Offspring Fling (PC) (2012)
Relevant Links:
Offspring Fling Website
Offspring Fling (Wikipedia.org)
Offspring Fling (Steam Store Page)
Offspring Fling (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Overview: Offspring Fling is a puzzle platformer where you play as a mother forest creature who has lost her offspring. In each level, pick up, fling, and do whatever else is necessary to collect all your children and get them to the exit. Managed to beat the level? Now try getting the best possible time!
20140426:
In addition to the puzzle platforming element, Offspring Fling has an addictive time trial component. As such, it immediately reminded me of Super Meat Boy (PC) (2010), a platformer with a time trial component.
However, Offspring Fling levels are generally easier and less frustrating than those in Super Meat Boy. As such, getting a good enough time to achieve gold is considered par, while getting a good enough time to unlock the developer ghost* is the real challenge.
In some cases, the time discrepancy between the benchmark for gold and the benchmark for the developer ghost is so large that I stop and wonder what sort of trick is required.
Overall, I'm not as compelled to get the best possible time as I would be when playing Super Meat Boy, but game's puzzle element is definitely worth the experience - at least in short bursts.
Steam Game Time: 1.6 hours (according to the save files, approximately half an hour in the afternoon and one hour at night)
*I'm not sure if the developer ghosts are software-assisted runs or actual recorded runs of the developer.
[20151028 Edit]
20150421:
Today I played some more Offspring Fling. Luckily I had a backup of my previous save file and loaded it up. As such, I didn't have to start from scratch.
Tips/Discoveries:
: One way to shave off time is to only stand as close to the offspring as needed in order to pick them up.
: An essential part of the game, but one that I forgot, is being able to drop your offspring (as opposed to flinging it*):
: [20151028: Apparently you can begin a jump and then pick up an offspring while maintaining the height of an offspring-less jump.]
Steam Game Time: 1.9 hours (for a total of 3.5 hours)
*I didn't realize until today why the game was called Offspring Fling.
[20151028 Edit]
20151028:
Today I revisted Offspring Fling for a third time and having learned a new technique* from a YouTube video, I started from the beginning and tried to make sure I had unlocked the developer ghost for each stage.
During this time, I had trouble unlocking the developer ghost for one or two stages, but also managed to beat the developer ghost for two of the stages! When that happens the game rewarded me with a white flower for that level. This suggests that it's always possible to defeat the developer ghost.
*You can pick up an offspring as you begin to jump and attain the maximum height of the jump as if you jumped without the offspring.
Steam: 1.7 hours (for a total of 5.2 hours)
Relevant Links:
Offspring Fling Website
Offspring Fling (Wikipedia.org)
Offspring Fling (Steam Store Page)
Offspring Fling (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Overview: Offspring Fling is a puzzle platformer where you play as a mother forest creature who has lost her offspring. In each level, pick up, fling, and do whatever else is necessary to collect all your children and get them to the exit. Managed to beat the level? Now try getting the best possible time!
 |
| Carry your offspring. Note that you won't be able to jump as high. |
20140426:
In addition to the puzzle platforming element, Offspring Fling has an addictive time trial component. As such, it immediately reminded me of Super Meat Boy (PC) (2010), a platformer with a time trial component.
However, Offspring Fling levels are generally easier and less frustrating than those in Super Meat Boy. As such, getting a good enough time to achieve gold is considered par, while getting a good enough time to unlock the developer ghost* is the real challenge.
 |
| Use Down + C to drop an offspring onto the button. |
In some cases, the time discrepancy between the benchmark for gold and the benchmark for the developer ghost is so large that I stop and wonder what sort of trick is required.
Overall, I'm not as compelled to get the best possible time as I would be when playing Super Meat Boy, but game's puzzle element is definitely worth the experience - at least in short bursts.
 |
| I'm not even close to the developer ghost benchmark for this level. |
Steam Game Time: 1.6 hours (according to the save files, approximately half an hour in the afternoon and one hour at night)
*I'm not sure if the developer ghosts are software-assisted runs or actual recorded runs of the developer.
[20151028 Edit]
20150421:
Today I played some more Offspring Fling. Luckily I had a backup of my previous save file and loaded it up. As such, I didn't have to start from scratch.
Tips/Discoveries:
: One way to shave off time is to only stand as close to the offspring as needed in order to pick them up.
 |
| I'm so close to the developer ghost benchmark for this level! |
: An essential part of the game, but one that I forgot, is being able to drop your offspring (as opposed to flinging it*):
Drop: Down + C
: Sometimes you can toss an offspring and manage to pick it up again (before it hits the ground).: [20151028: Apparently you can begin a jump and then pick up an offspring while maintaining the height of an offspring-less jump.]
Steam Game Time: 1.9 hours (for a total of 3.5 hours)
 |
| You can fling your offspring to break down certain walls. |
*I didn't realize until today why the game was called Offspring Fling.
[20151028 Edit]
20151028:
Today I revisted Offspring Fling for a third time and having learned a new technique* from a YouTube video, I started from the beginning and tried to make sure I had unlocked the developer ghost for each stage.
During this time, I had trouble unlocking the developer ghost for one or two stages, but also managed to beat the developer ghost for two of the stages! When that happens the game rewarded me with a white flower for that level. This suggests that it's always possible to defeat the developer ghost.
 |
| As of 20151028, I've unlocked three rainbow flowers. |
*You can pick up an offspring as you begin to jump and attain the maximum height of the jump as if you jumped without the offspring.
Steam: 1.7 hours (for a total of 5.2 hours)
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