Puzzle

Sometimes games are actually released earlier than expected. Such is the case for Trine, the long awaited downloadable fantasy themed action-puzzle game from developer Frozenbyte. While the game was supposed to be released tomorrow for the PC, the full version of the game is now available to download via Steam right now.

As we mentioned earlier this week, the Steam version of Trine costs $29.99, which is $10 more than the Playstation 3 downloadable version (that port has yet to be released as of this writing). Of course if you were smart you would have pre-ordered the game via Steam and gotten a $9.99 title from Frozenbyte for free (Shadowgrounds). You can download a free demo right here at Big Download to see if you think Trine might be worth the extra $10.

We've seen this before with downloadable games that get released on multiple platforms and it's apparently happening again with the upcoming action-puzzle game Trine. The title from developer Frozenbyte is currently available for pre-order for $29.99 via Steam but according to Shacknews the game will sell for just $20 when it's released for the Playstation 3's downloadable game service.

To be fair, the Steam pre-order does include a free download of Frozenbyte's first title Shadowgrounds (a $9.99 value) but apparently the PC version of Trine is being sold in Europe and in other digital download outlets for $40 with no such free game offered. One of the game's developers made a post on the Frozenbyte web site defending the PC price, stating, " . . . we are very confident that we can deliver a full retail experience with Trine (hence PC version is sold in retail also for approx 35 to 40 eur/usd!)". Trine is expected to be released via download for the PC sometime in July with a retail version from Southpeak Games coming later that same month. In the meantime you can check out a demo of the game at Big Download.

Frozenbyte's upcoming action-puzzle game Trine had a couple of news announcements this week; one was that it found a retail game publisher in Southpeak Games and the other being the release of a playable demo. Now comes word that Trine can be pre-ordered via Steam with a special bonus to go with the purchase.

If you put down your well earned $30 to buy the game you can download and play Frozenbyte's first game Shadowgrounds immediately for free. The $9.99 title is still a rather entertaining and old fashioned top down third person sci-fi shooter but far different than the fantasy action-puzzle game that Trine is going to be when it's released next month.

This is the playable demo for Trine, the 3-player cooperative game that lets players solve physics-based puzzles together using different character types.

"Trine is a physics-based action game where three characters allow clever solutions to challenges created by hazardous puzzles and threatening enemies. The gameplay is based on fully interactive physics - each character's different abilities and tactics can be used to invent new ways to overcome obstacles and save the kingdom!"

Download Trine Demo (460 MB)
Check out all Trine downloads

Several months ago the word got out on Trine, a unique looking and playing game from developer Frozenbyte. Now Southpeak Games has announced they will be the publishers for the PC version of the game and is set to release Trine sometime this summer.

As we have reported before, Trine is a fantasy themed game with some unique co-op gameplay features. Three different playable characters (the Warrior, the Wizard, and the Thief) have to combine their special abilities to solve puzzles as well as defeat enemies. There's no word yet on a more specific release date for the game nor a price point.

There's a never-ending glut of puzzle games, thanks to the human mind's natural tendency to drift towards things that challenge it. Not only that, but it is a limitless field of potential. This is no less true in any game competition, and for TOJam 4, one of the excellent entries was the short, but sweet, Bloat. Requiring fast reflexes and fast thinking, it has a ton of potential thanks to its simple but rewarding gameplay.

Bloat revolves around little guys that wander back and forth. You can change their size, and even their position, by clicking on them and dragging up and down. Bigger bloats will eat smaller bloats, and if done right, the big bloat will poop the small bloat as money. If done incorrectly, however (IE the wrong color bloat eats another bloat), then you lose money. All you must do is reach the specified ending amount, and you pass on to the next level. With multiple platforms, teleporters that change the size of your bloats, and tubes that only small bloats can use, things rapidly become complex and frantic. It's incredibly fun, and worth the ten minutes or so it takes to finish.

Sometimes unusual games are the most addicting. In this case, the game in question is Penguin Cow Tipping, an entry into the TOJam 4 competition. Penguin Cow Tipping revolves around just that: tipping cows with penguins. And while the atmosphere is bizarre, and the controls a little screwy (why can't I use the mouse?), the gameplay is simple and sublime and reeks heavily of classic puzzle games like Chu Chu Rocket.

Penguin Cow Tipping is a grid-based puzzle game that almost any fan of the genre will recognize immediately. Given a bunch of penguins, you must lay rotation pieces to lead them to their target. In this particular case, you must lead eight penguins to the cows, in order to tip them. It's all portrayed in simple 3D graphics with adorable little noises. It definitely has potential, and we'd love to see more!

This patch for Flock!, the phsyics based puzzle game featuring farm animals and flying saucers, updates the game to v1.03. It installs a number for new features to improve the game. Continue reading after the jump for a run down of what the patch provides.

Download Flock! v1.03 Patch (18 MB)
Download Flock! Demo (77 MB)Check out all Flock! downloads

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

There were quite a few impressive games to come out of the Commonplace Book competition at TIGSource. Experiences such as Verge or The Clatter of the Keys were all quite good, even if they weren't particularly scary. The one game that really captures the Lovecraftian style of horror out of the whole competition, however, is Eversion. Mixing disturbing imagery, excellent use of music, and a combination of puzzle and platformer gameplay, it is definitely the scariest game of the competition by far. You'll be hard pressed not to have shivers run up your spine while playing Eversion.

This is the official soundtrack to FLOCK!, the casual physics-based puzzle game where players use flying saucers to herd animals back to the mothership (or Motherflocker, as the game calls it). Now you can enjoy the sounds of flocking wherever you go. Capcom and developers Proper Games made the soundtrack available in OGG file format, which requires a codec to be installed in order to play in Windows Media Player or iTunes. We've taken the liberty of converting the files to 320 Kbps MP3 files and offering them as an alternative to installing a codec. The FLOCK! game demo can be downloaded here.

Download FLOCK! Original Game Soundtrack [OGG] (46 MB)
Download FLOCK! Original Game Soundtrack [MP3] (58 MB)
Download teh FLOCK! Demo (77 MB)
Check out all FLOCK! downloads

For those interested in the award-winning indie platformer And Yet It Moves, here's some good news: the developers have permanently lowered the price down to $9.99 USD. This move was foreshadowed by a sale on Greenhouse a month ago, but it appears that this price is now and forever. And 10 dollars is a pretty cheap price for a game of And Yet It Moves' caliber.

For those wondering what And Yet It Moves is about, think of scrapbooking. Now think of being stuck in a scrapbook world, forever caught inside a paper collage which you can jump around in. Then toss in the ability to rotate the world however you want. This is the premise of And Yet It Moves, and with the level of visual and mechanical creativity at work, there's no wonder it garnered awards in the 2007 Independent Games Festival.

One of the most nostalgic and entertaining indie games in recent memory, Crayon Physics Deluxe, has finally been released through Steam. An excellent physics-based puzzle game, Crayon Physics deluxe won the grand prize at the Independent Games Festival in 2008 through its clever mechanics (drawing shapes that are acted upon by real physics), quirky style, and excellent puzzles. You can also purchase the game through the developer's website. There is also a demo available through Steam or the developer's website, as well as here on Big Download.

Download the Crayon Physics Deluxe demo right here on Big Download! (25 MB)

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

Competitions often yield the best freeware games that one can find. For example, the incredible Dyson got its start last year as a part of a procedural generation game competition. Since then, it has exploded outwards into a full game that was a finalist in the Independent Games Festival and will be released on Steam soon. Mind Wall is one of these kind of games. An incredibly simple puzzler that was submitted to the Ludum Dare 14 competition, it has a lot of potential to evolve into something much, much more, given some extra work on extending the gameplay and a nice polishing. For this reason is Mind Wall featured on Freeware Friday. Not because it is especially polished or amazing, but because the core gameplay concept is so intriguing that it bears further investigation.

Puzzle Kingdoms is created by the same company that developed the Puzzle Quest games, and this game has a lot in common with the series. However, Puzzle Kingdoms allows players to recruit armies to march into battle. The game is available for purchase now. Continue reading after the jump for system requirements.

"Puzzle Kingdoms challenges players to plan out strategic attacks in order to defeat their opponents. Order troops across the map, conquering cities through innovative puzzle gameplay. Players build and manage armies led by heroic commanders to save the world of Etheria from the brink of destruction. By matching corresponding gems on the game board, players will both inflict damage on enemy forces while building mana that can be used to perform devastating attacks that will cripple their opponents."

Download Puzzle Kingdoms Demo (143 MB)

This is the official demo for Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch, a casual puzzle adventure game developed by MumboJumbo.

"When Samantha's new benefactor asks her to track down Alexander the Great's Scroll of Wealth, the opportunity seems too be good to be true-searching for the scroll while collecting amazing finds for the Museum of Secrets Lost! Little does she know that a secret brotherhood is watching her every move and that she'll have to do a lot more digging to find the true treasure."

Download Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch Demo (157 MB)

Also check out:
Samantha Swift and the Hidden Roses of Athena Demo (110 MB)