Flash Game Friday (Bonus Sick Edition): Clarence's Big Chance

My head is full of uck, but that doesn't mean that I can't play and review another flash game.  So, if GemCraft tower defense didn't float your boat: you might enjoy this 16-bit platfromer, Clarence's Big Chance.

You play the hopeless Clarence, who is trying desperately to not be Forever Alone.  You've got a date with a hottie from online, but you need desperately to bathe, dress, and better yourself before you are ready.  It's silly and fun.  Give it a shot!

Flash Game Friday: GemCraft

Have you ever been at work and suddenly realized, "Hey, it's Friday!  I don't want to work, I want to play Flash-based browser games!"  Well, I've got you covered.  Every Friday, I'll review an old favorite, or something new I've stumbled upon; with any luck, you'll be able to enjoy a couple hours of divine pleasure which would ordinarily be wasted on unprofitable boredom.

GemCraft (Chapter 1, Chapter 0, Lost Chapter/Labyrinth)
I don't know who at GenieInABottle.com learned how to number things, but the GemCraft series hasn't been following traditional numbering conventions.  That's okay, because this tower defense game is plenty of fun, no matter which iteration you are enjoying.  Even my husband ended up getting engrossed in the original GemCraft (Chapter 1) back when it first came out.

Like most tower defense games, the objective of these flash-based distractions is defend your home base from ongoing waves of monsters by setting up attacking towers on the path that they travel.  In GemCraft, you give towers functionality by placing gems into them.  Lower leveled gems cost less, but provide less damage.  As you progress with the game, you can make higher level gems, and combine gems (or craft them, shall we say) to form even more powerful attacks.

Gems also have a variety of secondary functions, aside from damage.  Slowing, stunning, or weakening monsters in exchange for high damage rate.  The real fun comes from combining the powers of gems to set up effective strategies. 

As you beat levels, you will gain experience, which allows you to buy upgrades to your crafting skillz, such as they are.  Towers cost less to build, you get more "mana" (the currency of the game) each time you kill a monster, etc.  This introduces more strategies as you continue to play.

Many levels limit you in the types of gems available for you, so you get to work your noggin a fair bit.  Extremely fast monsters might show up on a level in which you don't have access to a slowing gem, or heavily armored targets in an area where you don't have access to armor penetration.  This is a great take on forcing a player to revise his paradigm.  On very few levels will you be able to spam the same uber strategy.  It's fun for a brain tickle, and unique for a flash game!

There's decent replay value as well, as you can try to best previous levels for better scores and more experience.  Some levels only appear if you've completed a level with a high enough score.

The game does plenty of hand-holding, but it's not invasive and easy to skip if you're a grizzled veteran of tower defense games.  If you're completely new, start with Chapter 1, and relax - it's just a game.

The later versions introduce traps and amplifiers, and all sorts of madness.  Chapter 0 is its predecessor, and The Lost Chapter/Labyrinth is the latest released (only recently, at that).  All the games are free to play, though there is additional content for the wealthy among you (okay, not really the wealthy, as it's only a few bucks).