We can't get enough bank holidays here in the UK, and if you feel like spending your weekend hunched over your computer playing browser games, then boy have you come to the right place. This week is all about giant snakes – as all good weeks should be – but we also found the time to fit in a samurai duelling title, a retro platformer, one good joke, and a peaceful game that takes a leaf out of Wind Waker's book. Enjoy!
Snaaaake! by Fernando Ramallo and Miguel Angel Perez Martinez
Despite the Metal Gear Solid reference, this unfortunately doesn't feature Konami's sandpaper-voiced steath expert, but rather a giant snake with murder on the mind. Actually, that might be even better. Snaaaake imagines what would happen if the Snake from Snake escaped the bounds of your old Nokia, and began to terrorise the world. You play as the titular Snaaaake, smashing up domiciles and splatting civilians on your mission to... well, to smash up domiciles and splat civilians. Probably in revenge for killing him so many times on their mobile phones. The best bit, however, is your ability to constrict and destroy buildings, by wrapping yourself around them and pressing Spacebar.
Leaf Me Alone by Mark Foster and David Fenn
I feel the puntastic title detracts from the game a little, but this is nevertheless a charming, serene, slick and quite lovely platformer that reminds me of Fez and Wind Waker. As with the objectively best Zelda title, Mark Foster and David Fenn's minimalist metroidvania gives you a sort of leaf parachute to play around with, something that's quickly put to use in a series of satisfying platforming puzzles. Wonderful stuff. (Via Free Indie Games )
You Were Hallucinating The Whole Time by Darius Kazemi
YWHTWT lasts just long enough to explore its one joke without labouring the point, so I'll be similarly brief: this snotty little artcade game made me laugh, and that's not something I get to say very often. (Via Free Indie Games )
Steel Novella 2083 by Folmer Kelly
I'm not sure platformers can get much shorter than Folmer Kelly's Steel Novella, though it is quite satisfying to complete an entire game in the time it takes to make a cup of tea. It's not particularly challenging either, but if you're after a quick blast of Mega Man-style platforming, you could do a lot worse. Really, I'm just a sucker for the combination of cleanly minimalist pixel art and a nifty scanline visual effect – is that so wrong?
Bladeless by Kidevil
I tend to get a bit excited whenever a game recalls the elegant, merciless combat of Square's classic Bushido Blade, so Kidevil's brutally quick fighting game is right up my street. Set on a 2D plane, Bladeless pits you against a series of samurai, who can turn you into chopped liver within a couple of moves. Success depends on your ability to block at the right moment, and at the right height, though this is made (slightly) easier by your opponent's eyes drifting to their intended target. However, even with that small concession, Bladeless offers a gratifyingly challenging set of samurai duels. How far can you get? (Via IndieGames )
