own set of platforms set up for each of your identical characters. The trick is, any platform, wall, or spring board one character interacts with will have an effect on the others in their screen. So, basically, if one of your sprites are standing on a platform in one screen, the others will essentially be standing on it as well (in most cases, hovering in mid-air). If there is a wall blocking the movement of one, it blocks the way for all.
The mechanic is interesting and quite clever. Designed as a University of Washington computer science project, it's obvious the creator, richwsnider, was looking to put a delicious new spin of the genre. Adding to the games style, there are certain doors within each frame that allow different effects to the puzzle as you progress. Green doors will close out the frame in which the sprite exists, clearing any possible obstacles from the other character's way (and also taking with it any useful advantage the frame had inside). Blue doors will act just as a door should, leading your sprite into a different room with a new layout and more obstacles and solutions for you to master. Brown doors are your ultimate goal, as they clear the stage and allow you to move on.

Bonuses come in the form of stars that you earn by achieving any one of three simple tasks. Every stage will award you one star for completing it, but some will also offer you additional stars for collecting all coins as well as finishing the stage under a certain time limit. Collecting a certain amount of stars is necessary for progressing through the entire game, so it helps to back track in order to grab those missed stars along the way.
Graphics are very simple, and actually nothing to boast about, but this game certainly isn't about its looks. It's a challenge that takes its direction from your ability to pay attention to several things going on at once, and being able to put things in a proper order that won't always be obvious, but will surely be entertaining to achieve. The music consists of a single melody that loops over. It's very mellow with some gentle acoustic rhythm to remind you that the tone of the game isn't a fast paced race to the end. It's about taking your time to figure things out; no rush, no worry.

The game, like most flash-based, is very short, but I had an absolute blast playing it and recommend you check it out. Get the game at:
Kongregate
Newgrounds
Official Capstone Site

-- Comments: 2

2 Response to Hello Platformer!

January 2, 2012 at 4:35 AM

Thank you for the list, very helpful!
Precision dies

January 2, 2012 at 4:38 AM

Wow, great article, I really appreciate your thought process and having it explained properly, thank you!

Wire edm

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