Eight free video games accessible to all

THE MORNING LIST

Free video games are dominated by essential multiplayer titles, Fortnite, Roblox, Counter-Strike 2, Genshin Impact, League of Legends or more recently The Finals. But there are others. Games designed in a more artisanal way by small teams and whose audience is generally reduced to niche enthusiasts. Often short, some of these experiences nevertheless demonstrate undeniable know-how, even striking originality. The Pixels service of World has immersed itself in the many releases at the start of 2024 and shares its favorites with you.

Contemplation

“Please, Touch the Artwork 2”: praise of the painter James Ensor

Brussels video game creator Thomas Waterzooi pays vibrant tribute to Ostend painter James Ensor, whose 75th death anniversary is being celebrated. The paintings of the Flemish master, whose work prefigures surrealism and expressionism, become a playground for hidden object search games. From painting to painting, we meet colorful characters, who charge us with various missions: a smoking duck looking for matches or a soldier in ceremonial dress with enormous mustaches. A game at the service of art, and vice versa.

“Sheepy: A Short Adventure”: praise for brevity

The year 2023 has put the spotlight on long games: it takes more than sixty hours to complete Baldur’s Gate III Or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. If you don’t have time, Sheepy is an ideal solution: this narrative platform game only lasts a little over an hour but is rich in sensations. An adorable character who has surprising powers, a universe with a neat 16-bit aesthetic, inspired music, ingenious combat… This little sheep has everything of a big one.

Reflection

“Doronko Wanko”: praise of dirt

Impossible to remember the title of this Japanese game. On the other hand, its main character is unforgettable: he is a Pomeranian. kawaii and diabolical. His only motivation is to ransack his masters’ luxurious and immaculate home. We start with simple muddy paw prints on the carpet. Then come the ink, the red wine, the fuel oil, the paint gun… The puppy must find a way to amplify the damage to reveal, thanks to the dirt, twelve hidden badges. Regressive from the first minutes but a bit repetitive after the hour required to get through it. Before you get started, if you don’t speak Japanese, be sure to also watch a tutorial to switch the base language of the game to English.

“20 Small Mazes”: praise of the labyrinth

Undergrounds of Colossal Cave (1975) to the paranormal mazes ofAlan Wake 2 (2023), video games never really get tired of mazes. 20 Small Maze brings a modest but solid stone to the building. The developer FLEB succeeds in reinterpreting in an inventive way the very classic maze that we made as children on sheets of paper. Each of the twenty mini-games is spiced up with a unique playful motif, whether it be unexpected teleports or the obligation to manipulate the maze itself in a constrained space. We pulled our hair out over at least two of them.

Action

“Level Devil: NOT a Troll Game”: praise of the troll

The unspoken rule of platform games is that it is the player who rushes towards obstacles, even if it means dying if he hits an opponent or fails to cross a precipice. Level Devil does the opposite. Along the way, a chasm appears and rushes towards our character. Death, let’s start again. It’s up to us to thwart each vicious trap set by the developer. Naughty but clever, this title is as short and full-bodied as an espresso taken on the bar-PMU bar.

“Vroomies”: praise of minimalism

With its rudimentary shaped vehicles, Vroomies announces the color: it is closer to video games from the 1980s than to Gran Turismo. In a circuit seen from above, the driver you play must steer your vehicle onto the tarmac. To do this, simply swipe, at the appropriate moment, the screen in the direction the track is taking. In this way, this title is more of a rhythm game than of the Formula 1 race which serves as its universe. Even if we are far from the cockpit of a real pilot, Vroomies disheveled.

“Pizza Hero”: praise of pineapple on pizzas

Pizza Hero fits into the ever-expanding galaxy of clones of Vampire Survivors (2022) – but let’s not forget that he himself didn’t invent much. If he doesn’t reinvent the pizza roulette either, Pizza Hero stands out for its original premise and some delicious variations on this concept: we play a slice of pizza which must escape hundreds of monsters who try to eat it. Improving your garnish (missile mushrooms, burrata that crushes everything in its path, etc.) using experience points is the only way to survive here.

“F-Zero 99”: praise of the multitude

Even if it is a bit older and above all less artisanal than the other games in this selection, F-Zero 99, developed by Nintendo and released at the end of summer 2023, had to be included in this selection, which would otherwise have lacked games for the Switch console. In this multiplayer version of the racing game initially released on Super Nintendo in 1990, you have to compete against 98 other drivers in supercharged races where anything goes. Please note, to have access to it, you must be a subscriber to the Nintendo Switch Online service.