A few weeks ago we covered the launch of a new casual title called The Linguist. Developed by player1games, this tranquil puzzler leans into the soothing nature of word games. Not only does it give you multiple modes and puzzles …
A few weeks ago we covered the launch of a new casual title called The Linguist.
Developed by player1games, this tranquil puzzler leans into the soothing nature of word games. Not only does it give you multiple modes and puzzles to work your way through, but it ties your progress to the cultivation of a zen garden.
And there’s nothing chiller than a zen garden.
We were so impressed by player1games’s contribution to the genre that we decided to take a look into the studio’s back catalogue. Unsurprisingly, we found a few gems.
Founded in 2015, player1games is a small, agile studio whose modest team boasts an absolute ton of experience.
Chris Miller, the CEO, has been working in the games industry for more than 20 years. During that time he has filled every job vacancy imaginable, including QA tester, developer, publisher, designer, and more.
His co-founder and CTO Curt Becker is a professional of equally long standing. He has a PhD and the unique distinction of having designed helicopter PVI systems for NASA.
In contrast with many plucky developers trying to carve a niche for themselves on mobile, the player1games team manifestly has the goods.
Hence the deep dive.
Mathletix is a neat companion piece to The Linguist. Squarely aimed at kids, Mathletix is an educational app that turns learning into a game. It does this with a variety of different gameplay formats, interspersed with all-important positive reinforcement.
Mathletix has proven such a hit that player1games has spun it out into a number of separate downloads. There’s Mathletix Multiplication, Subtraction, and Addition – or you can just nab them all at once with Mathletix Bundle.
Either way, your kids will be in for some cheerful, math-based edutainment.
Vicious Varmints also has a family vibe, though it’s not explicitly educational. Not unless you need to know how to prevent varmints from stealing your food. And you’ve got an “electrified foam dart gun” handy.
The beauty of this weapon, of course, is that it’s non-lethal. All you’re trying to do is deter the loveable-yet-pesky critters who are attempting to feast on your “yard waffles”.
It looks like casual gaming gold.
Next up there’s Gridlinx, and this is where things really start to get interesting. Gridlinx is a ‘70s-inspired puzzler that’s all about making connections on a series of grids. The larger the structures you make with these connections, the more time is added to your clock.
The gameplay looks gripping, but the thing that really piques our interest with this one is the distinctive, calculator-esque presentation.
Frak Attack, meanwhile, is a clever mix of tower defense and city building. It sees you repelling an alien invasion using three futuristic, upgradeable weapons. At the same time you need to grow your town.
If you let any aliens through they’ll immediately start drilling in search of precious underground stuff that belongs to you. This must not happen.
Monkey Swingers is much more difficult than it looks. Like player1games’s other titles it’s aimed at the whole family, including youngsters, but its swing mechanic is potentially quite tricky to master.
You’re a monkey, trying to outpace the gradually rising bottom of the screen by swinging around a branch and letting go when you’re at the right point in your swing. Get it wrong and you’ve just bought yourself a one-way ticket to plummetville. Population: dead.
Finally, there’s Blokshot Evolution. This one might just be the classiest of the lot.
Blokshot is a retro-inspired arcade game that combines old-school pixel-art with an ultra-stylish neon aesthetic. If you’ve played Pac-Man Championship Edition or Geometry Wars you’ll know what to expect.
Plus, it’s got multiplayer, so you can show off your shape-smashing skills with real human companions.
You can find all of these games and more on the player1games website, or by simply clicking the links above.
