Overview of games from Humble Indie Bundle 3 + free Inside.

Three days ago, another period of celestial generosity began, called Humble Indie Bundle 3. Past bundles have included many interesting and even masterpiece games. Let's see what delights await us this time.

This bundle includes five games: Hammerfight, VVVVVV, Cogs, [And Yet It Moves](/games?search=And Yet It Moves), [Crayon Physics Deluxe](/games?search=Crayon Physics Deluxe).

[Crayon Physics Deluxe](/games?search=Crayon Physics Deluxe)

– is a puzzle game where the gameplay relies on the interaction of the objects we draw with a ball.

The game contains no plot, and from start to finish, we perform the same monotonous and tedious actions. We draw, draw, and draw again, all with the sole purpose of getting our cherished ball to the star. When we complete a level, we collect these stars in our stash, and upon accumulating a certain number, they unlock new islands, where the next levels are located.

It is also worth noting that one can either complete the levels in any manner or strive to meet special conditions, which ultimately yield even more stars. Initially, this is relatively easy to achieve, but later it turns into utter chaos, and our plans, due to not always accurate boundaries of drawn objects, turn to failure.

Then, when our attempts exceed over 9000, we enter a rage, leading us to create epic "scribbles" that fill the screen and allow us to brute-force the ball into any point in the level. Thus, the game loses its charm after just half an hour.

Regarding the graphics, they are very nice and styled like the paper on which we draw. The game only supports low resolutions, so it must be played in a window.

Despite its interest, the game quickly becomes frustrating, and you lose interest fast.

Cogs

– is based on the principle of sliding puzzles. However, in this instance, it also mixes in 3D and various conditions and mechanisms. This transforms an already complex process into something maddeningly unsolvable, leading to brain overheating only after fifteen solved tasks.


Here, each level presents various mechanisms that we must piece together by rearranging scattered blocks. The main elements in these puzzles are gears and pipes. While gears simply transfer rotational motion from one to another, pipes pass steam through them. Thus, if we assemble everything in the correct sequence, our mechanism will work.

Initially, everything is as usual, and we earn only gold medals (a tally is kept of moves and time; the less we spend, the more valuable the medal), but then it turns into a situation where worrying about medals is the least of your concerns, as you can't even envision how to assemble it all together. If you want to come home from work and exhaust yourself even more, then this game is for you. However, it should be noted that this is one of the best representatives of its genre, and various modes, besides the standard one, with limited moves and time, contribute to this. Additionally, various mechanisms like musical machines, clocks, and others, equipped with corresponding gears, mallets, and adapters, are undoubtedly pleasing.

The visuals, as I mentioned, are three-dimensional. The style is steampunk. The resolutions are also low, but not too much, so it can be played full screen.

It is also worth noting that the game supports Steam achievements. This will appeal to the individuals we are all familiar with.

VVVVVV

- undoubtedly, a strange title, but it is very concise and perfectly embodies what we will be fighting against for an hour and a half to two hours.

The game is designed in the **8-bit** style, and when entering, the load is stylized to resemble the corresponding **Commodore** screen. Despite its simplicity, the game has a plot. It is, of course, clichéd, but as a hook, it works. It begins when a certain emergency occurs on a ship, and the entire crew rushes to the teleporter to escape. All teleport successfully, but not quite to where they should be. Moreover, everyone is scattered to who knows where, and our goal, as the captain, is to rescue everyone.

And as I mentioned, the main essence of the game is to avoid the VVVVVV that protrude from everywhere. We have access to only three keys for movement, as well as a flip that changes our position relative to the floor, making the floor the ceiling, which we then fall immediately onto. At the same time, we can only change our position after successfully landing on the surface.

One might think that with such gameplay mechanics and such straightforward controls, everything should be boring. But fortunately, the developers have more than one trick up their sleeve. This way, they transform such simple gameplay into something whirlwind-cool and diverse by introducing simple but incredibly interesting elements.

However, since the game is so fast, it is equally challenging to play. Perhaps, if it weren't for the ability to adjust the speed in the game’s settings, this might be the hardest game in the world to complete (if one were an ideal robot). Even 60% of the original speed is a serious challenge, and while playing, one needs to sit with a frown, concentrating as hard as possible to act accurately and quickly. If, however, you play at the original speed... better not to play. Moreover, for special enthusiasts/perverts, there are various mods here, such as completing the game on time, completing without a single death (for completing especially difficult levels, one generally dies about eighty times), and so on.

Ultimately, this is one of the best games in this bundle, which will appeal to everyone due to its gameplay, magnificent stylization, and outstanding soundtrack.

[And Yet It Moves](/games?search=And Yet It Moves)

– is a platformer at its core, but certainly not a simple one – it is soulful and interesting. Moreover, the game has no plot; nonetheless, some emotional empathy for our hero arises naturally.

We play as a paper man who travels through a world aiming to merge himself with a white sheet at the end of each level. The entire surrounding world is made of bits of paper, which serve as our walls and boundaries of objects, as well as voids. If we fall into a void, we fall into it and respawn at a checkpoint. The stylization is 100% refined. Everything looks incredibly beautiful and atmospheric.

It’s worth noting the simply stunning soundtrack and voice acting, as it is dynamic and constantly varies based on the surrounding environment. Here you find dungeons, jungles, and psychedelic worlds filled with an incredible play of contrasts and vibrant colors. Thus, [And Yet It Moves](/games?search=And Yet It Moves) is imbued with something profoundly soulful and moving, where you literally fall in love, but not just like that; it comes with a certain bittersweet sadness on your face, if you will.

As for the gameplay mechanics, they are slightly reminiscent of VVVVVV. We can rotate the world around us, changing the direction of the gravity vector while turning toward it with our feet. At the same time, we can rotate at any moment, and the speed we had is preserved and changes concerning the direction in which we flip the world.

For example, one can simply jump upwards and begin to continuously rotate the world, and after five or six flips, we might find ourselves in the air without flying a meter, but with a speed as if we'd fallen from a great height. With this method, you could potentially fly through entire levels if not for one "but" – our character is very fragile and will shatter even at the slightest speeds.

As is customary, this seemingly simple mechanic is infused with a multitude of gaming tricks and intriguing elements that add a unique flavor to the gameplay and saturate it with simply exquisite diversity.

It is the only game in the whole set that runs at a normal resolution.

In conclusion, the game also supports the Steam achievements system.

The game's duration is only three hours, but you will spend this time not in vain and with joy.

Finally, we come to the last game, developed by the independent Russian developer Konstantin Koshutin.

Hammerfight

– is a unique game with truly outstanding gameplay. The plot of the game, as far as arcades go, is very interesting and filled with Eastern flavor throughout. In short, its setup is as follows.

In this world, there are three great houses: Ketel, Kadish, and Gayyar. For hundreds of years, they coexisted peacefully, until one of the rulers of the Gayyar house began a bloody war that led to this house coming to power. But over time, the two other houses rose up in rebellion, and the Kadish house ascended to the throne, while the Gayyar house fell into disgrace and is now subjected to severe persecution. We play a young Gayyar (in my opinion, there is a subtle reference to the word "Gyaur," which means "infidel" in Turkish).

Thus begins the story, which concludes wisely – like a true Eastern fairy tale.

The gameplay mechanics are built on a magnificently refined physics engine.

By controlling our copter with the mouse, we impart rotational motion to any weapon mounted on it. In case of collision with us or our weapon and the enemy, we deal a certain amount of damage calculated based on the type of weapon, its weight, and the speed of the strike.

The gameplay implies killing; the more methods of assassination there are, the better. In this aspect, it is extremely diverse. In battle, we gain glory and denarii that we can later exchange for weapons and all sorts of items like armor, potions, etc. As for the arsenal, it is quite varied and allows for completely different styles of usage.

There are: Maces, stones, chain axes; swords; hammers and axes; polearms; firearms. Many weapons can also be combined with each other and inlaid with stones that provide certain bonuses and so forth. Each weapon has its weight, which undoubtedly affects maneuverability and its penetrative abilities. Thus, this diversity allows for an insane amount of tactics that we can adjust to ourselves at any moment.

In addition to the standard story mode, there are also several other types of gameplay. Such as arena battles, playing Hammerball, and glorious hunting. The first is clear, but the second and third are not very clear.

The game in Hammerball is a sports competition, the goal of which is to roll as many stones as possible into the opponent's goal.

As for hunting, it involves battles with various monsters as we gradually progress deeper into a cave for the final battle with the main monster, whose reward is usually the most valuable singing stones for gilding the weapons.

And lastly, I want to express many affectionate words about the graphics. In this game, it is, like everything else, leaning towards the East. It looks simply magnificent, and flags waving in the wind and other moving details lend the picture a particular liveliness and beauty.

Well, that’s all there is to it.