Reviews

Activate the Three Artefacts and then Leave

Simplicity is beauty. However, Activate the Three Artefacts (sic) and then Leave takes this concept to a whole new level. The game places you inside a world filled with various lines that form and create optical illusions. Your objective is to find and activate three objects so you can escape from this chaotic world of mazes. Although it might seem like a simple game, it will definitely drive you to your wits end. Developed by Increpare Games, the game incorporates a mindnumbing maze, ambient sounds and a wickedly sinister gameplay. Give your puzzle solving skills a good exercise by playing this crazy but entertaining game.

Plastic Evolution: At a wooden desk

Plastic Evolution's At a Wooden Desk is a dreamy, indie acoustic/electric guitar infused album. Plastic Evolution is a one man band from Nijmegen, Netherlands. As much as I'd love to tell you who he is, it seems that he's keeping that a secret. After several attempts at Google, all I could come up with is that he uses Gerben/Gnoeben as username on Last FM. I guess we can just settle with calling him Plastic Evolution for now. The musician creates indie lo-fi, alternative tracks right in the comfort of his bedroom. His album contains 6 tracks that are filled with sincere yet barely there vocals along with a great blend of samples, acoustic and electric guitars as well as a trippy mood. The album is available as a free download under a creative commons license. Go ahead and download it here in Frostclick as well.

Secret Knives’ Affection

New Zealand based record label, A Low Hum, presents this cool, soothing indie pop rock feast. The Secret Knives is a quartet that's led by self-confessed perfectionist, Ash Smith. The band creates wonderfully soothing tracks that include nervous but beautiful vocals, perfect harmonies and awesome atmosphere. Affection is the group's latest record. According to Smith, the sound is a lot like their debut EP (The Wolves) only "...more layered and there’s more diversity amongst the tracks. There are some bits that sound kind of like Slowdive, or maybe Ride...) The record compiles 11 cuts that showcases shoegazer guitar soundscapes. A compilation filled with gorgeous catchy melodies and dreamy, swirling indie pop.

Cygnus

If you think that a game with a bunch of colorful lines doesn't deserve to be called a "game" at all, then Cygnus just might change all that. Now, in a world where competing for realism is what sells most video games, Cygnus attempts to stand apart. This deceptively simple game will actually give you quite a good challenge. In the game, you are left to maneuver a ship that has no means of offense. You are basically in pursuit of what I presume to be another ship that's colored in red. You cannot fight or shoot down anything since you don't have any weapons. The one thing that you can do, though is simply maneuver, rotate or thrust your way down the goal. Think you can breeze through this game? Give it a go.

The Shark Bubbles: Necktie Troublespot

Call it noise rock, psychedelic electronic dance pop or indie spacerock, whatever it is, Necktie Troublespot by The Shark Bubbles is, well, something else. This German band's music has been likened to those of great rockers The Velvet Underground, and it's not just the Nico-esque female vocals we're talking about. Necktie Troublespot is an eclectic album filled with uncharacteristic song arrangements, diverse instrument work and music that appeals to your senses.

Robotz DX

Combine old school graphics and some basic shooter gameplay and you get a retro looking shooter game in the form of Robotz DX. True to most retro shooter games, this one is incredibly difficult to master. All 30 levels will give you a good run for your money as you go through each stage. Initially based on an Atari game, Robotz; this game is new and improved yet retains the old school touch quite awesomely. Remade by Josh Monkman, the game beautifully captures the feel and gameplay of the original. Retaining some of the essential elements while adding a more updated look to capture the hearts of modern gamers. It's no joke that the game is difficult to beat so gather up patience and a lot of free time before diving in.

Teleflorists: Full

The Teleflorists are as shoegazer rock n' rollers as they come. Released a couple of years back, this 2008 EP contains 5 tracks that are decidedly alternative post indie noise nowave. Although the quality of the live recording can easily be dismissed as unimpressive, this recording does contain several tracks to love and like. Full is an album that any noise shoegaze punk rocker will enjoy playing loud and proud.

yWriter

If you ever had trouble writing and organizing your novel, you might need some helping hand. yWriter is an easy to use software that helps you organize your writing according to scenes and chapters. It allows you to work on specific points of your novel to easily achieve your goal. yWriter was written by Simon Haynes, a writer and programmer, to help him with his needs as an author. The program is continually being expanded as he takes in comments and suggestions from fellow novelists.