Humble Android Bundle 3

The Humble Indie Bundle has come out with another Android special with four games, plus a fifth one if you beat the average. And this time, I've actually played the games, so I know what I'm talking about!

...Okay, that's not strictly true, but, uh, ahem, anyway.

Fieldrunners is a Tower Defense game! I haven't actually played it, but all Tower Defense games are pretty much the same, so I've played it by proxy. Pretty much. Yeah, totally, yeah. Well, anyway, if you've never played a Tower Defense game, they're usually a fun diversion, so I assume this one is a fun diversion as well. Of course, since you can play zillions of Tower Defense games for free online, they're not exactly in short supply. Still, if you have an Android device, here's one you can take on the go. That's upside.

BIT.TRIP BEAT is a game that I've actually played for real! It's the predecessor to BIT.TRIP RUNNER (which you may remember from a previous Humble Bundle), with a similar audio-visual aesthetic but very different gameplay. And I will heartily endorse it! It's sort of like the unholy lovechild of Pong and Guitar Hero. Sound unusual? Well, it is definitely an unusual game. Little pellets float at you from the right side of the screen, and you move a paddle at the left side to bounce them back. But it's a rhythm game, and bouncing the dots plays notes. If you can hit them, they play a melody. Get a good streak and you'll be rewarded with a brighter, more vibrant, more colorful light show with a richer, deeper melody. If you miss too many dots, the colors start to fade and the music turns back into Atari beeps. It's one of the most original, offbeat, and satisfying gameplay experiences I've had in a while, and at this price point it's a steal. It's even making its exclusive Android and Linux debut through this promotion! This game alone is a reason to buy this bundle.

SpaceChem is another game that I actually played! Uh, well, sort of. Okay, not really. I tried to play it back in the Steam Winter Sale event last year. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Actually, I still don't really know what it is, beyond that it's a puzzle game with some sort of...chemistry theme? Beats me. *shrug*

Uplink is once again a game that I have played. And in this case by "played" I mean "never played". I own it already from a previous Humble Bundle. Uh, I don't know how to play this one either. Supposedly it's a hacking simulator. I have no idea what that means. Don't ask me.

Lastly, Spirits is...okay, this time I'll admit it up front, I've never played this game, I don't own it, and this bundle is the first time I've ever heard of it. But I did watch the trailer, and it looks like a Lemmings-style game. You know, like where you have a bunch of little dudes walking around and you have to get them to the exit? Puzzly-thinky sort of genre. The visuals look gorgeous, though, I gotta say. This is the beat-the-average game, though, so its price point is relatively high. Right now the average is like $6, so in order to get this game you're paying around $5 extra, which is actually more than it costs to buy it normally. (It's only $3 on Google Play.)


My advice: Buy this bundle. If only for Bit.Trip Beat. Even if you only pay less than a dollar, whatever, toss some spare change at them and pick up at least one great game.

I already own Bit.Trip Beat, Uplink, and SpaceChem; I'll probably never play Fieldrunners. However, I'm still throwing a few pennies at this bundle on the off chance I get an Android device at some point in the future. This could be my only chance to get sweet, sweet Bit.Trips on the go. I won't pass that up!