Scarlett and the Spark of Life (click for larger version)
Scarlett and the Spark of Life, despite being probably the shortest of these three games, might be my favorite. I should note first that it’s probably not suitable for younger kids—I’d say maybe 10-12 and up, depending on your tolerance for some mild language, but mostly because a lot of the humor will just go over their heads.
Scarlett is a princess who has been kidnapped by the taciturn Woolfe and his hapless assistant Ernie—but she’s not your ordinary fairy tale princess waiting to be rescued by a noble knight (though it appears her sister Lavender may be). Scarlett is, among other things, a princess who carries a crowbar named Chester with her at all times, and she quickly sets about concocting a plan to rid herself of her captors.
Scarlett and the Spark of Life is a point-and-click adventure, and it’s designed well so that you don’t spend a lot of time aimlessly tapping all over the screen looking for something to interact with. If you get stuck, the star in the lower right will highlight all of your choices. When you interact with a person, you’re given choices for types of dialogue—generally you’ll get to keep talking (or start a new conversation) until you get the information you actually need to continue the game, but the choices you get are priceless. This is a princess who speaks her mind, and it’s a sharp one.
The game is brilliantly written, with a lot of weirdness as well: Scarlett ends up in a little town that celebrates pocalcos, a truly ugly breed of quadripeds that doesn’t seem to have a lot going for it. Although there aren’t a lot of people in town (most of them happen to be out at a festival when you arrive), the ones you’ll meet are a great mix of characters. And you can tell it’s written by geeks: there’s even a “Get lamp” joke in there.
Scarlett and the Spark of Life isn’t the most challenging game and won’t keep you occupied for as long as some other games, but you’re guaranteed to get some laughs while you play it. There should be more episodes coming, too, so that’s something else to watch for. For more about the game, including a short video, check out Launching Pad Games. The app is $2.99 in the iTunes store.
Oh, and did I mention the giveaway? If you’d like to give Scarlett and the Spark of Life a try, leave a comment on this post (include the words “Giveaway” and “Scarlett” so we know you’re not just leaving some insightful commentary) by 11:59pm (PST) on Friday, December 17. We’ll pick a winner at random and send you a code to download the app for free.
Wired: Excellent story about a resourceful princess puzzling out clever solutions to her problems.
Tired: Not a long game; rudimentary animation in most parts.
