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This entry may seem a little light (might Q stand for “quickie”?), but let’s first go over a few possible explanations as to why. Aside from my recent travels, Red Dead Redemption saddled up this week, which has killed productively in areas such as writing columns and sleeping. Also, it’s the freaking letter Q -- not quite the English alphabet’s go-to consonant for naming conventions. Finally, Lost; that impending finale has something to do with this, I just know it....
Here’s the thing, though. Even with limited time and a frustrating search (Xbox Live, PSN, and WiiWare all underwhelmed, and quality PC entries were scarce), I was able to find a couple games that I thoroughly enjoyed. The festivities kick it off with a delightful platformer...well, “delightful” may be the wrong word, as you’ll see in a sec.Q:
Queens (Browser, free)
I stumbled upon this one at Play This Thing and realized I had heard of this tragic tale before (not sure where). Regardless, I’m glad I rediscovered it. Queens is a quick game -- it might take you all of 10 minutes to beat -- with a simple control setup: You just move and jump.
The brief adventure starts with a king pushing your character, the titular queen, into a dungeon. You then try to escape said predicament by utilizing the time-tested method of jumping on/among/around platforms. The straightforward setup, though, don’t make for an easy game. Although it’s only four screens deep, this adventure has some teeth to it.
Part of the sick charm is that you get one shot at success with your queen. Die, and the king just drops in another unlucky lass. I took control of Queen Wenhaver then Queen Lynessa then Queen Ysane then Queen Thangustella and finally Queen Atilda in a matter of moments -- each with her own gown, hair, and, I imagine, chutzpah -- who lived noble virtual lives until my meddling keyboard commands couldn’t help them dodge that falling stalactite.
Eventually, you’ll memorize just where to jump and when to stop short as you triumph over that repressive sadist. As it goes with many enjoyable adventures, however, even when you’re done, it’s hard not to respin that medieval Madden name generator for one more go.
qrp (PC, free)
While I’d classify Queens as a traditional video game, qrp most assuredly is not. It’s more artsy, sure, and while some will be tempted to call it interactive fiction, for obvious literal reasons (although interactive nonfiction would be more accurate), it’s easier to call it an experience.
You take control of a come-to-life stick figure on a page of text, with the simple goal of chasing around your female counterparts. On his website, creator Sean "th15" Chan says qrp “is about daydreaming about girls in class. It's a simple expression of how I felt as a silly little boy going through school.”
And it certainly has a daydreamy feel, as The Carpenters’ “(They Long to Be) Close to You” provides the soothing MIDI soundtrack as you traipse through sentences and paragraphs on your fruitless pursuit of the opposite stick-figure sex. It actually makes me think of The Simpsons, specifically, the flashback episodes of Homer and Marge discovering that sticky thing called love. Awww.
So is it a game? That doesn’t really matter. It’s charming and entertaining, and it will certainly lodge itself in my mind longer than another average platformer.
And that brings Q to a close. This entry was particularly enjoyable, and the best part is, it’s easy to play along at home. Take 15 minutes, and you too can play through both games and let them fester in your mind for a bit. Let me know what you think qrp is/represents below, as well as just how many queens it took you to break free. Maybe together we can figure out just what Q stands for: “quaint,” “quality,” “Quaaludes”?
Until next time.Previous entries:
