"I think there is a hero in all of us."

-Spider-Man.

I quote this line because you do not expect something so commemorative to reference a game about an astute little spider. One of the major delights of Webbed is that it is such a clever little platformer. It is as simple of a game as simple can be, and yet all of the characters are smarter and more articulate than the characters in most of the AAA titles I've played.

Getting Caught in the Webbing

The game takes place in the outbacks of Australia, where our hero, a young female spider sets out to find her boyfriend who has been abducted by one of nature's most predatory birds.

Armed with determination, courage, and an endless supply of webbing to make things right in the insect world. She has the powers of a spider but the instincts of a human being and the game is split between creating a plausible gaming character and a bona fide superhero.

Through trial and error, she'll journey along zipping through level after level on thinly spent webs. As she progresses, she learns how to spin and toss webbing and finds that she can make enormous leaps.

Where other games simply ask you to swing away and to attach your hooks on some object, Webbed creates the sensation of free-floating and the rush that flesh and blood are contending with gravity feels almost effortless.

The entire game just flows and never gets bogged down by long-winded narration or time-limited levels. The music and sound effects are punctuated by little musical passages that act sort of chorus without taking away from the soothing gameplay.

Web of Addictiveness

Webbed is a game created with charm and unlike other games, it does not force the player to play past their abilities, not for a second. Webbed believes it is OK to make mistakes and to learn and build upon them when creating complex spider-web designs.

And instead of the usually contrived melodrama of most games, this one develops a story that highlights the characters. The developers, Sbug Games, know these things and they teach us these lessons in such subtle ways from the characters on screen. And it is so well made that adults will find it entertaining, too; maybe more than some kids, because we as adults can clearly see the effort put into it.

If you're into platformers, I highly recommend you give Webbed a try. But don't be surprised if you find yourself tangled in its web of addictiveness.