Creator of Dicey Dungeons, VVVVVV and Super Hexagon launches a big freeware collection

If, like me, you struggled to achieve a decent score in the fast-paced reaction game Super Hexagon, don’t worry – there are other games by the same developer that you can enjoy. Terry Cavanagh, known for creating VVVVVV and Dicey Dungeons, is set to release a collection of his freeware games on Steam next week, simply titled Terry’s Other Games. It’s fascinating to see how many of Terry’s short, free games have caught the attention of RPS writers over the years. One of the games included is called Grab Them By The Eyes.

The collection features a total of 21 games, some of which we have previously covered. These include the intriguing isometric illusions of Naya’s Quest, the minimalist random-generated thief game Tiny Heist, and the first-person co-op puzzler At A Distance, which requires two machines to be played side by side for maximum effect.

“But it also includes a variety of smaller, experimental games,” Cavanagh explains on the Steam page. “These range from games made in a weekend, unfinished prototypes, joke games created for game jams, to a game I made as a teenager.”

This release is not just about playing games but also about exploring the process behind them. Each game in the collection comes with specific tasks to complete for rewards. However, as someone who has pursued all the challenges in VVVVVV, I can attest that it’s not always worth the frustration.

Cavanagh provides insights into why certain games made it into the collection while others did not. For instance, a browser game called Constellation, which involves typing random words, was excluded because Cavanagh wanted all games to be playable with a controller and found localization challenging due to the specific word list.

“Also! This game is weirdly tricky to localize,” Cavanagh notes, “because the word list is really particular and built around prompting connections between words that may not translate well across languages.”

It’s clear that localization and language are important to Cavanagh. For example, Dicey Dungeons was translated into Irish, and this new collection will receive the same treatment. The collection will be available on Steam starting February 13th.