The independent gaming landscape is riddled with little nuggets of gaming gold. If you dig around enough, you stumble upon innovative little amusements like Farbs.org’s ROM CHECK FAIL! I’m not sure if you could categorize this game, or how to accurately describe it. However, I am sure that the creator was probably snorting Pixy Stix while doing glow stick routines to some hardcore drum & bass to have come up with a mashup like this!

The gameplay mixes different classic games (including Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and even the yellow dot munching Pac Man) together, constantly switching between soundtracks, scenery, enemies, and characters from various classics. The objective remains the same throughout, you have to eliminate all the enemies that appear on the screen. This proves both challenging and unnerving as the screen, well, “freaks out” and then switches over to another mashed up combination of character, background, and soundtrack.

Despite its quirkiness, ROM CHECK FAIL stands as a shining example of how independent game creators are constantly pushing innovation in game mechanics and concepts. Kudos.

Check it out here (PC only), it’s only 2MB and it’s free. I should warn you though, it may make you a bit queezy. If you have a tendency for having seizures or suffering from spontaneous combustion, don’t play for too long. Enjoy.

By Joshua C. Harris