Canabalt

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Canabalt really just needs to be experienced, but I’ll try and describe it anyway. Your city is being decimated, and you have to escape. See how far you can get as you bound your way to freedom in the parkour platformer. For a game that takes only one finger to play, I almost hate to admit how much time I’ve spent jumping from rooftop to rooftop, crashing through plate glass and scrambling to avoid the falling engines. Play this one with speakers up or headphones on.

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More games after the jump.

Dino Run

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Speaking of avoiding the doom in a panic, check out this slightly more colorful sidescroller. The guys from PixelJam know how to have fun with their games. Keep your raptor out of the wake of the death-bringing meteor impact. Keep your pace up by avoiding your fellow dinos and collect mysterious power-ups to help you along your way. Pick up lost eggs and be rewarded with point you can put towards performance upgrades. I give this one big points the drama in a very serene environment.

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Understanding Games / Black Forrest

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As a theme for these Lunch Break Gaming articles, I hope I’ve encouraged you to take inspiration from your downtime. I’m a fan of how games, as a whole, work. Not so much the nuts and bolts, but what draws us to them, why we consider them “fun” and what makes them worth playing again and again. The episodic series of Understanding Games ask questions about learning in games and how we identify with computer generated characters while you interact with them. Join Bob and Bub as they break down the forth-wall and pull you into what makes a game successful.

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Also from Pixlate, a series of experimental mini-games presented with limited explanation and varying mechanics between them. Pilot your little ghost friend around these worlds and notice how your experience changes as the way the games are played changes.

Small Worlds

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Lastly, and in the vein of experimental “art games”, try out Small Worlds. This entry into the Casual Gameplay Design Competition #6 by David Shute has become very popular with its simplistic style and worlds that make you want to explore every pixel in them, literally. Not bad for a game whose protagonist is only 3 points tall. This game adds a little extra texture, but that, along with the soundtrack, just helps you get wrapped up in poking around these little alternate dimensions.

For more pixel art games, try Nitrome, it’s their specialty. Share your own favorites in the comments.