Rather Retro And Rather Silly FPS The Adventures of Square Is Free And Runs On Linux

Welcome open source gaming fans! This time around we are taking a look at a game called The Adventures of Square - Episode II. This follows Episode I which was released in 2014.

Now, what intrigued me about this particular title is just how downright silly it is. And who doesn't like some silly fun?

The game is a Doom modification that runs on ZDoom engine. Not sure what ZDoom is?  We got you covered.

"ZDoom is a family of enhanced port of the Doom engine to modern operating systems. It runs on Windows, Linux, and OS X, and adds new features not found in the games as originally published by id Software."

As you might expect, the game - in addition to being silly - is fast paced and hectic. What sets the game apart from other typical FPS' for its fans are the silly graphics the idea that the game universe takes place in some kind of odd universe consisting of evil shapes.

Evoking a less vulgar but equally silly "Let's not take anything seriously" Serious Sam vibe, comedy is everywhere in the game which keeps it from ever being able to be mistaken for a hard-core game of it's genera.

From the developers:

"The "Secant Edition" version of The Adventures of Square features the first two episodes of the game, Cornered By Circles: Radial Dawn and Galactic Lunacy: A Small Step for Square, which includes:

• Nineteen fully playable levels (and three secret ones - shh!).
• Four maps exclusively for Square-Off play (multiplayer VS)!
• Arcade-style Time Attack! mode for Square-Off levels.
• A full, awesome soundtrack in The Adventures of Square OST, courtesy of the musical minds of James Paddock, Xaser Acheron, Augustus Knezevich, Jazz Mickle, and Paul Corfiatis.
• Amazing voice acting by Ben Paddock, Matt Tropiano, and Matt Cibulas!
• Beautifully crafted ambient soundscapes.
• Superb pixel-driven artwork and colorful texturing.
• Support for Xbox controllers.
• Really, really awful puns. Really."

I really do enjoy some 16-bit retro music, especially when done well. I can attest this title does indeed do that very well.

 

Got your interest? Here's how to install:

Firstly, head over to the ZDoom downloads page and grab the Ubuntu .deb download for GZDooom.

Next, grab the source code from the the game's downloads page as shown.

To run the game once the above are properly installed, run the following command in a Konsole (or any terminal) window:

gzdoom -iwad /path/to/downloaded/file/square1.pk3

Of course, one can also add this to the start menu under their game section to be able to launch straight from the menu. Although I believe you would likely have to check the run in terminal option if you do decide to add it to your menu.

While no game is for everyone, the first person shooter genre (FPS) is definitely one of the most popular gaming genres in existence. And while we have no shortage of these types of titles on Linux like Quake, the original Doom 1 & 2 and other long enduring titles like Urban Terror, none of these go over the top with not taking itself too seriously, and that's the charm in this title.

Also the Retro sounds abound so no high definition audio heavy metal soundtracks to be found here - just retro gaming havoc.

Further reading:

Head on over to the official website to learn more, and happy (and silly) Linux gaming.

After some careful consideration, I have decided to add some moderate gaming coverage to our site. Consisting only of Open Source and public domain games, if something peaks are interest we will highlight it here. 

Basically, anything that helps showcase the idea of "living the Linux and KDE Plasma lifestyle" is fair game, including what we do when we're not "on the clock".

</K*Digest!>