3 Non-Flash Games To Hold You Over

     Game You Miss: Black Pawkeet Slots/Brucey B Slots

     Game To Try: Scorchy Slots

     Talk about a blast from the past! Scorchy Slots is one of the earliest Neopets games, and it shows: the artwork and Neopoint values feel...vintage.

     However, if you can look past the lack of flashy graphics and loud noises, you’ll find that Scorchy Slots feels like the laid-back cousin of Black Pawkeet and Brucey B Slots. At 5 NP per spin, you can practically play all day without your pockets getting lighter, unlike the hefty 450 NP price for the Flash slots. Also, there’s a cute minigame running along the bottom of the screen - if you get a bonus score of 8 or more, the volcano will erupt and grant you a surprise. You’ll never gain more than 50 NP (or lose more than 20), but it’s fun to read the flavour text every dozen or so spins.

     There’s nothing wrong with playing Scorchy Slots on autopilot, hitting Play Again as fast as you can, but there’s also the option for a bit of strategy. Every so often, some checkboxes will appear under your reels. By checking a box, you’ll hold that reel in place for your next spin, guaranteeing that the icon will stay the same. This is an easy way to boost your chances of getting 3 or 4 of a kind, especially if you get really lucky and can freeze your reels multiple times in a row.

     Although the game layout is simpler, Scorchy Slot’s prize pool is more complex than the Flash slots’. There are the standard NP prizes, of course, but in addition, you might take home a fading bottled faerie (a lovely piece of nostalgia) or some treasure map pieces (worth up to 50k each!). And of course, like any good game, Scorchy Slots offers its own trophy - just win the jackpot to get yourself on the high score table.

     Game You Miss: Coal War Tactics

     Game To Try: Snow Wars

     At first glance, these two games might look like polar opposites - Coal War Tactics involves cramped mines and bursts of flame, while Snow Wars is all about open fields and fresh snow. In reality, however, they’re practically the same game; in both cases, you’re racing to knock out your opponent’s equipment before losing your own.

     Still, there are a few subtle differences between these two games. In Coal War Tactics, the minecarts are varying lengths, but each one is just one square wide. In Snow Wars, your snowglobe castle and happy snowman consist of a 2x2 block of squares. Since each structure in Snow Wars is unique, landing a hit reveals exactly what you damaged and where the rest of that object will be.

     Once you win your first Snow Wars match (don’t worry, that snow ninja had it coming), you’ll earn yourself a wet snowball. Unimpressed? After each victory, you’ll find yourself facing a smarter opponent offering a fancier snowball. You’ll also earn a trophy after the second round, which you can slowly improve as you move through the ranks.

     (You might be wondering, “Isn’t there a Flash game called Snow Wars II? Shouldn’t Snow Wars be a good substitute for that, too?” Ironically, the only things these two games share are a name and a lot of snow. The gameplay isn’t remotely similar, and Snow Wars won’t give you a flashy avatar no matter how well you do.)

     Game You Miss: Snow Roller

     Game To Try: Cheeseroller

     Feeling sedentary? Wishing you could tumble down a steep hill, ploughing through everything in your path? Despair not! Snow Roller might be temporarily down for maintenance, but Cheeseroller is still available in all its glory.

     In both these games, your goal is to dodge obstacles while picking up as much speed as possible. In Snow Roller, you speed up by collecting objects and Terror Mountain residents; in Cheeseroller, you rely on lucky bounces and freak gusts of wind. Regardless of which game you’re playing, you’ll likely find that the best strategy is to swerve wildly, only jumping when you absolutely have to.

     The similarities don’t stop there. If you’re extra lucky, Snow Roller will grant you one of several exclusive prizes, or even an avatar. The same is true for Cheeseroller, with every game carrying a slim possibility of taking home the Cheeseroller-exclusive cheese you’ve purchased, and a shiny new avatar to boot. (Wondering what happens to the cheeses you leave behind? Let’s just say that King Skarl eats a lot.)

     At first glance, one major difference is that Snow Roller gets more difficult in later levels, while every game of Cheeseroller might feel the same. Fortunately, you can inject some extra variety into your Cheeseroller routine by trying out new cheeses. The cheaper the cheese, the harder it is to push it across the finish line in under a minute. Rotten Cheese is ideal if you’re chasing the avatar or trophy, but with a whopping 35 different cheeses to choose from, there’s no excuse for boredom. My personal favourites are the futuristic Space Cheese and classy Peppermint Cheese, but the Quadruple Fudge Cheese and Triple Mustard Cheese tie for “cheeses I’d most want to eat.”

     An obvious question is whether your choice of pet influences your Cheeseroller outcomes. Sadly, your Ixi will not find a natural advantage on its home turf, your Cybunny will not outperform your fish-out-of-water Flotsam, and extra Movement courses at the Mystery Island Training School are still a waste of Codestones.

     In Conclusion:

     No one’s happy about the loss of their favourite Flash games. Fortunately, some missing games have uncannily similar Flash-free counterparts. Hopefully, you’ll find these substitutes just as enjoyable!