bontegames

Hi! I'm Bart Bonte, a Belgian independent game designer and bontegames.com is where I blog about new interesting browser and mobile games. My own games are all in the left column (or at the bottom of this page on mobile). More info about me and my games on bartbonte.com.
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March 26, 2012

a new bontegame: farafalla

Yes it's that time again for a brand new bontegame! Get behind your cursor keys and enjoy my latest creation titled 'Farafalla'. Spread the word and please share the gamelink! Cheers!

150 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oy Vey!

Am I first?

Anonymous said...

am i second....?

Nice checking it out now!

Anonymous said...

nice, platformer style game! with colors! :D

Anonymous said...

Vond hem maar matig bart ..

Palat said...

Bart, this is your best game EVER! Love love love it!

Anonymous said...

the same Anonymous again. It's a lovely game! Cute character design, ok controls. I did miss obstacles or an increase in difficulty and hope you will use this game as a basis for more to come (like Sugar and Factory balls) :)

Anonymous said...

quite boring i'm disapointed :(
done in 10 mn

Anonymous said...

So cute :-) Love this game :-)

Aby said...

So cute and love the end a lot!

lac515 said...

not bad at all, love the little people, i agree with anonymous, next addition needs to be more harder but def a basis for the next. i always enjoy your games

Princess said...

Cute game, very nice Bart - thank you! Made us work extra hard for that white balloon haha.

James said...

It was adorable, and I loved the idea of making it a metaphor for falling love. I think it needed a little more challenge though - the platforming was very simple so it got a bit tiresome towards the end.

mesa said...

finally a platformer bontegame

mesa said...

finally a platformer bontegame

Anonymous said...

Cute and simple! All I could think while going down was "oh... I have to go back up these 40 stairs, don't I?"

J. Pilot said...

What a cute little game ^^

Jack (owner of supercomix.com and supergamex.com) said...

One of your easiest games. It took me less then 8 mutinies. Please stretch on the Factory Balls series, I'm a master at those.

Anonymous said...

YES! Finally! Thank you!

DonutLover said...

Neat little platform game, though I think I want pasta for dinner now...but love is better than pasta.

Rob said...

You can do better, Bart... I know!

Anonymous said...

I like it. But agree that it could be harder.

Anonymous said...

This game is so deep! Love the methapor of falling in love and all that comes with it.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Bart, quite dissapointing after all the great games you made before... The game is boring :-(

Anonymous said...

hello from Greece !!ok cute game but i love the sugar games ....what about a new one sugar game ???

Rava said...

Nice platformer... I expected the final to be something completely different!

But... not one of your best games, Bart... In my opinion only, of course!

Anonymous said...

Love this game to bits, so cute! Plaese stop saying it should be harder, you don't get the symbolism :-p

Anonymous said...

Nice designing. But the game in general was pretty pointless. Kind of felt like a social experiment for what people are willing to do.
I know you can do better.

Rava said...

By the way... I've got a question for you (and I'm sure I'm not alone): what "Farafalla" stands for?

It makes me think of something... falling (good one, Captain Obvious), but not only... It also sounds like "farfalla", italian for "butterfly", but probably it has nothing to do with that...

Are you going to tell us? :)

Seaduckie said...

Nice & sweet, easy but oh so cute! I just love the methaphor. Something different for a change. Well done, Bart! I would prefer that the look of the game was a bit more like your other games, and not so pixelated, but that just me. Anxiously awaiting your next game!

-k said...

I enjoyed this one very much, Bart. It was little short (for me) compared to your other games but I loved the classic platforming elements. Thanks for giving us this new game!

jj said...

Such a lovely game Bart, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Well, I am somewhat disappointed. Most of the time there was no type of music, and it was a little too easy to beat. I liked the music at the end, though.

Anonymous said...

So cute as always, lovely!

jacko said...

Nice as always bart!

Debbie said...

So cute. Fun to play. Thanks, Bart!

Anonymous said...

Cute <3
Congrats!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE IT!!!!! You're wonderful Bart!

Anonymous said...

Na al die fantastische en uitdagende games van jouw hand.... you gotta be kidding me :(

Anonymous said...

Dumb game

Rachel said...

Cute!

Anonymous said...

Just got the pink balloon, and I'm already hooked. Any game that lets me have 2 balloons at once is good by my standards!

Anonymous said...

very, very nice. Thanks bonte!

Anonymous said...

Just finished, great game! Although that white balloon...

The music was in issue for me. I had it during the opening "falling" scene and then it shut off. I just had the jump noise and it really got on my nerves, so I shut off the sound on my PC. Was there supposed to be music through the whole thing?

Gwenda said...

Nice and cute game! Ideal for playing during a short break!

Anonymous said...

we are friends... but this one wasn´t as good as the others. sorry ( I am not a platform game guy. I prefer dismantlement or scape!)

Anonymous said...

Wow...I got this baby in 5 minutes...I feel proud! Cute, simple, and fun game to play! Thank you Mr. Bonte! :D

Anonymous said...

Wow...I got this baby in 5 minutes...I feel proud! Cute, simple, and fun game to play! Thank you Mr. Bonte! :D

Mimi said...

I like this. I love that all your games have a sweetness to them. Reminded me a bit of "Continuity" too which is one of the best flash games ever made. Keep up the good work, Bart. You've got a fan in me.

Wildbreeze said...

Absolutely gorgeous, Bart. I love pixel games.

Everybody! Say "farafalla" 5 times fast! :D

Anonymous said...

Annoying game. The little freak should move faster.

Boring said...

Really? Another (bad) clone of Knytt? I'm dissapointed.

Anonymous said...

awwww very cute. nice game- a little bit of a puzzler- but not too hard. :) nice colors too.

JR said...

The only thing I know...I'm falling, falling....asleep.

That was so far below your normal high standards I don't know where to begin. Yes a cute character but trial and error gameplay, combined with long empty corridors and a slow moving character do not make for an enjoyable experience.

Sorry Bart but this was not a good one unless is was designed for the under tens.

Cyn said...

I know *some* might think this is too easy, but I enjoyed it immensely. It also is a fun, easy game for my kids! Thanks again, Bart!

Anonymous said...

It was really cute, but I wished there were at least controls for running, or something... Also, like a couple other people said, I think a less trial-and-error type of gameplay would have been better. Or at least maybe funny or interesting little signs along the way, if only to give us trivia on the... total landmass of Asia. Or something. I don't know.
The metaphor was really nice, though, and I know you can give us a sequel that's twice as awesome as the first! :)

Mythos said...

To be honest I was very disappointed in this game. I was excited when I saw this was a game that Bart made, but this one had no challenge to it at all. I love most of your other games though Bart.

Eviltot said...

I actually enjoyed that!

Anonymous said...

Good game cute message, but the walking speed needs to be increased because of the short nature of the game.

Minnie said...

Very simple & cute. You managed on ending it at the same moment I started wondering how long this should go on :D
But I'm loving your style. Keep it up. :)

gipsy said...

Bonte is a legend! Gotta love this game!

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed the game, I love mazes although i expected having to find my way back out to get through the colourful bars at the top, that would have been really hard. I usually don't like platformers, but this one I did - exactly for the fact which others here critisized, like that there is no running mode. keep it simple!

Anonymous said...

Good work. from sweden

Anonymous said...

Ta. Nice and simple. Ta again.

Anonymous said...

too linear
no music
boring and too minimalist textures
no real story
too repetitive elements
lack of innovation
impossible to identify with the character, because it is not developed
(just to name the most obvious ones)

Anonymous said...

I love this game. It's so cute!!!!

Anonymous said...

Bart, thanks for playing! from Russia

LorinSilver said...

The game reminds me a bit of the "robot wants kitty" series, but without the fun.

Don't worry Bart, I see this as a test - you wanted to see if you could get the mechanics of a platform exploration game down, and you did that well - it played very smoothly.

Now for the next staps add some more things, like monsters, weapons, upgrades, a map, a larger and less linear maze, a story, some characters to help out,...

You got the basics down pat, now be your brilliant self and amaze us!

giani said...

I don't understand the criticism. Such a lovely game Bart! Keep your awesome games coming!

dyork said...

Total playing time ~7 mins. I know the price is right, but I would like a little more entertainment for my money. Perhaps I missed something important?

Disappointing.

anna said...

lovely game Bart!

david said...

Boring as heck, BUT, did anyone notice, the grass under your feet?

(the more coloured balloons you get the more flowers appear underfoot)

Fantastic subtle touch Bart. now just make it into an actual challenging game! ;o)

david said...

Boring as heck, BUT, did anyone notice, the grass under your feet?

(the more coloured balloons you get the more flowers appear underfoot)

Fantastic subtle touch Bart. now just make it into an actual challenging game! ;o)

Anonymous said...

boring, and no rewarding end.

croontje said...

het moet nie altijd moeilijk zijn :-) lol thx bart

Anonymous said...

This game is so boring!

Liar, Liar, Lizzy said...

loved it! lovely little time waster. make another adventure for this lovely couple! thanks bart!

madandyb said...

Lovely little game!!

Anonymous said...

Simply not good enough, Bart. Simply not good enough.

NathanC said...

What a lovely game, with such a rewarding ending, keep your games coming Bart!

Anonymous said...

Feels like the start of a good game Bart. Thought "this is a Bonte game, bound to be more to it than this" then it ends :(

Carly said...

I liked it, Bart. Short and sweet.
@ David - what grass? Didn't notice any grass.
@ Djork - yes you did. Where's your money? Not in Bart's pocket, I bet ;)
By the way - did anybody try to go back upstairs with all those balloons? I wonder if anything happens there?

Anonymous said...

here "anonymous 2nd, 3rd and 6th post"
@Carly: I did go up halfway when I didin't have all balloons yet, but nothing happened. The game is short enough to try again with all balloons... :D

Anonymous said...

BTW I find the negative posts a little too much. Ofcourse we have all high expectations and this game does miss something. But it's not a bad developed or very frustating game.

Anonymous said...

@Carly
I went back upstairs with all balloons but nothing happend, I could not pass the pipes.
too bad it would have been a nice surprise but anyway a really nice waste of time… :)

Anonymous said...

@David, yes I noticed :-) It's like the platformer with the guy trying to please the cirl and everytime he has found a color, the game gets colored a lottle more ^^

@Carly, I went back with all balloons and could walk through the colored lines! Nothing else happends, I had to go back down to finish the game.

Anonymous said...

It's nice, loved the characters...but it's too simple and somehow boring :( after getting down that long stairs i thought of not going back 0_o ur previous games are better,anw thx 4 sharing

Anonymous said...

i like it,but i would prefer if the game had MUSIC since it's somehow long
keep the gd work :D

Anonymous said...

fun!!! maybe a sequel with the girlfriend too(?)......

Anonymous said...

Well Bart it isn't ur best game or most complicated but it wasn't bad at all. could use music. Agreed that it could be the basis of another game.
Reminds me of Physocophonium.

GameCritic99 said...

I enjoyed it, but seemed rather short. Calls for a sequel. No real plot line, when he met the girl, I execpted more levels. Too simple. I'm glad he finally came out with a platformer, but this is not an outstanding one, but still decent. One of those games I would only play once. Seriously, A SEQUEL IS ALMOST MANDITORY with this plotline. Graphics are a little wacky.

Anonymous said...

honestly, i didnt like it. and because of that i wish to remain anonymous. sorry man, i would like to be encouraging about this stuff rather than critical. just a few suggestions to make this game funner if you choose to make a sequal is maybe have a revealable mini map, some nice power ups, and maybe some upgradeable aspects to the character, a quest system to get further into the game, maybe put a little more story into the mix, i didnt like this game but i do think it has alot of potential to be a great game with a little more work.

Salleh said...

I don't know if Bart intended it to be this way, but, for me the relative ease and simplicity of the game combined with frustration (having to jump all the way back up several stairs - often having gone down to find a dead end)was all a good metaphor for love - not just the obvious falling aspect.
Often it can feel easy falling in love but it takes time and effort to make it work, having to break down walls to let someone in(like the multi-coloured barriers. Sometimes you may feel like giving up because it doesn't seem worth it, but persistence pays off, getting to be happy together is your reward. Or maybe that's just my relationships...
Games don't have to be long, complex and fast paced to be beautiful and thought provoking. But, never mind, each to their own, this is simply my opinion.

Carly said...

Aw, bummer that nothing happened when going back.
Bart, you are awfully quiet - what are you thinking? Are you disappointed that so many people didn't like it? Will you make a sequel? A penny for your thoughts!

Anonymous said...

Easy enough for even my 5 year old to understand and play, but we quickly got bored after the 4th balloon. A good start for a more challenging platform game, nice idea.

wyatt said...

loved the minimalist approach! loved no music and the silly sound effects... terrific lil game! you always amuse me, bart! thanks so much :)

rachel said...

a small little cute game

Anonymous said...

Another really great game~ /could use a little BGM though...But it was still cute, quick, and fun~ 4.5/5 Congratulations! :)

Anonymous said...

Not your best game, but at least, not as boring as sugar.

Anonymous said...

Expected better....

Sophie said...

Ooo yeah, not first but 100th!

Joaybean said...

Awesome. Such a cute, fun game that gave me a short break from my day. It made me smile. Thank you Bart.

MAC64 said...

Very boring and uninspired game. No fun at all, i'm sorry.

Fee said...

very cute but oh so short!

Anonymous said...

nice and simple

Anonymous said...

best game ever, what an idea with a deep deep sense...

Anonymous said...

love it Bart! thanks!

Anonymous said...

HONESTLY ITS QUITE BORING. LACKS MUSIC. NEEDS ENEMIES OR UPGRADES OR SOMETHING TO MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING...
WHAT I DO LIKE IS THE STYLE OF THE GAME.

Anonymous said...

OK, needs enemies or power-ups, or something. It was just a big maze. BORING! Come on, Bart, I'm a kid from the USA. I NEED EXCITEMENT! LOVE games like Mario or Legend of Zelda, make a game like that!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, half the post got deleted. I am a huge fan of your games, and I'm not criticizing you, but you can do better. At LEAST expand on Sugar Sugar or Factory Balls. All of my friends love those games! (minus the ones who blow people to bits in games like MW3 or Halo Reach |:P

dhr said...

i liked it. a little too short, but i liked the style and the colors

spidercamp said...

That was fun, thanks for making it, Bart!

Anonymous said...

I love this game. It felt purposely vintage, loved the bright colors and how the green contrasted great with the blue background. It was simple but enough of a hook to make you wonder what was behind the next door, and at the end. This one was fun, no need to have to consult a walkthrough or peek at comments to figure it out. 5 out of 5 stars, thanks Bart!

Bart said...

Thanks for massively playing my new game!!
And thanks for all the compliments and feedback everyone :)
I wanted to make a platformer with 'Farafalla', but I didn't want it to be a traditional one.
And yes, if you want, you can discover a lot of symbolism in the game.

CheddarMelt said...

High annoyance. Low reward. Nothing but a key maze. Many things put in just to make it more annoying, without actually raising the difficulty level. No real puzzles to solve. I was seriously expecting better.

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness the colors were bright and weren't so close in shade so us colorblind people could enjoy it, unlike those escape games where the colors are almost identical which makes solving it impossible.

Ranty said...

Fun game!
...But not really up to your standards Mr. Bonte. I really expected better, I always loved your unique style, and thought you were above pixel platforming.
Your games are usually so memorable and fun, but, (I'm sorry sorry sorry!!!) Your platform game here really doesn't satisfy. I love platform games, and this was a disappointing Bonte game and platformer. I'm all for trying new things (and the metaphor for falling in love was neat) but you should really stick to what you're good at. Your artistic styles in other games are really neat, and you could have made it interesting like them while still applying your ideas.
Again, I have nothing against this game, but I know you can do better!

Anonymous said...

I'm reading things about money, and they say that it was a wast of their money, but YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY MONEY. YOU CAN GET IT FOR FREE!

Mosspelt said...

Really nice, short, pointless game! Just how all great games are!
Good job, Bart!

Jane said...

Nice little game. Easy, but fun.

Anonymous said...

I was disappointed with all the hype with the youtube video, the dramatic pause leading up to the release, then the release. Seemed a bit lacking. The one thing that I agree with anon 17:36 on is the colors were spot on for a colorblind person as myself and themself. I'll show some love to the game for that.

Anonymous said...

not your best barte

Anonymous said...

it was a pretty good game. i thought it was a little less than what you usaually make and i didnt like that it anded after the girl is found. it was fun nonetheless and i enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

please make a sequal to farafalla!!!!!!!!!

PK said...

To be honest, I didn't like this game. It was very repetitive and didn't have any challenge to it. The level led you to each balloon, then you picked up the balloon, then you walked back to the door. Rinse and repeat. I only stuck with it because I kept waiting for something interesting to happen.

But let's be fair, Bart -- I know this is your first platformer! So I hope that you take my critiques as complimentary, and bear them in mind when you make a second one! I have faith in you.

Anonymous said...

good base but deffs not a full game yet ! soooooooooo easy , add some stuff then we'll see :) good starting point though

Anonymous said...

good base but deffs not a full game yet ! soooooooooo easy , add some stuff then we'll see :) good starting point though

Anonymoose said...

BONTE ESCAPE! MORE BONTE ESCAPE!
Bart!! I love your escape games- they are amazing! This game was cute, but a bit disappointing. I keep on hoping for another escape game, or something like a bark in the dark where you go outside :) Your games are the best, especially the escape rooms.
More pwease!

Queen Fume-Boo said...

SO MUCH BACKTRACKING :(

Queen Fume-Boo said...

I MEAN,I'VE WASTED PROBABLY ABOUT 5 MINUTES JUST GOING SOMEWHERE, REALIZING THERE WAS NOTHING THERE, AND COMING BACK >~<

kat said...

Where the heck is the white balloon i searcheds everywhere

tam said...

I love the game!
Thank you, Bart.

Anonymous said...

you should make a farafalla game
called super farafalla with bosses
and weapons

Anonymous said...

A little slow but good game

Unknown said...

I played this game 30 times, but I still love it!!!!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

That was a fun game!

Anonymous said...

That was unexpected.

I was hoping I'd be able to look back at the end and see where I'd been and whether I'd missed anything, but it is cute.

It's nice to have a platformer with no impossible jumps: I usually don't click on random platformers because too often I get a couple of levels in and then it requires pixel-perfect jumping, co-ordination I can't manage or key-mashing faster than I can keep up with. Some of the ones here were tricky, but not too tricky.

Also, it's nice to have a game with no instructions that genuinely doesn't need them.

Anonymous said...

Ooh nice game!

zbeaker said...

Cute Game----

Can't believe I misses this. I have been following you for awhile. Great colorful game!

Anonymous said...

I have "fallen" in love with this game (pun intended)!

Anonymous said...

pineapple goodies

Anonymous said...

I love it!It's vary simple and I think you did a good job.And also the ending is cute.=)A+

Anonymous said...

I love this game!!! It is the best!!!!

ParkOur said...

record 4:53 min :)

Anonymous said...

Plz make a sequel!!!

Anonymous said...

It is very nice. I have played it a few times, and decided I should remake it.

Alden said...

I played this game when i was younger, so happy i found it again

Anonymous said...

loved playing this game when i was younger... found it on cool math and i revisit it every so often :) thank you for such an awesome game! hoping to see farafalla 2 in the future....

Anonymous said...

I remember playing this when I was in school at the computer lab in, like, 3rd grade or something like that. I've always loved Bonte games, especially the Color series.

Unknown said...

cuando yo empese a jugarlo era en 1ro de primaria pero ¿porque lo desactivaron?

 

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