In the gaming world everyone loves the shiny, new thing. But when that fascination gets in the way of appreciating enduring quality, it should be resisted. Even though several years past its release date, now, I still say that, in the category of free games, still the top of the line in the best games for PC remains this swell bossa nova noir game, as I like to call it, Gravity Bones. A delightful standalone game, it immerses the player in a kind of avant garde art piece, functioning as a first person player mode, where we find ourselves strolling through a world of spy-like intrigue.
There are only two levels and you can play through the entire thing in probably about 20 minutes - at least once you figure out how the heck to get to that fourth bird. It is mission based with a learning arch embedded into the process, which is executed quite cleverly. It comes in a zip file and needs no installation. It requires about 20MB of disk space.
Fine and good, but why do I rave about it so, you might ask. The great fun in this game comes from both its experience-based playing method as well as its strikingly realized aesthetic world. Calling this a first-person game, while accurate, doesn't do justice to its originality. This one is kind of a new genre all of it own: bossa nova noir!
It does have a story, but delightfully not one of the color-in-the-lines type stories that are so common in today's gaming world. Like a great avant garde film, the story emerges impressionistically and is subject to a whole bunch of interpretation.
Just a few brief moments after starting, the player is injected right into the action. You discover yourself stepping off an elevator amid some sort of Euro-spy scene. Even as the elevator descends (which is kind of funny, down from where exactly are you coming?), you're aware of coming into dressed guests of some black tie cocktail party. The fete is spread out over a series of terraces overlooking breathtaking vistas of a mountain enveloped lake. A cool bossa nova sound track accompanies your meandering through the crowd of squares (inside joke). You're initial mission has already begun.
This first level, really more a test run, is rapidly completed. Then you're coming off a second elevator and things are a little more elaborate and complicated this time, as you have to find your way through back corridors and across catwalks on an ominous and stormy night.
There's little to dislike about this exquisitely put together game, but I do have one complaint: I could have done just fine in the absence of the clue cards. Personally, I entirely ignored them and figured out the missions just through investigation and exploration. That was way more fun. The cards weren't needed and I would have preferred not having them as a distraction in the corner of the screen. At the very least they should be optional. It is just a minor complaint, though.
The aesthetics of this game are almost as much fun as the play. Boldly foregoing the usual polygon realism the game conjures up a vivid world of its own that works beautifully with an espionage sensibility that stops just short of being self-mocking. It's maybe ironic without descending into cheesy.
This short and sweet game is still a total winner. If you haven't yet checked it out, you definitely should. For both play and aesthetics alike it remains our number one choice among the best games for PC in the free category.
There are only two levels and you can play through the entire thing in probably about 20 minutes - at least once you figure out how the heck to get to that fourth bird. It is mission based with a learning arch embedded into the process, which is executed quite cleverly. It comes in a zip file and needs no installation. It requires about 20MB of disk space.
Fine and good, but why do I rave about it so, you might ask. The great fun in this game comes from both its experience-based playing method as well as its strikingly realized aesthetic world. Calling this a first-person game, while accurate, doesn't do justice to its originality. This one is kind of a new genre all of it own: bossa nova noir!
It does have a story, but delightfully not one of the color-in-the-lines type stories that are so common in today's gaming world. Like a great avant garde film, the story emerges impressionistically and is subject to a whole bunch of interpretation.
Just a few brief moments after starting, the player is injected right into the action. You discover yourself stepping off an elevator amid some sort of Euro-spy scene. Even as the elevator descends (which is kind of funny, down from where exactly are you coming?), you're aware of coming into dressed guests of some black tie cocktail party. The fete is spread out over a series of terraces overlooking breathtaking vistas of a mountain enveloped lake. A cool bossa nova sound track accompanies your meandering through the crowd of squares (inside joke). You're initial mission has already begun.
This first level, really more a test run, is rapidly completed. Then you're coming off a second elevator and things are a little more elaborate and complicated this time, as you have to find your way through back corridors and across catwalks on an ominous and stormy night.
There's little to dislike about this exquisitely put together game, but I do have one complaint: I could have done just fine in the absence of the clue cards. Personally, I entirely ignored them and figured out the missions just through investigation and exploration. That was way more fun. The cards weren't needed and I would have preferred not having them as a distraction in the corner of the screen. At the very least they should be optional. It is just a minor complaint, though.
The aesthetics of this game are almost as much fun as the play. Boldly foregoing the usual polygon realism the game conjures up a vivid world of its own that works beautifully with an espionage sensibility that stops just short of being self-mocking. It's maybe ironic without descending into cheesy.
This short and sweet game is still a total winner. If you haven't yet checked it out, you definitely should. For both play and aesthetics alike it remains our number one choice among the best games for PC in the free category.
About the Author:
If you have the scoop on the best pay games for PC, you have to check out Mickey Jhonny's picks of the best games for PC. Those interested in the joys of emersive, parallel worlds will love his article over at Pretty Much Dead Already on the phenomenon of the Walking Dead Fanfiction .
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