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One button Bob

One button Bob

You don't need fancy controllers or joysticks to have fun with games, as One Button Bob - a game that requires just one button - amply proves.

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Published by Tasha on 25th February 2010

One could be forgiven for thinking that a game needing just one button to play would be so limited as to be boring. Not so, if One Button Bob - an inventive new platform-style game that can be played for free in your browser - is anything to go by. While some games (Street Fighter, for example) force players to learn complicated combinations of button presses, the developers of One Button Bob have distilled the game play into the press of a single button (the left button of your mouse).

Rare is it to find a game that is so simple to control. And even more rare is it for such a game to offer such a wealth of game play as One Button Bob. The secret to the game's success is that what happens when you press the button changes depending on which level you are on. Sometimes pressing the button will cause Bob - the game's Indiana Jones-style protaganist - to jump. Other times it will make Bob fire his weapon. And other times still, you have to repeatedly click the button to fly or run fast. A press of the button may also cause Bob to climb ladders or stop on the spot to avoid falling objects.

Our intrepid adventurer, Bob, is on a mission to find some treasure. But between him and the sparkling hoard are numerous obstacles: vicious spiders, falling stalactites, blood-sucking bats, pools of red-hot lava... By timing your button clicks perfectly, you help Bob navigate these obstacles and progress to the next level. Each level offers a different style of puzzle, making for varied and challenging game play. Every time you complete a level, you are desperate to find out what power the button click will give Bob on the next level.

The game's creator, Tom Vencel of NinjaDoodle, has designed One Button Bob to be a homage to the eight-bit creations of gaming folklore. The game features a faux Commodore 64 loading screen, and pixel graphics that hark back to the days of Spectrum-Commadore rivalry.

But the graphics are in no way crude. Bob is perfectly rendered and the backgrounds, despite their low resolution look, are atmospheric and pretty.

But the main attraction are the puzzles themself - they start off easy but as you progress get steadily harder and more inventive. If you are a fan of old-style platformer puzzle games, then One Button Bob should not be missed. You can play the game here.

Fans of platform games like One Button Bob might also be interested in Casual Girl Gamer's list of The Top 25 Online Platform Games.


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