A new approach to first contact

November 6, 2008 4:58 AM

Hacking aliens to pieces with a machete (flash game)

Amorphous+ [walkthrough 1, walkthrough 2] is the clever first offering from Caleb Rhodes / Innocuous Games. He obviously delights in designing horrifically gruesome cartoon violence sequences that you just have to chuckle at.

Wielding a sword with a mouse cursor is a trick to get the hang of. Each of your enemies, various subspecies of a race of crawling blobs, exhibits a distinctive personality. Compared to other browser games I've played of the arcade genre where there's often inadequate balance and consequently a fairly linear route to invincibility Amorphous+ gives you alot of texture and character with a variety of challenging aspects. Plus there's a cool jazzy-electronic soundtrack by Revolution Void with many selectable songs.

posted by XMLicious (28 comments total)

I enjoy this mainly for the easy listening jazz soundtrack.
posted by Space Coyote at 5:30 AM on November 6, 2008

Annoyingly unresponsive controls.
posted by unSane at 6:04 AM on November 6, 2008

Ang Tanong:

Ano ang laging sinasabi ng alagang manok ni Machete?


Ang Sagot:

BakbakbakbakBakat BAKAT BAKAT!!
BakbakbakbakBakat BAKAT BAKAT!!
BakbakbakbakBakat BAKAT BAKAT!!
posted by netbros at 6:15 AM on November 6, 2008

Aargh for a second there I thought it was Friday.
posted by jimmythefish at 6:32 AM on November 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I couldn't get the controls to work almost at all.
posted by baltimoretim at 6:49 AM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

IT IS EXCELLENT.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:54 AM on November 6, 2008

It is far more difficult than I expected, even on the first level. Perhaps I should get a second mouse and play with both hands.
posted by VulcanMike at 6:57 AM on November 6, 2008

Yeah, it's pretty difficult... I opted to avoid using any of the "Rewards" thingies, but still in the end after hours of practice I gave in and reduced the spawning rate by ⅓.
posted by XMLicious at 7:01 AM on November 6, 2008

Annoyingly unresponsive controls.

The workman always blames his tools.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:03 AM on November 6, 2008

(I mean, I got much better due to practice, but I couldn't finish off an entire nest without the handicap.)
posted by XMLicious at 7:03 AM on November 6, 2008

Oh, one other detail: I'm using a trackpad on a laptop, so I'm able to move with one hand and click to swing the machete with the other. Yeah, I can't imagine how hard it would be to play with a mouse. I also fiddled with the cursor speed on the trackpad to find the sweet spot.
posted by XMLicious at 7:08 AM on November 6, 2008

I saw the title and thought "Sounds like Amorphous+". I kind of wish it was a new hacking-aliens-with-a-machete flash game, but still, I've had some good times with Amorphous+.
posted by owtytrof at 7:10 AM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Anyone understand the award keys?
posted by Meatbomb at 7:28 AM on November 6, 2008

The POOR craftsman always blames hit tools. My tool is first-rate.
posted by Mister_A at 7:33 AM on November 6, 2008

I liked GTA IV better.
posted by Pecinpah at 7:38 AM on November 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Not too impressive, controls seemed fine, even on a regular mouse...

Then again, I did just finish playing the Left 4 Dead demo, so my expectations may be a little high right now.
posted by Chan at 7:39 AM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Grrrr. Is there a way to get the game into a page of it's own? Keep getting danged pop-ups just as I get eaten. The game doesn't lend itself to being aware of exactly where your cursor is.
posted by FuManchu at 7:45 AM on November 6, 2008

The (poor) workman always blames his tools.

What I've always wondered is what a good craftsman does when he has to work with crap tools. Just sit there and stew? Get all passive-aggressive with the person who gave him the tools? Quit his job and go raise sheep somewhere?
posted by FatherDagon at 8:00 AM on November 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Yes, there i always a direct url :

http://armorgames.com/files/games/amorphous-plus-2044.swf

See also :

http://armorgames.com/files/games/bubble-tanks-2-1920.swf

http://armorgames.com/files/games/power-tank-2552.swf

http://armorgames.com/files/games/enigma-blocks-2575.swf

http://armorgames.com/files/games/starshine-2-2553.swf

Or you could merely block all the ads.
posted by jeffburdges at 8:02 AM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I played this way too much for a couple of days recently; I've managed to get 60+ of the awards, but haven't been able to make it through a large nest, and 7 minutes is my maximum on a slow Bounty Run. Grenades and a biosuit are my weapons of choice, since otherwise I tend to get melted while wearing a necklace of purple slime. The game is hard, but it's a good time.
posted by agent at 8:08 AM on November 6, 2008

What I've always wondered is what a good craftsman does when he has to work with crap tools.

If he can still make a good craft, he charges double, then buys himself some good tools.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:16 AM on November 6, 2008

I'm a writer, and I have to use MS software sometimes. I endure, and I make jokes about MS. Sometimes you just have to abide these things, dude.
posted by Mister_A at 8:33 AM on November 6, 2008

I like the thing that's like the glaive from Krull, the "saw drone".

Sorry about the pop-up ads, I guess FireFox has been blocking them for me? I don't have an ad blocker installed. Maybe one of the mods could swap in the direct link above...
posted by XMLicious at 8:35 AM on November 6, 2008

Grenades and a biosuit are my weapons of choice


WTF? When does this happen? I am always this little bastard with a sword and nothing else...
posted by Meatbomb at 10:01 AM on November 6, 2008

You get the grenades and biosuit, and the ability to equip both at once, under rewards. You can unlock them by hitting some of the awards, if I remember correctly.
posted by agent at 10:09 AM on November 6, 2008

Ok, no problems with the controls using a normal mouse. Maybe because I spent so much time playing that Hammerfall game. Anyway, got through a small nest and thought I'd seen it all. Then got below 200 on a 350 medium nest, and things got WEIRD. Got chased by a giant boulder while furry brown boulders with teeth ran through acid to chew my face off.

I've had a bit to drink tonight, but I'm thinking this was almost entirely the game.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:23 PM on November 6, 2008

Ok, this game has staying power. Just wander over to the awards to get an idea of how big this thing is.

Yeah, the biosuit is sweet.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 7:35 AM on November 7, 2008

Cleared my first "huge" nest, and it was very satisfying. Just 15 awards left to get!
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 4:43 PM on November 9, 2008