Noggins

Section: 

The simplest games are frequently the most addicting. That special feeling you get of just “one more minute” is that last bit of magic that can turn a good game to great—or turn a simple game into one that’s completely engrossing.

Noggins is a game where rectangular faces pop up on the screen and you try to use your mouse cursor to enclose their head in a box before time runs out. The added twist is that, while the faces change size and shape, they also change color. Each corner of the screen corresponds to a different color, and you have to match color and size before time runs out, which leads to frantic click-fests and a constant stream of addictive challenge.

The graphics are as simple as you can get; on a black field, rectangular heads sport the same facial expression every time. The eyes follow your mouse, and the cursor does have a neat effect, but that’s about it as far as graphical flourishes. The music is a very simple electronic loop but absolutely dead on with its simplicity and catchy nature. Most music loops in a simple game try to be too complicated and end up being highly annoying after about 30 seconds. Noggins nails the music track: repetitive, catchy, simple and fun.

This all combines into one addictive experience to constantly try to improve your high score. It’s a strange concept for a game, but it’s also a standout proof that anything done well can be a great game.

Why You Should Check This Out: Noggins is addictive, simple fun. The simplest concept for a game: You literally just click once per turn. The graphics are simple—the music is just a basic loop—but it all fits together in a tight, addictive package. Noggins is simple game design at its best.

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Comments

It took me a while to wrap my head around the concept, but I think I figured out the trick.

Don't read the spoiler before you play the game at least once or twice, getting your head wrapped around it is half the fun.

Spoiler:

Basically it all comes down to which corner of the face to click on.
Top Left = Red
Top Right = Yellow
Bottom Left = Green
Bottom Right = Blue

That was fun! The music reminded me of MegaMan. My first score was 19,251...I'm sure someone will be able to beat that in short order.

kaostheory wrote:

It took me a while to wrap my head around the concept, but I think I figured out the trick.

Don't read the spoiler before you play the game at least once or twice, getting your head wrapped around it is half the fun.

Spoiler:

Basically it all comes down to which corner of the face to click on.
Top Left = Red
Top Right = Yellow
Bottom Left = Green
Bottom Right = Blue

Yup. So there's the memory component and the reflex component.

This game has the cutest faces ever constructed out of rectangles with eyes.

31185

Switchbreak wrote:

This game has the cutest faces ever constructed out of rectangles with eyes.

Reminds me of YHTBTR

Scratched wrote:

31185

Switchbreak wrote:

This game has the cutest faces ever constructed out of rectangles with eyes.

Reminds me of YHTBTR

Yeah, but this is much easier. The final boss of YHTBTR is waaay difficult.

I've played a few more times and I think I'm getting worse. I try to get the bonus stars in the corner, which screws up my rhythm.

Switchbreak wrote:

This game has the cutest faces ever constructed out of rectangles with eyes.

Yes, and the eyes follow your cursor as it moves!

Arg, this is very hard to stop.
46647
Need sleep now.

Maybe I just have some kind of weird reflex in my head for this, because I got 48,834 on my first attempt... That timer starts getting crazy fast, though.

kaostheory wrote:

It took me a while to wrap my head around the concept, but I think I figured out the trick.

Ah, so that's what it was! I thought it had to do more with rotation... sure did get a lot easier after that explanation.

Excellent game, actually managed to make it into the All-Time Top 10 with that trick! Even if it's a flash game, I'm very proud of my 119K score.

Great quick game! 54661 or so for me

Also, remember you don't HAVE to get the box the same size as the head... it gets you more points, but if you're worried about time just make sure the color is right!