Free Games I Like: Solipskier

I blame Gunsmith for this, as his post in the General Discussion forum nudged me to play this game.

And play it and play it and play it, before finally sharing it with the rest of the team and getting them to do the same. Tuesday morning productivity quickly fell into the toilet.

The goal of Solipskier is simple, as the goal of nearly all free browser games tend to be. You have to guide your little stick-figure man through a series of jumps, gates and tunnels, which is done by drawing the track ahead of him as he goes. Draw a slope, he'll gain speed. Draw a hillock, he'll fly into the air.
[break]

Solipskier is pulled together and made brilliant not just by the fluidity of the gameplay though; it's the music and graphics which really sell it. The stark black and white visuals are complemented by rainbows that trail behind your skier. The snowballing speed of the game is emphasised by the frantic guitar riffs that constitute the background music.

Insterestingly, that music also serves another purpose in the office - letting us know when each other are playing, as well as telling us how well we're doing. When Harry's headphones start to leak the sound of another violent guitar solo then you know he's stopped working for a bit. And when the music stops suddenly, you know he's finally fluffed up.

Finally, I've found a game I'm better than Harry at.