Freeware N-spirations
by JC Fletcher 
{ Feb 13th 2008 at 9:45AM }
In their latest IGN blog entry, N creators Metanet listed a bunch of recommended freeware and shareware games. Some of the picks are pointed out as having helped inspire the N game design. The first, Zone Runner, is described as " You run, jump, and collect gold. And die. A lot. Sound familiar?" Other games mentioned specifically as inspiring include Puchiwara no Bouken (which looks like the missing link between Lode Runner and N) and Super Bubble Blob. Since we claim total ignorance of PC freeware games that are not N or Cave Story, we now have some homework ahead of us! As do you. We normally aren't in the position to link to a bunch of freeware PC games, but this time there's evidence of a direct influence on an upcoming (highly anticipated) DS game.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Author X @ Feb 13th 2008 10:17AM
Within a Deep Forest comes to mind immediately, particularly since, at first glance, that's what I thought the screenshot was. Don't remember the author or his site off-hand, but I believe he had a more well-known game called Knytt after WaDF, I just haven't gotten around to playing it.
I'm also a big fan of the Touhou games, but only recently found out that despite being doujinsoft (ie homebrew) they're /not/ freeware and you're actually supposed to buy them in Japan. For years I just played the ones downloaded from a link Dan Kim posted to explain one of his comics (as though that were possible). There are a few freeware fan-games of them, though, which are Mario/Megaman clones with Touhou characters (and Mega Mari in particular sports a combination of the brutal difficulty of both Bullet Hell shooters /and/ fan-made game clones, so... I've never actually beaten a boss ;_; ).
Oh, and a similar game to the Touhou series was released as freeware a little while ago... Engage to Jabberwock. There's an english patch to it, too. It's like a Zelda dungeon-crawler combined with Bullet Hell aesthetics of crazy shooting patterns.
I can find links to all of the above later if anyone wants me to (well, I dunno if I'm allowed to post links to Touhou since it's not actually supposed to be freeware - but I can find the english patch I used for Imperishable Night).
Author X @ Feb 13th 2008 10:23AM
Oh yeah, I should have said before - if you don't know Dan Kim's website, and want to look it up, he has some really beautiful work... and he's also got really, horribly NSFW stuff there too. Be forewarned, some of those comics are not for the squeamish or easily (or at all) offended.
jsutcliffe @ Feb 13th 2008 11:53AM
Within A Deep Forest and Knytt, which is even better are by Nifflas: http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=01Home
Also, if you're _really_ not been playing PC freeware, you can't go wrong with some Kenta Cho games: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/index_e.html
manaman @ Feb 13th 2008 3:19PM
Man,
I've totally been getting into the freeware for a while now--I just wish that someone could put together a quality site database with screenshots and blurbs online. They don't even have to host 'em, just put links in their blurbs. A ranking system would be nice, too. Maybe this is out there, but I sure haven't been able to find it.
Thanks for the info,
manaman
chispito @ Feb 13th 2008 11:23PM
Cave Story and Ikachan, of course.
Shooters:
Kenta Cho everything.
Warning Forever.
Echoes.
Adventure/RPG:
Knytt Stories.
Seiklus.
Cave Story
Ikachan.