Wednesday, December 4, 2013

An Adorable Head-Scratcher [Golden Scarabaeus Review + Guide]

           It's not so often you find a diamond in the rough, or rather, a golden scarab. So there I am right, the middle of new game no-man's-land, and I spot this little guy. Yeah, that's right, that guy right there to the left. The kind of creepy but seemingly cute cube. I was kind of drawn in by the Flash-Cartoon art style and decided to check this game out. Let me just say that if you don't know how to whistle you're going to have a real bad time. This adorable physics puzzle game, Golden Scarabaeus by adgard will have you drawn in with it's head-scratching game-play, catchy music, and cute art-style. Put your puzzle skills to the test in the 28 levels this game has to offer.
          I really enjoy what Golden Scarabaeus brings to the puzzle-physics game table overall. The game-play itself is very relaxing and enjoyable while still providing a new and exciting challenge. You progressively learn new things about the game as you go and each level brings a new challenge. Some levels will need to be thought out ahead of time while others will rely heavily upon your general reaction speed. The way the game-play is introduced is also done quite interestingly- there aren't any written instructions for the game, but rather arrows that indicate what you should be clicking on for the earlier levels. This creates a very fluent and easy to follow learning curve as the game progresses.

          You either love it or hate it, but I found myself whistling along to this for the 50+ times I heard the game's main tune. It's a shame, but the game actually received quite a few one-star ratings because the mute button was broken upon release. I can just see their reaction, especially if they're not as fond of the music as I am-- "M-make it stop..... p-p-please... I b-beg of you.... *twitches". You don't like the music, just mute it!- Although I would appreciate it if you were able to mute the music, but not the sound effects.
          As I mentioned early, the thing that really drew me into playing this game was the artwork. Something about that cute, hand-drawn flash art-style always gets me. Getting to move these goofy looking cubes with missing teeth around is always fun too. I think the developer also did an excellent job with the backgrounds for levels, which many people tend to overlook. It really adds to that desert-y feel you get when playing this game.
          I personally loved this game and would give it a strong 4/5 as a rating. The game-play is quite enjoyable- it really has atmosphere to it, between the art and the music as well. This is definitely a game I would would recommend to a friend looking for a new puzzle game to check out.

Walkthrough: All Levels 1-28

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