Grandpa Pip's Birthday

There are situations when a calm attitude can be a lot more beneficial than acting fast and without thinking too much. On the other hand, some panic is only normal when something extraordinary takes place, like say a flock of dragons setting your village on fire. When your neighbor runs around with his head in flames, it may be time to take a pause from Charades.

Grandpa Pip's Birthday is a 2D sidescroller with a very funny plot and quite the simple gameplay mechanics, although it may take some skill to actually finish it. In essence, your task is to save a village from total destruction, by convincing the villagers that all those flames are indeed a problem. The last part of the game is all about defeating enemies, although even that part is quite simple and straightforward.

As mentioned before, humor is the main ingredient in every department, especially when it comes to the story. The dragon invasion mention above does nothing to deter grandpa from demanding a birthday cake before he parts with the water bucket you need, so that’s your first mission. The jokes are top notch in most cases, and you can tell that the humor is not forced just for the sake of a cheap laugh.

After you manage to get grandpa the cake, the actual game begins, which revolves around speed and quick reflexes. The main character is on a horse, and you must attack and block the enemies at the right moment in order to defeat them. It takes a bit of practice to get used to the mechanics, but once you figure it all out, it actually becomes rather addictive.

The graphics are another thing that look better than you would expect, especially since everything is in 2D. The sidescrolling environments are a pleasure to admire throughout the game, and the characters are quite expressive, even if their face contains only 16-20 pixels. Even the sound effects are brilliant, despite the fact that they are in no way high-quality.

In the end, Grandpa Pip's Birthday may not be the most brilliant game ever devised, but the dialog is amusing, the gameplay is addictive, and the graphics are actually pleasant. Hence, if you are a fan of simple games with cute ideas, this should definitely be on your list.