Universities, good for more than just simple education. Hello Worlds! is the by-product out of the University of Washington, and is a flash game that is very unique, and reasonably damn fun. Granted it doesn't have THAT much replay value, and once you beat every level, there really isn't much else to it...

But my god this game is creative in every way you can imagine, from level design to extra features, it doesn't get much better.

The game puts users in control of.. well there are actually multiple characters to select from, so you can be everything from a turtle to a little dude to a crab, take your pick. Since you start off as a crab, and all characters have the same attributes, I'll just refer to you as a crab. Little crab guy is soooo cute... anyway on to the game.

So, Hello Worlds! is a flash-based [puzzle]/[adventure]/[omfg physics engine] hybrid hosted on Kongregate. It has no enemies in it, there is no REAL time limit on each level, and you can't really die. Sounds easy right? Think again.

Levels start off fairly easy, where your only objective is to get from your spawn to the red door and press the space bar to beat the level. However, along the way there are coins for you to collect, as usual, but the coins aren't essential to beating the level. You see for each level completed you can receive 1-3 stars, with certain levels having a special star that can add another, making the total 4. Stars are awarded for completing the level, collecting all the coins, and completing the level under a certain time. The first 15 levels or so are fairly easy to complete fully the first time through.

However, due to the complex nature of some of the levels, not all are completed that fast. You see... the levels are not as simple as you first think. Each level is comprised of as many as 4 separate screens at once. All environmental factors are always present, so if a wall exists in 1 world, it exists in all of the screens you can see. Pressing the 'C' button will merge all of the worlds so you can see how they interconnect better, however while they are merged you can't move.

Now, various other features play into the game, like green doors. Green doors will close the particular world that you are currently on, removing all of it's environmentals as well as any remaining coins. Often it is essential to collect certain coins in the red door world before closing off a green world door. This is because some platforms are required to get to certain places. However, if you screw up don't worry, there is always a rewind button.

Hold 'V' and you will immediately rewind the actions that had taken place. There is a decent amount of time for the rewind, and it doesn't run out if you use it repeatedly. Some levels make exceptionally good use of it, and others you will find you don't even use the feature.

Now there is a second type of door, it is silver with a hint of yellow in the middle, and these will switch or open new worlds. I personally have never seen a game that features this type of play, and it will be confusing to start for many, once you get used to it tho it is pure genius. Whoever wrote this game was insane one day when he came up with the concept. There are multiple groups of stages, each group having around 6 levels. Certain more advanced groups of levels can only be reached once you have accumulated a certain number of stars... This reminded me of Super Mario 64, where you could only open doors with the right number of stars.

Aside from the par time for each level, there is also a special speed run time that is given. This time is usually VERY fast, much faster than you would think possible, how each time is attainable and will increase your score dramatically

Now, as far as physics, the game is fairly flawless. I mean there is only 1 glitch I encountered that has to do with jumping and closing a world and getting caught in between two dividers... but you can always just rewind and fix the problem. This means that if any bugs do come up... just rewind.

Overall this game is simply amazing. It is a completely new take on puzzle games, and really does deliver a new type of flash game experience, something hard to come by these days. Since the author is said to be updating regularly, it might have some replay value, but once you've gone through every level, it loses it's entertainment a little bit. But trust me, the first 30 minutes is MORE than worth it.

Rating:

Longevity: 2.5/5
Interface: 3.5/5
Addictiveness: 4.0/5
Sound: 4.0/5
Simplicity: 3.5/5

Overall: 3.5/5

Share