Mac Games

This game is really weird. Weird an original. Together with Heileen, one of the most original games I’ve been playing recently. And it’s about “girl-power” too!

Your goal in the game is to find out what’s happening in your school (there have been some strange events recently) and to do this you play in a sort of turn-based game, very similar to a board game with a big scrollable map.

You’ll play with a gang of girls, each one with different skills/abilities, and an advancement system typical of RPGs games. You’ll be also able to recruit new members to your town.

Everytime you met an opponent “gang” of girls, you can challenge them in one of various puzzle/skill games, which require different skill, so is important to choose your team member with the highest required skill.

In definitive, a very original game that I recommend anyone trying, you could be surprised even if the theme doesn’t seem particularly attractive to you.

Demo download (about 20mb)

We got the opportunity to beta-test this new game from Tycoon Games. After the success of Summer Session, one of the first (if not the first) shareware dating game available for the mac, they created a new product that while is different from the previous one, is still very original and interesting.

The game see you in the role of Heileen, a 18 years old girl from England, who has been “forced” from his uncle Otto, a prominent merchantman, to follow him on a trip to the New World.

During the trip she meets with old friends (Marie, one of her best friends since childhood) and makes new ones. There’s of course some romance in the game, even if the story is mainly about the relationship between Heileen and Marie first, and Heileen and Lora then.

Lora is one of my favourite character in a game. An ex-prostitute that now is Otto’s mistress, has a “libertine” view, but still has a personality and can really manipulate men (and women) to her will. She often helps Heileen through the game, and one of the finals you can get is with her.

Yes, finals: there are 3 in total, but they’re very long and really make the story different. Based on your action during the game you’ll see one of those 3 finals. I won’t reveal much, even if I must say I was very surprised by one of them…

An interesting innovation is the “quest mode”. Taken from popular RPGs or MMORPGs, the quest system in practice adds subplots to the game. An example, in the beginning you realize how arrogant is Otto and you want to make him embarassed to “get vengeance”. You’ll have to pick the right choices, and if you make it you’ll see a unique scene that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Some quests are simple while other requires lot of work and span over 2-3 chapters.

In definitive a very original game that everyone (except people that can’t stand reading texts/books) should try at least once: I’m sure you’ll get sucked into the story as I was.

Demo download (12 mb)