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| Playing with Nostalgia at Plays.Org; A Look Back at Childhood Games We Love |
Perhaps it’s the cabin fever brought about by the pandemic or the longing to revisit the arcade that made me think of these classic games that people of all ages love. As I was sifting through the web pages to find how and where I can play these games again, I chanced upon the website https://plays.org/. I was skeptical at first because websites like this with free games are often bombarded with ads and malware that would hinder you from playing and enjoying. But with plays.org, I was met with a clean slate of a website with nothing but games that brought me the feeling of nostalgia. Here are my favorite games from the website. I hope you’ll have fun playing too!
Neon Invaders
Do you still remember the super cool galactic-themed classic game Galaga? Neon Invaders is very much like it with the same objective of destroying a pack of alien enemies. It’s definitely a fun game to play as it even comes with that familiar sound found in 8-bit games.
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| Plays.Org Neon Invaders |
In this game, you have to get rid of alien enemies before your spacecraft’s energy runs out. Some blocks will serve as your shield from attacks, but they diminish in number as they get shot by the aliens.
You need to get rid of the alien enemies before your spacecraft's energy runs out. You can use either the left and right arrow buttons on the screen or on your keyboard. There's a weapon button on the screen to fire at the enemies, or you can use the spacebar. You get three lives to complete the mission.
Other games that will take you on a trip down memory lane are Brick Out, where you have to break bricks using a ball that you also have to catch using a paddle at the bottom of the screen. The Pac Rat game, inspired by the classic Pac Man, but in this version, the main character is a rat on a quest to eat all the cheese in the field while avoiding the cats. Of course, there's Tetris. You have to memorize the controls carefully with this one. I almost had a game over early on since I got confused with the controls and kept on putting the bricks in the wrong places. You can play Neon Invaders here.
Shadoworld Adventure
I haven’t explored the entire catalog of plays.org yet, and Shadoworld Adventure might have something to do with it. This game is addicting as it reminded me of Super Mario Brothers. It has similar gameplay where you have to jump and walk your way through obstacles and stomp on enemies. As the game title suggests, the significant difference is in a world where you play as a shadow character, and the setting of the game is in monochrome, unlike the colorful background that Super Mario is known for.
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| Shadoworld Adventure |
Shadoworld Adventure has 50 levels in total, and you have to finish each level within two minutes or without exhausting all your three lives. At the end of every level, there’s a green button -- the equivalent of Mario’s flag -- that the shadow character needs to jump on to get to the next round. Try Shadoworld Adventure here.
Tank Wars
Battle City is definitely a favorite in family computer games, and if you miss playing it, you’ll surely have fun with Tank Wars as much as I did! This has 10 stages with four levels of difficulty. Like in Battle City, the objective is to destroy other tanks and prevent them from shooting at your base. You’ll also have to be careful as you might make the mistake of firing at your base.
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| Tank Wars |
The key to succeeding the levels of this game is to strategize. Look for the choke points of tanks or positions where you can corner them or shoot at them even at a long distance. Watch out for game boosters that appear randomly on the battlefield, as these will give you an advantage in fighting off tanks. Play Tank Wars here.
There are games for kids, too!
Plays.org also has kid-friendly games that will help stimulate the creativity and cognitive thinking of children. These are helpful, especially nowadays when parents are looking for means to keep kids entertained at home. Here’s a look at the games your kids can play with no harm on the said website.
If you’re looking for more means to unwind from a busy day or more ways to bond with your children, plays.org is the virtual place to be! Have fun and discover more than 150 games at https://plays.org/games/.