Games Journals

Nobody walks anymore. Everybody wants to run or jump, or to launch themselves from platforms using various devices. (You know, chains, trails of slime… whatever is handy.) Of course, with all the wall spikes around, and dangerous monsters wandering about, who can blame them? With so many clever ways to avoid losing their precious lives, no one has ever attempted to harness the magical effect that occurs when one eats a giant plate of beans. That is, until now. Meet the Puzzle Farter.

Clad in protective goggles, he conquers levels in the usual fashion, by the command of the [arrow] keys. In the first scene, the cute and calm environment gives you an opportunity to try out his special talent. Press [up] to make the farter jump. Then, before he returns to the ground, press [up] again and he will fly through the air on a cloud of hyper-colic gas. Once you have control of his farting power, direct him towards the little closed door, where 49 more levels of adventure await.
The physics in Puzzle Farter are elegant, yet difficult to master. One fart will only get you so far or so high, and it takes a moment for his gas to recharge. Trying to hurry along will give you a series of short toots, and leave our hero sitting in a cloud of his own gas. (No wonder he wears the goggles.) By the same token, a short blast is sometimes all you need, especially if you’re looking for a little extra boost at the end of a long jump.

As the levels progress, they become increasingly difficult. Touching a monster, who seem to be immune to your stinky gas, or running into one of the many spiky walls will take away a precious health star. When your three stars are gone, you’ll lose a life. While you begin the game with only three lives, there are 13 “1-ups” scattered throughout the levels. In order to reach the end, you’ll need to summon all your timing and patience.

For some, this game will be difficult and frustrating, while others are just born flatulent. Yet, it isn’t necessarily the challenge that makes this game so endearing. The graphics are simple, yet adorable. The enemies are almost too cute to fear: prehistoric-looking birds, ducks performing jumping jacks, and frogs whose extended tongues can support your weight. But, best of all are the sounds of the Puzzle Farter’s biological thrusters, varying from polite little toots to ripping a big one. Playing with the sound on is a must (unless you’re at the office or Grandma’s house, or you just want to pretend he has an invisible jet-pack.)

This fun little platformer is the first independent flash game for the development group Pet Tomato. (Previously, they’ve just made kitschy little games for Cartoon Network.) For a first of anything, Puzzle Farter is beautiful. What the game lacks in music or plot, it makes up for with simple charm and giggles. I hope we’ll see more from Pet Tomato in the future. At least for now, we have 50 levels of farting goodness to enjoy. So, toss out the Gas-X and go with the flow, and enjoy playing Puzzle Farter.

Cheers to Austin, Julian, Uberknarf, and Lycia for suggesting this one! =)

Tags: flash, free, game, kidsafe, macwinlinux, pettomato, platform, puzzle