Despite a persistent myth to the contrary, Linux users are totally okay with spending some money on programs, especially when it comes to games. And, Ubuntu users are lucky: They don't need to do any cumbersome downloads from project websites or distributors, such as Desura [1]. They can order games directly off the integrated Software Center. As if that were not enough, some of the games are created exclusively for Ubuntu. At the time of writing, you can get, among others, Bit.Trip Beat, a skill game; Fieldrunners, a strategy game; the Psychonauts jump-and-run game; the Splice puzzle game; and the Torchlight role-playing game.

Bit.Trip Beat

In Bit.Trip Beat, the player needs to strike at incoming beats with a paddle. It sounds monotonous and boring, but you soon find yourself breaking a sweat as the beats relentlessly come at you from every angle or change direction midstream (Figure 1). Later, special beats cause the paddle to shrink or split into two, with two parallel streams of beats. Bit.Trip Beat also gradually ups the tempo and increasingly distracts you with its moving outer space background.

Figure 1: In Bit.Trip Beat, you need to repel the speedily oncoming beats (here in yellow) coming from the right. The graphics are more impressive when seen in motion.

Figure 2: Bit.Trip Beat: The bar at the bottom grows with each missed beat. Once it reaches the end, you enter a probationary period.

Fieldrunners

In Fieldrunners, heavily armed villains run from left to right through a small forest clearing. With skillful construction of defense towers (turrets), you try to prevent the scoundrels from reaching the right side of the screen. If more than 20 villains get through, the game is over.

Unfortunately, the enemy arrives in ever-increasing waves, and marching soldiers are later joined by other units such as motorcycles and airplanes. Consequently, you need to build more and more turrets, which you pay for with opponents you shoot down (Figure 3). Other mowed-down opponents provide additional points.

Figure 3: Fieldrunners: Build defense turrets to ward off the approaching red army. The green circle shows the active radius of a turret gun.

Turrets come in four types with different strengths and weaknesses. The machine gun fires only when an opponent is nearby and causes relatively little damage, whereas a rocket launcher has a larger range (Figure 4). The flash generator can maim with electric shocks from the rear, and a slime thrower can slow down the enemy. Ideally, you would use the slime thrower first and then pelt the enemy with rockets from the rear while the machine guns do their job at the front.

Figure 4: Soldiers need to circumvent turrets; helicopters can simply fly straight overhead.

Various game modes provide some variety. You can select different battlefields, such as deserts or icy landscapes. With different terrains come different attacks, with soldiers advancing from other directions. On some maps, you also get different or additional turret types, such as ice streamers. Extended mode provides even more turret types, including flamethrowers. In perpetual game mode, attacks never cease, whereas normal games are usually over after 100 attacks. The three difficulty levels will satisfy beginners, advanced users, and experts.

CONCLUSION: Fieldrunners is a clone of the classic Plants vs. Zombies game [2], although its 3D graphics are more serious and military-looking. Even though it has only relatively few turret types for a strategy game, it still allows for sophisticated tactics. Fieldrunners is easy to learn and the difficulty levels increase at a good rate. Bottom line is that Fieldrunners is a nice tower defense game for short breaks or lunchtime.

CONCLUSION: You need fast fingers and good reaction time for Bit.Trip Beat. If you've seen the game only in photos or videos, you'll hardly believe how motivating and habit-forming it can be. A big factor is the background music that adapts to each game situation. You soon find yourself in infamous "just-one-more-try" mode. Because of its quick transitions to more difficult levels, Bit.Trip Beat can also be a bit frustrating.

Psychonauts

Children with supernatural and paranormal abilities should naturally be encouraged. Many American parents send their gifted kids to specially tailored summer camps for that purpose. In this game, two gaunt secret agents and a slightly overweight military officer turn the little tykes into so-called Psychonauts. These secret agents are then able to invade people's dreams and thoughts.

In this jump-and-run game, the player controls the fate of little Raz, who wants to become a Psychonaut. The player runs and jumps through the thoughts and dream world of various people (Figure 5). At first, there are only a few new psychic abilities to learn, but later he needs to solve the psychological problems of other people and even animals. To top it all off, a monster is said to be in the woods around the summer camp, and a previous camper wants Raz expelled from the camp – the sooner the better. The situation gets hairy as the brains of the other kids and the camp counselors begin to disappear (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Psychonauts: summer camp is deceptively calm.

Figure 5: Most of the time, Raz jumps through dreams and thoughts  – here in those of his trainer. The neon glowing objects are figments of Raz's imagination.

Raz starts learning new skills, such as invisibility and telekinesis, by collecting mirages and postcards laying about. Between trips in people's brains and dream worlds, Raz can talk with other campers, search the woods for items, or stock up with useful tools from the camp store – such as a mental vacuum cleaner that hoovers cobwebs out of thoughts. The abilities and items that Raz achieves help him solve puzzles or fight off enemies.

CONCLUSION: Psychonauts is best described as "wacky." Despite its often comical 3D graphics, the game is not suitable for small children because of its complexity. Nevertheless, Psychonauts is a suspenseful and extremely varied jump-and-run game. The controls are quite tricky; for example, all too often Raz drops in a hole and needs to repeat an action. Fortunately, the reset points are fairly chosen and you can save at intervals.

Splice

In the Splice puzzle game, the player gazes through a microscope at a small cluster of cells. The chained cells need to be arranged into a blueprint (Figure 7). To do this, you click one of the cells, separate it from the rest, and paste it onto another cell (Figure 8). Unfortunately, each end of the cell can attach itself to two other cells only. Moreover, the number of splicing possibilities is limited, forcing you to separate large pieces and move them as a unit. Later in the game, nasty things turn up, such as explosive cells. If you've messed up, you can undo a move with the mouse wheel, or you can restart the level with the spacebar.

Figure 7: In Splice, you need to move the node-like microbes into the white-bordered positions. To do so, …

Figure 8: …grab one cell with the mouse and drag it along with the attached cells to another location. The white circle shows the mouse pointer.

If you've organized one bunch of cells successfully, you can continue with a more complicated group. If you use fewer mouse clicks than suggested, you get a small reward. In this way, Splice motivates you to take up previously played puzzles again. The game provides as many as 49 puzzles, separated into seven groups. Accomplished players can open especially difficult bonus puzzles.

CONCLUSION: Hidden behind the minimalist graphics of Splice is an extremely crisp puzzle game. Because the documentation has been kept deliberately sparse, it's left up to the player to experiment.

The difficulty levels increase gradually but steadily – you might have to tackle a puzzle multiple times before a solution emerges. Splice is thus aimed toward tinkerers who want to flex their own brain cells from time to time.

Splice (continued)

Torchlight

Three years after the Windows version, Ubuntu users can now enjoy the Torchlight action role-playing game. In the game, players control a nameless hero who explores the town of Torchlight and its extensive shafts and mines.

Under Torchlight are numerous winding mine shafts with large deposits of Ember, the ore that provides all the magic. Unfortunately, overzealous miners frequently run into old mines from which vicious creatures surface (Figure 9). Valuable treasures also add to the adventure. Among these, is the magician Alric, who has been missing since ancient times. Thus, his distressed student Syl puts the player on a quest. Every game starts at a random place and no two games are alike.

Figure 9: Unlike many other role-playing games, the Torchlight graphics are colorful and somewhat comical.

Initially, the player needs to create an alter ego. You can choose from three different character classes, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Destroyer is a good and strong fighter up close, but the Vanquisher shoots better from afar and is particularly adept at setting traps for its opponents. The Alchemist evokes magic and an entire army of robots when needed. Additionally, each hero has a wolf or lynx nearby. The little animal companion fights actively alongside the hero, carries items for him, casts its own spells, sells items in town as requested, and transforms itself into a strong, battle-capable creature when fed with fish. The hero gains experience points throughout the games with which you can improve his strength, dexterity, magic, and defense. Each hero also has special abilities that you can improve and extend in different ways.

The caves contain countless items to be captured and collected. Trinkets include weapons, armor, and magic potions, scrolls with magical incantations, and, of course, gold. Each object has its own qualities: Worn armor can take fewer hits than brand new armor. The town of Torchlight acts as the trading center on the surface. You can sell your loot or buy better items there (Figure 10). A few residents have lucrative side jobs.

Figure 10: The peaceful town of Torchlight provides its residents with goods and services.

Figure 11: Torchlight includes countless objects to capture with different properties.

CONCLUSION: If you enjoyed Diablo [3], the game that inspired Torchlight, you'll also like Torchlight. The controls have been deliberately kept simple: A mouse-click is all you need for the hero to thrash an enemy or collect an item. Collecting items and giving the hero specialized skills becomes addictive, and the difficulty levels increase appropriately. However, it might take some time to get used to the somewhat overloaded user interface. Bottom line is that Torchlight is just the right thing for a long winter or rainy spring day.