Space is Key 2 Flash Game Review

Link: Space is Key 2
Developed by Chris Jeff
Sponsored by Armor Games
Genre: Action
FlashMush Rating: 8/10

Don't you just love extremely difficult and frustrating games? Ok...usually not, but I believe I had this conversation before with Spikes Tend to Kill You 2. For some games that is just their motif, short and easy gameplay with a ridiculous difficulty curve. Space is Key 2 is no different and I love it!

You play Space is Key 2 just like the title suggests. One button...Space! The goal then is to jump over obstacles, you do not move yourself so all you have to focus on is pressing space at the right time to jump over various obstacles. Sounds simple right? Trust me...it is not. The obstacles are placed in the hardest spots available and you will die...a lot. That much is guarantied.

But like in other "hardcore" games of this sort (really should find a better term than that...) you don't mind dying so often. The turn around is quick and that leads to an extremely high replay value. Also the humor in the game (just like in Spikes Tend to Kill You 2) lets you sort of laugh at yourself while you just died 50 times on that one jump. Graphically, it is very minimalism. Colored squares are pretty much all that this game is, however it works for this game and it's much better than trying to go all out fancy with human characters or something and failing like so many second rate flash games do. Overall, Space is Key 2 is an extremely hard game but that's what makes it fun! And you'll be playing this game for hours, trust me, I'm the flash game reviewer here.

Space is Key 2 Walkthrough Levels 1-9:

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Epic Stand Flash Game Review

Link: Epic Stand
Developed by Bright Sight Team
Sponsored by BubbleBox.com
Genre: Defense/Strategy/Upgrades
FlashMush Rating: 7/10

Time to make a stand.... an Epic Stand! Ok... I know that was a cheesy intro to this flash game review but it works as a transition... Anyway, Epic Stand is a pretty nice game brought to us by the developers at Bright Sight Team.

The gameplay in Epic Stand reminds me heavily of Cat God Vs. Sun King as you essentially are defending a pyramid with three levels. Enemies start out on the bottom level and if you don't kill them quick enough they use bombs to blow open the gates and enter the second level, and then the third. As the game progresses different types of enemies appear. You fight off the enemies using spells, you are a wizard after all. As you progress different spells become available to you to help in your defense as well as you can upgrade your pyramid to include better defenses (like boiling oil!).

Epic Stand is a very visually appealing game and has a ton of polish, you can really tell the Bright Sight Team put a lot of work into this flash game. However, I did have some problems with gameplay. The idea is great, don't get me wrong. But I found the spell system lacking. The base spell is slow and weak and the first few other spells you get are just supplementary spells and do not do much either. The ability to have an upgrade tree with different spell sets and better spell upgrades in general (like increase in power, etc.) would be a much needed welcome. Other than that though the game is well thought out and like I said before, a graphical work of art.

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Lone Survivor Demo Flash Game Review

Link: Lone Survivor Demo
Buy Full Version: Lone Survivor
Developed by Superflat
Genre: Story/Adventure/Zombie
FlashMush Rating: 9.5/10

Not often do I review a demo and not often do I review a demo I find good and completely and utterly enthralled in. Right off the bat I will say Lone Survivor is not like any game you've played. It is a complete artistic masterpiece which chronicles a struggle through an apocalyptic world. That may sound cheesy but give the demo a try and I bet you'll be coming back here to comment on my flash game review how amazing it was, may even buy the full version.

If you know me or are an avid reader of my blog you do know that story flash games are my favorite. I love the simplistic gameplay style in exchange for a beautiful and deep story being presented to you. Lone Survivor provides that and more, it wraps you completely in this amazing experience. It does this in a few ways; Musically, the story itself and graphically. Graphically, Lone Survivor is fairly simple. It utilizes pixelated graphics (another favorite of mine in flash games) but it goes beyond that and creates a sense that you really are this man, trapped in his apartment building with monsters all around you and you are slowly getting map. Flashes of light appear, you slow down randomly, things seem to dissipate and reappear. It's like you are watching the game unfold like an old fashion movie while also being a vital part of it. This is only amplified by the music which features the moans of the monsters around or the sounds of your feeble mind failing you as you think a party is occurring down the hall but it really is a feast for the zombies.

The real heart of it all though is in the story. I guess I haven't told you how to play and that is vital in explaining this part. Basically it's a linear adventure game that features finding things in order to progress. This boils down to a lot of searching and observing your surroundings. Each item you interact with is going to have a purpose either directly in the game or to give you a sense of this apocalyptic world. Overall the game itself is easy, control wise, but figuring out what to do can be hard and it's all about the story anyways. I really think the developers here reached the perfect balance to get the audience to feel the story. Lost and alone with only your untrustworthy mind to keep you company...

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Harry Quantum 2 Flash Game Review

Link: Harry Quantum 2
Developed by turboNuke
Code by LongAnimals
Design by Cathy McBurney
Art by Robotjam
Genre: Puzzle/Adventure
FlashMush Rating: 8.5/10

I love acting like a detective! You get to find clues and piece them together and solve a mystery. These point and click detective puzzle games are becoming a huge presence in the flash game community and I really hope they keep coming. Harry Quantum 2 is the second installment of turboNuke's point and click detective series and it is just as you remembered!

This time you, Harry Quantum, must solve a mystery to clear your friend's tarnished name after he was blackmailed for stealing priceless artifacts from the local history museum. Of course on your way you must pick up items and use them in bizarre ways in order to progress. Along the way you can earn extra detective points by finding secret Easter eggs.

Harry Quantum 2, while your typical point and click detective game, is still fun. It features the typical graphic style that RobotJam always brings to the table and I absolutely love it. The puzzles themselves are not too hard but also not too easy to allow for some brain scratching but not head smashing. I do wish the game was a little longer because as of now it is fairly short and if you know what you're doing you can finish it in record time. Overall though, Harry Quantum 2 is another great game by the turboNuke collective and a great sequel to the series!

However, if you do find yourself stuck in Harry Quantum 2, check out the Harry Quantum 2 walkthrough

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Trid3nt Flash Game Review

Link: Trid3nt
Developed by Diseased Productions
Sponsored by Crazy Monkey Games
Genre: Action
FlashMush Rating: 7/10

Simple games really can be key in terms of addiction and just a successful game. Think about all the simple launcher games out there like Kitten Cannon or runner games like Canabalt. Simple button presses yet millions of plays and lots of revenue.

This is the general idea behind Trid3nt I feel. It features three (get it, Trident?) actions you  need to do and repeat in order to win. You play the game and accomplish all these actions with just the WASD or the arrow keys. In Trid3nt you have three goals; Collect fuel, block lasers and reflect lasers. These actions are laid out to you in a graphical view and you have to maneuver to the lasers of fuel cans as they are flying towards you. It sounds really complicated but play for five seconds and you'll completely understand.

I do admire this approach to gameplay, no one can criticize Trid3nt for not being unique. However, I have issues which arrive elsewhere. The biggest issue is that the game is boring. It takes a decently unique idea, one that has a lot of potential and makes it a snore fest. The boredom comes from the fact that it is too easy and the pace doesn't really pick up. Or if it does, I get bored from the first few levels, which by the way are extremely long, before I can get to that part of the difficulty curve. Another minor complaint is the screen does not fit will in the browser. Cannot either see the very top or very bottom of the game. Overall, Trid3nt is an interesting game...just wish more was done with it.

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Zomboz Flash Game Review

Link: Zomboz

Developed by Velmozhniy Anton

Art by Ocheretko Evgen

Sponsored by PegasGames

Genre: Puzzle/Physics/Zombie

FlashMush Rating: 6.5/10

Physics puzzle flash games are getting pretty boring honestly. Each day a countless number are released and they are all just different skins of basic gameplay...nothing exciting. Zomboz is not like that, thankfully. Although it is not totally unique by a long shot. But instead of typical remover type games or games like Simple Motions it features physics based on planetary action.

I say this is not unique as last year a huge came out that has since pretty much defined this type of physics engine. This game was Gravitee and not only did it feature shooting projectiles around planetary celestial bodies but featured multiple weapons, enemies, the whole gambit. It is also worth noting that the new Angry Birds Space which just came out features this type of physics on a much wider scale. But yeah, this is the base of Zomboz and if you couldn't tell already what I'm getting at is while yes, Zomboz having utilized this type of engine is more unique than most it is lacking a lot of the features that games using this physics have already done. In other words...it's behind. This does not mean that gameplay is bad though, it works fairly well. I do wish they would show the projectile path as with limited ammo it can get pretty frustrating. 

Due to the lack of the projectile path and some poor level designs this game can get hard/frustrating fast... Honestly the only aspect that holds this game above water is the amount of polish. I also find that PegasGames sponsored games have a lot of that. The graphics are amazing and the ragdoll physics for the zombies themselves and the other environmental items are spot on and amazingly accurate and fun to experience. Overall, Zomboz isn't bad...just nothing special and is lacking some pretty fundamentary and genre defining features.

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Escape From Melakka Flash Game Review

Link: Escape From Melakka
Developed by Bernhard Kast
Art by Gladius2Metal
Sponsored by CoolGamesBox.com
Genre: Adventure/Shooter/Platformer
FlashMush Rating: 6/10

In my opinion platforming games, at least adventure platforming games, are falling to the wayside in the wake of the huge waves of physics puzzlers. So I am happy that Escape From Melakka entered the flash game-isphere and brought back some old school gameplay!

Escape From Melakka reminds me heavily of Diamond Hollow II but...lacking. I'll get to that later though. Anyway, the game is very simple to play. You move with WASD keys and shoot magic with the mouse. You progress through large levels with various paths to the one end goal while shooting enemies and collecting gems. There are also a few boss fights you'll encounter. A very small upgrade system is provided where you can upgrade your health, speed and fire rate as well as an achievement system.

Now all this is fine and dandy...but this is the bare bones of a game like this. Escape From Melakka is missing loads... The upgrade system, while present, could be much, much better. Upgrade jump, different spells, etc. That right there would bump up my rating a bit. Also, more varible enemies. You literally encounter five different types of enemies... and all are easy to beat. Speaking of easy, Escape From Melakka is extremely easy. I beat the game in less than five minutes and in the first minute gave up collecting the gems. The bosses offer no challenge at all aside from frustrating angles and the enemies are a minor nuisance. Overall, Escape From Melakka has some promise... in terms of it has a great foundation. Just needs some filling.

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Blockgineer 2 Flash Game Review

Link: Blockgineer 2
Developed by Submu Entertainment
Art by Jimp
Sponsored by Armor Games
Genre: Puzzle/Physics
FlashMush Rating: 7/10

I always wanted to be an engineer did you know that? Ok...well I'm lying. I never wanted to be an engineer but hey, if you did want to be an engineer how about being an engineer of blocks with Blockgineer 2. You can engineer your way to make balls touch doors! Sounds exciting!

The idea behind games of this sort is nothing special. You place items or other things to make a ball get from point A to point B. Many games have done this before such as Simple Motion and the Isoball series. However, Blockgineer 2 is unfortunately behind those two games I mentioned. Behind for a variety of reasons. Blockgineer 2 is just...simple. It's in a 2D plane so that is a huge difference from Isoball's 3D-ish feel, and it also doesn't feature the, in my opinion, necessary path showing dynamic that Simple Motion has to help in complex puzzles. Some may say it's good to not have that crutch but I just think having the option (could make it a toggle) would be a nice touch.

Blockgineer 2 does have great graphics brought to us by Jimp who always does amazing work and I love his work in every single one of his projects. It also does do the genre justice. Has a point system where the more blocks you build, teach one has different point values so you can physically see your score going down or up depending on your construction. Overall, Blockgineer 2 is a decent game in this construction physics puzzler genre but just wish it borrowed some ideas from other games.

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Achilles 2: Origin of a Legend Flash Game Review

Link: Achilles 2: Origin of a Legend
Developed by Ben Olding Games
Graphics by Vortex Game Studio
Sponsored by Kongregate
Genre: Action/Educational
FlashMush Rating: 7.5/10

Everyone knows the story of Achilles from your High School English class on Greek history. He's the invincible guy, whose only weak spot is his heel. Well now thanks to Ben Olding Games you can play out Achilles life and his origin in Achilles 2: Origin of a Legend.

Now I know I tagged this as educational and you may think that means this game is a snore fest. No, on the contrary. Achilles 2: Origin of a Legend is just as bloody and action packed as any other zombie shooter game you may happen to love, it's only tagged that way as you may learn a little about Greek history/mythology through osmosis. Now the idea behind Achilles 2 is basically a gladiator style fighting game. It's you, your spear, sword and shield against all your enemies who rush at you. It is actually quite impressive the moves you can utilize to take out your opponents. You can of course stab and kick them but also shield bash them, knock them on the ground and jump up and stab them, kick decapitated heads to them, pick up their weapons to use, etc. It really is a full on fighting game with all the bells and whistles.

However, there are a few issues I encountered. Lag is present and it can be very annoying. I am on a different computer than usual, one that is much faster than my old computer and it still was lagging a bit. Also the enemy collision doesn't always work and it seems some boss battles are then twice as hard yet blocking isn't working. So overall I guess a general gameplay polish is necessary to make the fighting seamless. Overall though, Achilles 2: Origin of a Legend is a great fighting game and the combos you can pull off make this game worth the play out of anything!

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Starmada Flash Game Review

Link: Starmada
Developed by Vibe13
Graphics by xoo
Genre: Shooter/Upgrades
FlashMush Rating: 7.5/10

Bullet Hell type shooters always have a place in my heart. Just so fun having a gazillion bullets and exploding space shits flying by you and even though the odds are way stacked against you, you still somehow come out on top...alive.

This is exactly the type of game and atmospheric feel you get with Starmada. Not much to say in terms of gameplay now as I pretty much said that Starmada is a bullet hell space shooter and that's exactly what it is. I will say, though, a few features I liked. The biggest one is the graphics. However, this goes beyond typical graphics and goes into effects as well. A big part of Starmada is the effects when you blow up ships. Huge dust clouds of vaporized metal and fuel appears and combined that with the waves and waves of bullets (and other enemies) this really is the true epitome of a bullet hell game.

To supplement gameplay, although nowadays if you're missing this feature then your game might as well be dead out of water, is an upgrade system. It's a fairly simple upgrade system. Upgrade the placement of your guns, their power, secondary weapons and their strength as well as your magnet. Very simple and I am always a fan of bigger and complicated but this one gets the job done I suppose. Overall, Starmada is a fun game to play and waste some time especially if you're a fan of bullet hell shooters. The experience provided will blow your mind.

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Clear Vision 5 Flash Game Review

Link: Clear Vision 5
Developed by DPFlashes Studio
Sponsored by Armor Games
Genre: Shooter
FlashMush Rating: 9/10

There is a sub-genre of shooter games that have always been very popular and are also one of my favorites in the business. This sub-genre is assassination games. I'm sure you know the type. Just you, your sniper rifle's cross hairs and your target you have to find from a short synopsis. One such sub-genre franchise has particularly dominated in this market, and if you can't tell where this is going, it's the Clear Vision series with the latest installment; Clear Vision 5.

You may be wondering how a series can possibly change that much after five installments. You would think ideas have run out, the uniqueness well has dried up. To that I answer...maybe. But to counter that statement, what more do you want from assassination games? It's a fairly simple concept and doesn't require anything too special or extravagant. With that being said, however, I feel Clear Vision 5 does bring some new things.

Mainly it brings a whole new level of polish. This game, while still using the tried and true stick figure motif, has a level of polish which rivals games with great hand drawn graphics such as Kingdom Rush. It also features the typical "house" environment where you find your new "jobs". This part is not new. What is new is the inclusion of a underground boxing ring where you can gamble your money to win some extra cash so you can buy some nice, shiny new guns. Overall, Clear Vision 5 is sort of the same ole' same, but it's a tried and true method but just with fifty more coats of varnish on it. Well worth the play!

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Zombie Madness: The Awakening Flash Game Review

Link: Zombie Madness: The Awakening
Developer: Sergey Melnikou and Gene Szeto
Sponsored by Tremorgames.com
Genre: Zombie/Shooter/Upgrades
FlashMush Rating: 8/10

Who loves zombies? Well, I for one do! And I'm certain that you all do too! Luckily for us, Zombie Madness: The Awakening features tons and tons of zombies to keep our zombified hearts content.

Zombie Madness: The Awakening is both your typical top down arena style zombie shooter game and not. Mostly it is your typical game though. It's you, your gun, and herds and herds of zombies. But wait, I did say it is also atypical, didn't I? Yes I did! Zombie Madness is atypical in the sense of it's upgrade system...or at least it's a system related to an upgrade system. There is an actual upgrade system where you can upgrade your reload speed, running speed, armor, damage and luck. As well as shop style upgrade system where you can purchase better guns. However, Zombie Madness has a new type of upgrade in the form of perks, sort of like in the Call of Duty series. You have three perk spots and you buy them. They range from instant death to zombies who touch you to extended mags to heath regeneration. Either way they are necessary to survive and surprisingly not many flash games feature perks.

The only downside to Zombie Madness is it's majority amount of triteness. Games like this have been done time and time again. Zombie Madness is one of the better ones in terms of controls, challenges and the perk system but it also suffers from being extremely easy (never died once until the last five waves). Also the general upgrade system is very small and could have been expanded (and more clarified) to make it much better.

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Pirates of the Stupid Sea Flash Game Review

Link: Pirates of the Stupid Sea
Developer: Backburner Games
Genre: Action/Shooter
FlashMush Rating: 9.5/10

Arg! The life of a pirate! Such a glamorous occupation, don't you think? Well, if not you are about to be schooled on the life of a pirate, more specifically the lives of Pirates of the Stupid Sea.

Like the title implies this is a pirate game, but the stupid sea part should give you a clue that this game is hilarious. The dialogue between the pirates is hilarious the treasure you find is also just so funny (Treasure chest full of puke or of only left handed hooks being some of them). This humor is not mismatched with bad gameplay though, on the contrary the gameplay is amazing! The idea is to chase down your opponents who are trying to flee by shooting out their sails. There is a minor amount of puzzle going here or just plain old skill but you have to aim at the sails and each sail needs two hits at least.You can also hit treasure chests to get their treasure and piles of cannon balls to get extra ammo. The ships can also shoot back at you and block your shots with deck hands on board. You must shoot these too! (well if you want).

To supplement gameplay you do have a minor upgrade system. Honestly I feel it could have been more expansive but it works and at least one exists. Pirates of the Stupid Sea is also a very long game. You will be busy for a while! This is great as I feel most flash games are just quick bursts of boredom fueled gameplay. Overall, Pirates of the Stupid Sea is a very interesting and unique flash game that will keep you busy for a while, so don't miss out!

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MobileMush Monday: Draw Something App Review

Links to download:
Draw Something for Android
Draw Something on Facebook
Draw Something for Apple
Developer: OMGPOP
Genre: Mobile/Action/Educational
FlashMush Rating: 8.5/10

Figured it was time for me to review this HUGELY popular mobile game now. If you haven't heard of this game well you most likely are living under a rock. Even Miley Cyrus loves playing Draw Something (don't let that turn you away though).

Draw Something is nothing really new just like Words With Friends isn't anything new. Just a highly addictive and social app game port of a highly successful board game. In Words With Friends' case it's Scrabble. In Draw Something it's Pictionary. So just based off of that word you ought to know what this game is about. You draw something, the other person tries to guess what it is and then they draw something for you. Fairly simple.

So what is making Draw Something so addictive to millions of people? Well... I guess it is the only "good" Pictionary mobile/social port out there but it also is just so well polished. It also draws you in with simple gameplay but the promise of more. For example you start out with just a few colors in your color pallet; black, yellow, red and blue. But what if you have to draw the word, "Tree"? You have no brown, you have no green. Of course I'm sure you could still draw a fairly convincing tree using just black but the premise and promise of more and different colors is there. For a cost of course. Not real money but rather in game coins that you earn for guessing words correctly. So this sets the tone for an addictive quality of wanting to play and play till you can buy that new color set that has green and brown in it.

Another interesting idea is the actual words you get to draw. First off you get a choice. Essentially words are ranked easy to hard and are worth 1 to 3 coins respectively. Interestingly enough the "hard" words are actually really hard and include a lot of celebrity and pop culture references. One big qualm I have here, while only for the free version, is there is a very limited amount of words. So in the short time I have played I have encountered many repeats. I know this is a strategy to get people to buy the full version but a little bit more words would go a long way. Overall though, Draw Something is a highly addictive game that if you aren't already playing, chances are your friends, parents, and your dog already are. So get with the times!

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Spelling Scramble Flash Game Review

Link: Spelling Scramble
Developer: Nerdook
Genre: Puzzle/Educational
FlashMush Rating: 7/10

By now when you see the developer, Nerdook, you ought to know it's a good game. 9 times out of 10 his games are amazing or at least very unique. Spelling Scramble while not the most unique game out there is still a fun, classic game to play that does have a few new tricks up it's sleeve.

There are countless games out there with the same premise as Spelling Scramble. Basically you have a board of random letters and you make words out of them. Sort of like the classic board game Boggle but in this one you do not have to have the letters connected. I actually don't agree with this as it makes the game more open ended which with the two modes available, I find a little overwhelming, but others may really like this new found freedom. But yeah, nothing new on this front. Find the longest words out of this random amount of letters. Fun stuff.

However, Nerdook did add one new thing that, honestly, if he had not of this game would be so generic. This new gimmick is having goals. They work in the same way as in Proke. So for example you may have a goal that basically says, "To pause the clock, make a word starting with the letter I". I really like this new way of gameplay a few games are taking advantage of as it limits the mindless Boggle mind and does make the game into a more strategic puzzle experience.

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Axon Flash Game Review

Link: Axon
Developer: ExploreWellcome
Genre: Action/Distance/Educational
FlashMush Rating: 8.5/10

Think fast! That's the idea behind Axon both in actual gameplay and in well...the subject matter. On the outside, Axon may look like a fast paced distance combo-ish game but you can easily turn it into an educational game as well and learn all about the neurons in the brain! Sounds fun, right?

Axon's gameplay is quite simple. There are dots or neurons scattered around the screen and you start at one, click another, then another, then another. The goal is to keep going up as far as you can. However, you have a sphere of control around your active neuron and you can only click other neurons that fall in that sphere. Unfortunately the sphere is constantly shrinking so this is where you have to think and act fast. Sounds simple right? Yes, but if it was just that it'd be kind of boring. Luckily there are powerups and enemies! Some of the powerups include "freeze" which freezes your sphere of control, "expand" which expands your sphere of control. You also have ones which act as combos and can shoot you up really fast.

Admittedly this type of game, while fun for a little bit, usually doesn't have much replay value. You usually play for like five minutes then move on to something else. Axon, while it does still suffer from this a tad, does make a stride in the opposite direction with the educational component I talked about earlier. Once you lose a game, it tells you what kind of neuron you are! You can then click on that name and it takes you to the Wikipedia page where you can learn all about it. For example I just played and my neuron was the Trigeminal Motor Neuron. Overall, Axon is a fun game that you may just learn something while playing!

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Commando Defense Flash Game Review

Link: Commando Defense
Developer: Miniclip
Genre: Defense/Strategy
FlashMush Rating: 9/10

Not often does a game come out that challenges the set formula for a flash game genre. I love it when it happens but it is a rare happening. The last game like this I can think of is  Chuck the Sheep with it's resource gathering variable for upgrades. Well, today I have a new game that fits in this category! Commando Defense is a Star game from Miniclip games and manages to combine both tower defense strategy to a RTS style gameplay! Yes, you read that right.

Fortunately, this combined style of gameplay is not confusing at all. You control one guy in a RTS style, meaning you click where you want him to go and he goes. This is a really neat idea for tower defense games as you can move him literally wherever you want to provide extra fire power in a specific zone. He also has to build the towers you buy which are air dropped in. This can be annoying, the time and all, but it gives a neat feel for the game and it works well. I'd comment on the tower defense part of Commando Defense but not much to say here. The towers are fairly normal and can be upgraded. I do wish that the upgrades were of a tree system like in Kingdom Rush and have different looks as well, but eh. Upgrades are upgrades I suppose.

Commando Defense is also a prime example of a well polished game. I attribute this to being from Miniclip (or at least funded by Miniclip) so that does ensure a great looking game. The only real problem I have with Commando Defense in terms of anything is the difficulty. There seems to be a bit imbalance in some things. The Tesla Tower is ridiculously overpowered and you can pretty much win everything with a few of them maxed out. Also, the supplementary ground troops you can buy literally are useless. A more expansive upgrade system in general could have turned all my complaints though into positives, maybe that'll be saved for Commando Defense 2.

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selFish Flash Game Review

Link: selFish
Developer: Stefan Nikolic
Genre: Puzzle/Action
FlashMush Rating: 7/10

It's common knowledge that big fish eat little fish, right? It's like a dog fish eat dog fish world out there! selFish is no different. Work your way up the food chain by eating small and working big!

I was not sure what to expect when I was told of this game but I am glad I played it as it was actually a lot of fun. So in case you didn't get the game premise from how I explained it above. You start out a little fish and there are fish all around you of different sizes. You then sort of "sling" yourself around and when you touch fish you eat them. So you eat small fish and you get bigger. Once you are bigger you can then eat the bigger fish. Eat all the fish to win. I tagged this as a puzzle as that is the closest genre it is to. However, the actual puzzles do kind of leave something to be desired. They are fine, just either very simple or just frustrating. No clear path to follow like in most puzzle games which is fine but the way the game is set up it still leaves room for some very frustrating times.

selFish earns back some points, though, with the surprising amount of polish. The game's graphics actually do look good, both in game and the menu screens. The fish look so cute right before you chomp down on them! Overall, selFish, to me, is a sleeper puzzle hit. Won't keep you tied down for long but it is a fun distraction.

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Decision Flash Game Review

Link: Decision
Developer: FlyAnvil
Genre: Zombie/Strategy/Shooter
FlashMush Rating: 10/10

Decision is perhaps one of the best zombie shooter/strategy flash games I've played in a while. Maybe since Rebuild 2 came out. The idea is similar but also inherently totally different and comes out to be an amazing package.

I say Decision is similar to Rebuild 2 (and that series in general) due to minor strategic elements placed in Decision. Rebuild 2 is all strategy and managing your army, etc. Decision on the other hand takes the all too fun style of top down arena zombie shooter and then places some easy to implement strategic elements. You see, you are trying to recapture a city (sound familiar?) and to do this you have various missions. You have typical clearing missions where you just clear out a bunch of zombies to make an area safe. But you also have scouting missions and capturing missions where you turn on a generator, defend it for a while, and then you can have either a turret tower or factory (which earns you money). You can then upgrade these towers or factories to give more money or become stronger. On top of this you have the general upgrade system of yourself which is quite expansive. You have four different weapons (not including the starting pistol) which include a shotgun, machine gun, grenades and rocket launcher. Each can be upgraded separates as well as you can upgrade skills such as speed and your defense.

Now, if you are like me, what I just described above already sounds amazing. But wait, it's gets even better. The zombies are actually hard AND interesting. FlyAnvil actually accomplished something so many other developers have not been able to do. Make some interesting changes to the flash zombie dynamics. What am I talking about? Well, one the zombies have fairly good AI but also you have zombies which when shot fall down, wait a little bit, then come back up! Double Tap!! You also have zombies which can pick up items from the environment such as bricks and pipes and throw them at you!

Also worth mentioning is the amount of polish and graphic greatness in Decision. In fact, the graphics for the zombies are recycled from FlyAnvil's other hit game; Insectonator: Zombie Mode which, yes it's recycling, but fits well within the game and it's still FlyAnvil's property. The amount of polish is great, I bring special mention to the intense start menu screen where the guy shoots the zombie in the head. It's the little things that really make a game to me. Overall, Decision is a great game. If you love zombies and love shooters this is a no brainer and you'll be playing this game for the next week to come.

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Simple Motions Flash Game Review

Link: Simple Motions
Developer: Roko0
Genre: Puzzle/Physics
FlashMush Rating: 8/10

Physics can really be boiled down into well...simple motions. And that is exactly what Simple Motions aims to show. You will do all the rolling, jumping, shooting and sinking to this poor red rubber ball that your heart desires.

While puzzle physics are no where near new or unique and Simple Motions isn't really either it does combine a few elements from various games and does create an end result that is fairly different. Basically this new direction is placing little symbols to make the ball do various tasks such as jumping, rolling faster, etc. This creates some very interesting puzzle possibilities as well as a hectic environment.

What also makes Simple Motions one of the best physics puzzles in a while is the amount of polish put into the game. The graphics, while inherently simple, still retain a great deal of polish in both graphics and graphical interface. I will say that there is a lack of levels but hopefully level packs and a sequel or even flash game franchise will come out of it.

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Wacky Wings Flash Game Review

Link: Wacky Wings
Developer: Nsane Hero
Genre: Sports/Racing/Upgrades
FlashMush Rating: 6/10

Wacky Wings? Sound like birds? Superman? Nope, it's planes! Of course it's planes. Wacky Wings is a crazy interpretation of the oh so popular sport of plane racing.

As with any racing game, you pretty much understand the goal. Win the race! The same is with Wacky Wings. It also features typical environmental factors one would expect in a racing game. Namely, boosts. Although, these boosts are really the only environmental factors in Wacky Wings, albeit the course is literally littered with them. In linear trails actually and if you don't follow that trail you lose. Simple as that. An upgrade system is implemented although it is nothing too fancy. Just different airplanes and other flying craft (like U.F.Os and Space Shuttles) but the pricing seems arbitrary and you cannot upgrade boost, turn, etc. like a good upgrade system should feature.

The controls in Wacky Wings aren't that good either. I actually would aptly describe them as...Wacky. The idea is ok. Click the mouse button to go up, release to glide back down. But in practice it just doesn't respond that well and is slow and frankly annoying. Overall, Wacky Wings is not that bad...just nothing special and with so many other racing games out there with better features and controls, it wouldn't be a crime to overlook this one.

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Immortal Souls: Dark Crusade Flash Game Review

Link: Immortal Souls: Dark Crusade
Developer: ComicBookRPGs
Genre: Strategy/RPG
FlashMush Rating: 7/10

Notice that I listed the developer as the site, ComicBookRPGs. Now that is the only name mentioned on the game so I'm assuming it's the developer, but either way it is a perfect way to describe Immortal Souls: Dark Crusade. It is a turn based RPG game with a heavy comic book style. I'm talking about the whole nine yards; panels, graphics, etc.

I must say that turn based RPGs are one of my favorite types of RPG games and Immortal Souls: Dark Crusade does this well. You play as 'John' a young vampire caught in the battle between good and evil (Angels and Demons). Now to be completely honest the storyline at this point is not the best in the world but it gives you an adequate amount to keep you interested. Just don't think about any details. For the turn based part you have three 'classes' you can choose from. Surprisingly they are atypical. You do have the 'warrior' cliché class but also a gambler class and manipulator. These are fairly unique and bring interesting dynamics to the gameplay.

The turn-based battling part plays almost like a Bejewled type puzzle where you have a 4x4 grid of various colors which correspond to different attacks (Martial Arts, Gun, Bat, Vampire, etc.) as well as healing and shields. Enemies have sort of a buffer shield that corresponds to one of these colors. That is their weaknesses. Once you break that buffer shied you can then attack and kill them for good. Of course there are power ups you can rank up and utilize. There is also a minor equipment type upgrade system where you can find loot off the dead enemies of better armor/weapons.

Immortal Souls does suffer some pretty bad afflictions. The biggest one being a huge amount of lag. Honestly it's so much lag that I fear most people would get tired of it in one battle, leave, and then never play the game again. I stuck around mainly to write this review but I also really like turn based RPGs and the graphics are absolutely amazing. In fact the graphics is probably what saved this game from tanking any further. Overall, Immortal Souls: Dark Crusade has some great premise and a great look, just needs to work on this terrible lag problem.

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Anaksha Mini Adventures 2: A New Threat Flash Game Review

Link: Anaksha Mini Adventures 2: A New Threat
Developer: Arif Majothi
Genre: Adventure/RPG
FlashMush Rating: 8/10

I love me some good ole' adventure games! They seem to be a dying genre unfortunately. The time needed to make a great environment for an adventure game along with the graphics and other factors that make them so great, takes tons more work than a simple physics puzzle game so it seems developers are taking the more lazy route and over saturating a market with those games when the adventure genre is wide open.

Nonetheless, I digress and I will introduce an extremely long titled game; Anaksha Mini Adventures 2: A New Threat. What is this game all about you may be wondering? At it's core it is basically an object scavenger hunt adventure game. You know the type. Need to find various items for an end goal but need to talk to people to get the item but they want something in return. It turns into a big cycle of meaningless jobs to find random things. While I did just explain it rather sarcastically I must say it is one my favorite sub-genres of flash games and Anaksha Mini Adventures does a great job with it. I won't really say anything else as I do want to avoid spoilers and preserve the virgin gameplay that you deserve.

Further making the Anaksha Mini Adventures such a great series is the graphics and humor. The graphics are typical pixel art but it is done fantastically and the level of detail is outstanding. The humor is spot on. The NPC's dialogues are hilarious, Anaksha's own internal dialogue is as well, and the various items and their descriptions throughout the level environment. Overall, Anaksha Mini Adventures 2: A New Threat is a "new" breath of fresh air in an ever increasing stagnant pool of flash games.

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War of the Web Flash Game Review

Link: War of the Web
Developer: Jiggman
Genre: Management/Strategy/Multiplayer
FlashMush Rating: 7.5/10

Ever think about the main flash game portals and if they were in an actual war with one another? Well, War of the Web just took that thought into reality! And made an extremely unique flash game concept.

You see, in War of the Web, the game plays like the title and my intro paragraph suggest. Different flash game portals are pitted against one another. So depending on where you play, depends on what team you are on. The five different teams are Kongregate (The Kongs), New Grounds (Neo Geo), ArmorGames (Armora), Facebook (F.A.C.E.) and Jiggman (The Jiggs). I find this incredible as it is the first game I've seen that takes a multiplayer concept but makes it site specific and increases camaraderie among like minded portal goers.

The gameplay is simple but confusing as a proper in-game tutorial is lacking. Basically it plays as a time management (can only do a certain amount of moves every minute) strategy game where you build various types of buildings such as barracks, armories, HQs, etc. Which of course do various things. The goal is to then be the first team to send a rocket to Mars but of course you can attack the opponents to steal resources and keep them from reaching Mars. It requires teamwork whether you want to or not and I really like that aspect in a flash game as I feel it's never been done before.

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MobileMush Monday: Fragger App Review

Download Fragger
Developer: Miniclip
Genre: Physics/Puzzle
FlashMush Rating: 7.5/10

Ever want to play a game like Angry Birds but with more explosions? More grenades? Especially frag grenades? Well, luckily Fragger is here to fill that oddly specific void in your app game life.

The comparision of Fragger to Angry Birds is not completely accurate, however. Where in Angry Birds (or games like Ninja Dogs) you are shooting various things to destroy. Fragger, though, you are shooting (well throwing) grenades in order to just kill various enemies and the environments are not completely destructible. The only real similarity is the launches with the variable power and angle aspect. Fragger as a whole is much more strategic. A lot of times you have to throw grenades in very specific places and in a correct order. It all makes sense but it is very linear and strategic rather than just destroy everything!

I do like the strategic element in Fragger but a few things hold it back from being a completely seamless game with no bumps. The launching or throwing aspect is very...glitchy. Not bad enough that it doesn't work but just bad enough that it can be frustrating and in the end is a lot of wasted grenades just testing things out. Also, for a lot of the levels, I get there is a strategic aspect and I get what the goal is supposed to be...but some of the shots are near impossible. Unfairly impossible. Overall though, Fragger is a great game that brings a more explosion-y type gameplay to an overused genre.

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