This Week's Waste of Time

Unless you're one of the developers who created one of the 1400 games for Ludum Dare 23, you might not know that the defining rule of the competition is the 48-hour time limit. The theme: tiny worlds. Amongst the chaff, this is where you find those kernels of brilliance that the big boys use in their next game. Here are a few I've found or were recommended:

Microscopia
Probably my favorite of the bunch, this minimalist take on Where's Waldo? has players looking into a virtual microscope at a few or a bunch of identical germs. You control one of them, and it's up to you to figure out which one. The difficulty ramps up quickly and I wished there had been a level-reset function in a few places, but Microscopia is an interesting puzzle that the author will hopefully flesh out and polish. That last party sounded dirty, sorry.

T in Y World
You're the letter "T" trying to find her way to the letter "Y." You'll encounter consonants, vowels, and a few numbers and symbols along the way that help and hinder your progress. The game's creation tool isn't terribly user friendly, but the very inclusion of such a tool in something made in 48 hours is worth checking out.

Sirus the Virus
It's a platformer that's freaking difficult. A loose ripoff from Give up, Robot.

Exposed
Probably one of the most polished entries, even if it is only a point and click game. The way I interpret the game, you are a hipster intern at a laboratory researching evolution and mutation. Or something like that. Trial and error is all there is to it, but the process is enjoyable nonetheless.

Appy 1000MG
I've seen this kind of needle-point pixilation art style a few too many times lately, but it still makes for a charming ambiance. That plus a story about robot drug addiction, you really can't go wrong. Should take about 10 minutes to complete.

A Super Mario Summary
Pretty much what it sounds like: Each level of SMB is shrunk down to one screen. Collect all the coins and reach the top of the flag pole for extra points. It's a cute idea and surprisingly difficult toward the end, but it really makes you appreciate the perfect jumping mechanic of the original.