Game Review: Grid 16
by Porter on Aug.05, 2009, under Flash Industry, Game Reviews
Grid 16
Grid 16 is a rather under-appreciated flash game that not enough people know about. It offers some intense gaming moments and a unique twist on classic games that is sure to entertain anyone who takes the time to check it out. Simple controls, visuals, and goals, make this the perfect game to pick up and play on a lunch break.
Grid 16 plays in a very unique way, it’s actually 16 mini games tossed together to form one large game. The game will randomly jump between games after a set amount of time, and as you last longer, the speed at which the games are played increases. If you lose at a game, it takes it out of the 16 games you can play, and you’re left with the remaining games until there are none left. As speed increases and you get better at the games, so do the intense gamer moments that have you on the edge of your seat.
The strongest characteristic of Grid 16 is it’s casual gameplay. The ability to jump in and instantly play 16 mini games in just a few minutes gives a perfect experience for many casual gamers. Aside from the simple controls that are easy to pick up and get the hang of, all 16 games resemble basic mechanics seen in games time and time again, so players can instantly relate to what’s going on within seconds of seeing the game. It isn’t easy by any means, so competitive gamers get a challenge as well through the high score boards. Aside from it’s casual gameplay, the concept of flying between 16 different games at a face pace is entertaining in itself; it’s a unique gameplay mechanic that very few other games offer. A few other games such as Four Second Frenzy and Four Second Fury have used the same concept, but Grid 16 takes it a step higher with the increased speed mechanic and a few other minor tweaks.
As far as fast paced mini games go, Grid 16 is basically the best choice out there. It’s addicting, unique, and most important, entertaining. It doesn’t have all that much depth, but if you insist on getting on the high score boards you’ll have quite the task in front of you. If you find yourself reading this and you haven’t checked it out yet, give Grid 16 a play and help spread this under-appreciated flash gem.
October 3rd, 2009 on 8:05 am
This game is great! I had a very similar game I recorded in my ‘game idea list’ file quite a few months ago that I never got around to implementing (my loss) that is almost identical to this, so much so it is uncanny.
Of course this idea comes about organically after playing so many of the warioware style ‘quick’ games out there being explored in countless fashion. It is always nice to see how another developer choose to implement a similar mechanic though and there is always room for further tweaks and twists.
I like how they choose to do the game switching. I found that rather graceful in practice and was a lot of the fun zooming around between active games.
One thing I was curious about was how they would handle when you got down to one game left and I found that the only part that was really clunky with it becoming quite awkward as it repeatedly switched back to the same single game left. They should have just let the time ramp up and keep it from thrashing. Just a minor nit pick though. Overall a really enjoyable and fun game!
ps – Glad you picked a less harsh color.. I realized as I was reading that my eyes weren’t straining and then I suddenly realized you changed the text color!