Starving

In Brief

Starving is an escape the maze puzzle game without walls.

Installation Issues:

Starving downloads to a 23.7 MB zip file that unzips to three files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper the set-up file and a read me). The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed if you wish. The installed game is approximately 27.7 MB in size.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Starving

Five shortcuts are installed to the desktop, four of which can be safely deleted . If you want the games shortcut to be installed to the desktop, make sure the appropriate checkbox is checked. Even if this is left unchecked you will still get the four internet shortcuts installed to the desktop; (i.e. Falco Space - Online Game!, FalconLine Online Games Website, FalcoGo WebGL Games! and Free Games Downloads!). Also, if you don't like icons installed to the quick launch task bar, make sure the appropriate checkbox is unchecked when the 'additional task's window appears (after the Select Start Menu Folder window).

Introduction:

Starving is a great story about a zombie, who started to look for food in a strange place where he had found himself under unclear circumstances. Passing the tunnels along, he comes across a game console with a huge monitor, which will unfold all the game events.

It’s an arcade game with logical elements, in which life of a small zombie is in your hand, and it’s wandering the game world in the hopes of coping with the hard trials that befell it.

Edited reference accessed HERE, re-posted by Whiterabbit-uk 7th March 2019

The Game:

The game consists of 30 levels in three different areas, where you navigate a zombie though a maze without walls, avoiding various traps such as covered pits, spikes and moving objects to get a brain. The game requires little skill, but does rely on good timing to get past the traps and to avoid the moving objects. After passing each level your lives are recovered to three lives. If you fail to get a brain after losing your third life you start again from the beginning, unless you have a level code. I managed to get to the last level of the first stage, but didn't manage to get to the end, so never received a code. I tried several times, but because of time constraints (and poor timing) I failed to complete the first set of puzzles.

The initial levels are very simple, but as you progress, more traps appear on the grid, making it harder to solve the puzzle. Do not cross the boundaries of the puzzle otherwise you'll lose a life. Also make a note of the level codes as this will allow you to start the game where you left off. If you forget or lose the codes you'll have to start from the beginning each time you restart the game because there is no save feature.

The game is a distant relative of the games Quell and Swapperoo

Whiterabbit-uk 7th March 2019

Game Controls:

Navigate main menu = ↓ or ↑ + Enter
Back/Pause = Esc
Full Screen toggle = F1
Restart = R
Movement = ←, →↑ & ↓
LMB = Use to turn on the monitor
Mouse = use for password

Conclusion:

Not a bad puzzle game of this genre. Easy at first, but as you progress the game does get more challenging. I don't like the lack of a traditional save feature. The code save feature is an issue for me because even when I make a note of the level codes I always lose them, so returning to the game after closing it down means starting from the beginning every time. Still, I do recommend you try this game out, it's quite challenging, though not becasue of skill, more because of the timing required to get past the traps.

Other Reviews and Videos of Starving:

You can see mainly positive comments of Starving via Steam HERE

You can see a video of my game play HERE (still uploading), HERE plus you can see a better one via the Steam page HERE.

Suggestions:

After you've had an opportunity to play today's giveaway please take a few moments to give some positive or negative feedback; for example, what you liked or disliked about the game, or how it could be improved. If you don't like the genre at all, please explain why and if any, what improvements would change your mind? If you don't have time to post a comment today, please do so at your convenience, thank you. If you wish to post a review or comment about the game later, you can access the comments section by going to the game giveaways home page, then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says Archives and select the date the giveaway was live (giveaway days are in bold type). This will open the appropriate page for you to post your comment or review. Alternatively, you can google the name of the game and include Gamegiveawayoftheday in the search. This should give you a list of links to whenever this game was given away.

If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game via Steam HERE.

Problems getting the game to work:

If you're having problems installing or activating or getting Starving to work please visit the FAQ's Thread HERE and read through the communities comments because sometimes fixes have already been posted, for example, a common issue seen since the Themida wrapper was introduced three years ago is that some community members installation of the game are blocked by their security because Themida code has been known to hide malware, (usually an error message is flagged for example 'The executable is corrupted' even though in reality it is not); so as a precaution some anti malware programs will block and even delete the suspect installation files even though the files (i.e. the setup, read me and setup.gcd files are actually totally free from malware. This issue can be solved either by rebooting your computer in safe mode with networking or a quicker method is to temporarily turn off your security software to allow the installation. You could also try white-listing the setup.gcd file. In the almost 12 years this game giveaway site has been operating there has 'never' been a game given away that was infected with malware.

If for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, you have a game to offer the community, or are unable to download the latest game or other issues that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve you can do so HERE

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the developer Sharkgame and the distributor Falcoware games for giving away Starving and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

If Starving doesn't interest you, but you still hanker for something new to play, you'll find details of some game deals whether they be sale items, indie bundles or games being given away for free HERE (I've not updated the thread in a while, but most of the links still take you to the latest deals).

The rest of the information that used to be posted in the game review can be found in the forums HERE. Finally, check out Delenns threads for details of other free games and offers HERE and elsewhere in the game discussion forums HERE, (usually on the first page of the game discussion forums). The latest free game over on Epic Games is Slime Rancher a first person sandbox action adventure game with management elements and a female protagonist. It's free until March 27th. Indie Gala also have a new showcase section with 18 free games listed at the moment including adventure, RPG, Simulation, strategy and casual games i.e. AntiSquad, Dreaming Sarah, False Birth, GOR - Gorilla Office Rampage, Home is where Chip is, Age of Fear: The Free World, Die Legende von Saya: Befehl aus der Dunkelheit - (The Legend of Saya: Command from the Dark), What Never Was, The Last Humans: Awakening, Childhood, Dunwell, Safe Not Safe, Hi Hotel, Bugs Must Die, Cuadradito y Circulito, Hellino, Hovership Havoc and Wake Up , or you can find them all HERE. Finally, there are some excellent bargains on sale via Steam HERE (71 pages with 25 per page).