I’m doing this a little different here, I’m going to tell you what I think of the game Headspin Storybook by State of Play Games first: It’s simple to play, fun, and challenging. Next we’ll read a brief history of the pop-up book. Why a brief history of the pop-up book? You’ll see why if you Read More below the fold.
The Fold
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Below the Fold
I haven’t ran out of these jokes yet even if by now they’re beginning to annoy you :-)
A brief history of pop-up books: The earliest version of a moveable book (basically parts of a book would move, but not at all like today’s pop-up books) was around the 13th century in the form of a volvelle. Essentially a volvelle is a rotating disc used to reveal certain things such as a hidden code (think code wheels from some copy protection back in the day), teaching anatomy, and making astrological predictions. These were not used for children’s books until the 18th century, when London book publisher Robert Sayer produced “metamorphosis books” or “harlequinades” (because of the harlequin character in these books). Basically this was a single sheet folded into four pieces horizontally. With top and bottom flaps cut vertically, then the child could open one flap and get one picture, and close it to get another. Making several combinations of pictures.
In the 1810, S & J Fuller printed The History of Little Fanny, which was a paper doll book with movable paper clothes. Later in the 1850’s Dean and Sons devised 3-dimensional illustrations. Throughout the 1800’s there were several “movable” books being created for children. Germany was a large hub for movable books because of their craftsmanship. World War 1 destroyed German production centers for printing and toy manufacturing, and so the proliferation of movable and 3-dimensional books stopped. In Stephan Louis Giraud of England patented a paper structure he called “stand-up life-like”, “living models”, and “pictures that spring to life”. From 1929 to 1949 he published a couple of series featuring three-dimensional structures that stood tall when opened. These were the first “true” pop-up books. In the U.S. in 1932 a company in New York, called Blue Ribbon Press, created pop-up books based on fairy tales and cartoons. It was the company that actually coined the term “Pop-up book”. There’s a bit more to say about pop-up books however we’ll never get to the review if I do that. If you want to read more then go here – Concise history of Pop-up and Moveable books or just google it.
Okay so what does this have to do with our game review? I’m reviewing the flash game Headspin Storybook by State of Play games. Basically the game involves a representation of a pop-up book. On the left side are various items on the right side are the same items, except some of them are turned the wrong way. Your mission, Jim, should you choose to accept it, is to mirror the items on the left side with the right side. Simply click to turn it. Nothing could be simpler than that. There’s no extra things to fulfill. You simply gotta match the sides up in the time given. The faster you are, the more points you get. If you fail a particular level, you will lose 1000 points, and a chance to submit your score, otherwise you can replay it. This game is up there with Death vs Monsters as being simple, intuitive and just plain fun. However they are definitely different games. You want to blow stuff up, Death vs. Monsters. You want to sort of relax and just play a calming game, then Headspin Storybook is for you.
When you start a level a little title card pops up showing you how many items to match. After matching another title card pops up and tells you what you scored, and what you will have to match for the next level. The graphics are made to look like an aged pop-up book. With simple illustrations that are pleasant to look at, almost like a children’s book. I think children as well as adults would love to play this. As you play each level, the book closes up “folding” the pictures with them, and then opens again on a new “page” with different configurations of pictures. On the harder levels there are little “paper people” that move around to sort of confuse you. The timer is in the back on a sort of half-pie shape, with the items left, level score, and total score above. The music is a nice calming guitar piece. However listening to it repeating a lot can get a bit annoying after while. The sounds are neat, like the little swoosh when the level signs pop up or go down, a clicking sound when the timer is reset, and if you win the level a sort of harp progression sounds. Overall a pleasant experience.
Everyone should have a chance to play this game.
Name: Headspin Storybook
Developer: State of Play Games
Price: Free (flash game) – ad supported
Where you can play it: Here!
Tags: Browser based (flash/java), Casual, flash, point'n'click, reviews, State of Play Games, Uhfgood