There are plenty of browser flash games out there for everybody to enjoy, most of which are free. This makes it especially hard to sift out all the good ones from the countless crummy ones that seem to lurk around every corner. It’s true, for every ten or so browser games you’d be lucky to find a single decent game in the midst. Today, we just happened to stumble upon one of the good ones…

Loved is an interested idea for a browser game. It’s part platformer, part personal philosophy. The game offers a unique take on the paradigms of just what a game is and how your own choices can affect both the outcome and the setting for the game.

But let’s get back to the basics. Like I said, Loved is a platformer. It’s true, there’s no two ways about it. You’ll be jumping over obstacles, dodging enemies, and attempting to reach an “end point.” From this front, the game plays fairly well, although it’s nothin spectacular.

What makes Loved so interesting is the choices you make. This is a game about following instructions orders, or not. As you proceed through the level, doing all the things I mentioned above, you’ll be given orders by someone, or something that thinks it owns you and can control you. It will tell you which path to take and what to do on certain occasions. This is where you get to decide what to do.

Should you obey the voice he’ll make it easier for you to complete the game, giving you a little more insight into the obstacles that lie ahead. However, this also means your world will remain dark and oppressive.

On the flip side, should you blatantly ignore the voice, your world will spring to life with color, while at the same time making it harder to  overcome certain obstacles that will kill you.

In the end, the philosophy really boils down to two things: do you follow the orders and make life easier on yourself, despite not really being in control of yourself. Or do you break free from the paradigms of the game, and go about making your own way, despite it leading to a harder path ahead.

Realistically, these are choices we make every day in our lives, although it’s not always so cut and dry like that. Still, though, it’s nice to see a game that really takes on this philosophy and gives the player a choice. At the very least, it can provide some insight into the way life often works.

[play Loved via Kongregate]