I had some time to try two new games today at work. I don't know if some people call playing games work but as a game designer occasionally it is in my job description to play a game at work and think about what was good or bad about it.

Chibi Knight: Is a cute hack and slash made for a flash programmers daughter. I say its made for a flash programmers daughter because allt he voice overs where the programmers daughter. Because of this the sound is very cute and the player can tell some time and fun was had while producing it. 

Other than the sounds Chibi Knight is lacking. I think it would be a great way to teach a child the basics of a hack and slash but other than that the core gameplay is not refined. I don't want to play a button smasher with my keyboard, 

keyboard controls are to clunky and don't allow the subtle the control pad has. Try playing Super Mario World on a emulator and you will feel the difference.

Trenches: A World War I trench fighting game is a direct rip off of the Armorgames classic Warfare 1944. The game mechanic is solid and it finds its core unlike Chibi Knight. Unfortunately the controls are a flop as well. The mistake wasn't unbearable, I certainly got my money's worth but I don't want to replay the game. 

So where Chibi succeeded in being enjoyable, Trenches failed. Where Trenches succeeded in find a core mechanic Chibi failed. But both had difficult controls.