Game of the Week: Small Worlds

by Jim McNiven, revolutionmagazine.com 30-Oct-09, 16:08

LONDON - It's Friday afternoon and it's time to take a break. Thankfully Revolution's Game of the Week is here to help, as chosen by Revolution's gaming expert and Kerb managing director Jim McNiven.

Not one to jump on a bandwagon I should be offering a fun Halloween based game about Zombies or Werewolves, but as both have been covered in previous columns (Vox Populi Vox Dei and Zombie Dawn) I'll happily watch the bandwagon roll by with everyone else on it while I offer this week's game of the week: Small Worlds.

It's more like interactive art than a game but it's still a charming little tale of a man made of two pixels exploring a pixelated world. When you first start the game you're met with a load of blocks that make you think something has gone rather wrong (or I've lied to you, which as we all know, never happens with game developers) but as you move around the screen zooms out and bit by bit, revealing a picturesque world.

It's rather addictive thanks to the fact that the screen is uncovered in this way offering a genuinely explorative experience. A great example of how a genre can be refreshed using a bit of design initiative. Hopefully more games could use this technique to offer new gaming experiences.

Revolution's Game of the Week: Small Worlds here.