Simple But Challenging Games

May 19, 2007 11:01 AM

Here are a few simple but challenging games: Ladybug, Boomshine, & Tama
posted by jake3456 (20 comments total)

Hint: make the ladybugs run over each other.
posted by niles at 11:04 AM on May 19, 2007

Boomshine and Tama have both been seen here before, but I think lady bug is new.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:10 AM on May 19, 2007

Ummm... can someone explain Tama?

I actually enoyed Ladybug -especially the voice.
posted by squidfartz at 11:18 AM on May 19, 2007

Oh... okay. I got it.

I enoyed that too.
posted by squidfartz at 11:19 AM on May 19, 2007

I see somebody here reads webzen too.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 11:28 AM on May 19, 2007

Actually, citrusfreak, I found a link to the webzen page on Boing Boing. :)
posted by jake3456 at 11:30 AM on May 19, 2007

I like the thematic unity of these games, especially Ladybug and Boomshine. They're both tasks where you have to time your click based on the spatial synchronization of chaotically interacting thingies. Good stuff.
posted by grobstein at 11:35 AM on May 19, 2007

Ah. Well read webzen! Get their weekly email update, that's where boingboing gets it.

At this point, other blogs refer me to the links before BoingBoing does and it's kinda sad to see just how much boingboing relies on other blogs for 90% of its content.

At least here at MeFi we usually have the courtesy to put a little "via" at the end of our post.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 11:40 AM on May 19, 2007

Good games!
posted by dov3 at 11:51 AM on May 19, 2007

BOOMSHINE is mediocre but the music is awesome. It's a good game to play right before bedtime.
posted by exlotuseater at 2:51 PM on May 19, 2007

You know what's funny about ladybug? I recently saw a robotics conference paper about using that exact method for arranging the rendezvous of several globally controlled robotic agents. That's part of someone's PhD thesis, right there.
posted by Krrrlson at 3:17 PM on May 19, 2007

Can anyone explain how to play Tama?
posted by mrnutty at 4:52 PM on May 19, 2007

Apparently there's someway to get more velocity from the coin, but I can't get it to work, so screw you guys, I'm going home.
posted by mrnutty at 5:11 PM on May 19, 2007

Aaargh, I finally managed to forget about Boomshine. Love the music, hate hate hate the damn game.
( I won it the very first time I played and spent two solid days attempting to do it again. It hates me!)
posted by Mamapotomus at 7:12 PM on May 19, 2007

I'm now addicted to Boomshine and to the colors the dots make when they explode and overlap.
posted by tepidmonkey at 7:38 PM on May 19, 2007

Is there, in fact, a strategy to Boomshine, or it is just point, click and enjoy the music?
posted by deCadmus at 7:57 PM on May 19, 2007

I can't discern a better strategy than "click on the clusters", but I would love to see a version of the game that displays in real time all the possible click-points that would lead to winning the round. That would probably be too much for the program to process though.
posted by tepidmonkey at 8:21 PM on May 19, 2007

I wasn't able to discern much strategy for Boomshine, except perhaps to aim for more chain reactions then required, if you're looking for a high score. The only other "strategy" I could think of is to get as many balls headed towards the same place as possible, to maximize the chain reaction. I agree with tepidmonkey - the game is all about the color and music for me as well.

I enjoyed Ladybugs, though not quite as much. Tama I found confusing, ugly, and boring.
posted by booksherpa at 9:01 PM on May 19, 2007

I'm now addicted to Boomshine and to the colors the dots make when they explode and overlap.

I've been playing Boomshine since it showed up in the blue last month. Only a few days ago, though, did I turn off the music and realize that the dots themselves are fun to listen to.

It's an odd game — no challenge at all until levels 11 and 12, then often too much of a challenge — but hey, it beats working.

I can't discern a better strategy than "click on the clusters"...
get as many balls headed towards the same place as possible, to maximize the chain reaction...

The second strategy works better than the first. If you 'cluster bomb' the board, there's usually one big explosion but no chain reaction. If you click on an empty area that a lot of dots are headed for, when they get there they often explode in opposite directions, and in turn take a lot of other dots with them.

p.s. (Once) I got 59 of 60 on the last level, but I can't believe anyone could get all 5 on level one.
posted by LeLiLo at 6:19 PM on May 20, 2007

The other day I got 60 out of 60 on Boomshine's last level. I was so proud! (Even though it was pure luck.)
posted by MsMolly at 10:17 AM on May 21, 2007