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After collecting over $2 million in charity over their past few sales, the Humble Indie Bundle is back, but this time it's brought a great game for geek dads with it: Frozen Synapse. If you're not already familiar with the title, I can assure you it is worth your time, but check out James Floyd Kelly's full review for a deeper look at the gameplay. This current bundle is available now through October 11th, but here are just a few reasons why you shouldn't delay your support a second longer:
- Your rusty FPS skills will suit you just fine. Yeah, you may have been the king of frags back on Quake 3, but let's face it, you've gone soft. Frozen Synapse is not a game that rewards cat-like reflexes and precision mouse control though. Instead, it is a top-down tactical shooter with turn-based gameplay.Each player controls their own squad of combatants and will take on the role of master tactician, carefully programming out the next few seconds of action by tweaking each individual's aim, facing, travel direction, speed, crouch and other variables. Once both players have locked in their moves, the game goes live and all combatants act simultaneously. Firefights last mere moments, and all it takes is the slightest advantage rounding a corner or firing from cover to tip the scales in one team's favor.
- Matches can be played on your schedule. After you've walked the dog, taken out the trash, and helped the kids with their homework, Frozen Synapse is there waiting for you. For about ten minutes that is, until you have to break away to tend to some more pressing family crisis. Online matches support asynchronous multiplayer, or "play by email," where you can take your turn today and an opponent can respond at their leisure. Sure it might take a week or longer to declare a winner, but playing intermittently is better than not playing at all.
- You can pay whatever you want. You don't need me to tell you that kids are expensive. Whether it be diapers and formula or school supplies and tuition, the expenses of a family make it hard to carve out a budget for $60 games. Luckily for you, the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle allows you to set your own price for this normally $25 gamebundled with its $6 soundtrack*.* Take care to note the average price before you pay, though. If you can afford to exceed the average payment, you'll get a copy of the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle which includes the additional games Trine, Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds: Survivor.
- It's for a good cause. You can decide to donate whatever portion of your payment you'd like to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (protecting free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights in the digital domain) and/or Child's Play (donating games to children's hospitals). No, they're not feeding the hungry or advancing cancer research, but these are still very worthy causes. Besides, if us geeks don't get behind these sorts of charities, who will?
So if you've got a few minutes and a few bucks to spare, consider spending them on the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle. You can take my word that you'll get your investment repaid in fun.
Images: Mode 7 Games.
