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235 Free Indie Games in 10 minutes

Started by weekender, July 16, 2010, 08:32:25 PM

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weekender

http://www.pixelprospector.com/2010/06/235-free-indie-games-in-10-minutes/

Sort of does what it says in the description.  A sample of 235 free independent games in 10 minutes, watch the YouTube video, pick one you like, try it out and play it.  Then hopefully write a bit about the game here.

Personally, I am loving Igneous:

http://www.pixelprospector.com/2010/04/igneous/

It's ostensibly a simple move-with-the-cursor-keys-and-press-space-to-jump game, like so many flash games you see on the internet.

That's not doing it justice though.  I think it looks bloody lovely and the sound effects are great.  It plays well too - although it's not massively difficult it just flows and gives a cool little gaming experience for 30 minutes or so that is just somehow fun.   I remember when I was younger that I used to like playing the level of Donkey Kong Country on the SNES where you're in a mine cart, you're constantly moving, and you have to jump over things.  I used to love that level.  This game reminds me of that, and I think it's well worth a play.

Definitely recommended.

My hope for this thread is that people try out the different games and either recommend the good ones,  or advise not to play the bad ones.  There we are.

Big Jack McBastard

#1
Okey-doke I shall give this a pop or several:

Clean Asia

You'll die like a bitch many times over before it becomes apparent you're supposed to use your 'Thrust' to smash the blocks coming at you and subsequently attract and then fire their debris and back at what remains of them, even once you've learned this you'll still die like a bitch over and over, as, though it's predictable, it's utterly unforgiving.

You also can use the arrows to control the direction your... dot (which is all you are) takes, the instructions neglect to mention this.

I am a little bit pissed, but found it both annoying and quite ugly.

Recommendation?: Avoid



Big Jack McBastard

Click Copter

A side scrolling shooter/flier which pits you against stationary turrets and moving enemies with many pick-ups along the way, you have to dodge the terrain, your foes and their projectiles in order to survive, letting a moving enemy get behind you can be a fatal decision.

You've played a million games in a similar vein and there is little to recommend this one, nothing really stands out and it's rather dinky in it's presentation.

Recommendation?: Meh.

Big Jack McBastard

Coal

Doesn't seem to work.

Recommendation?
: Huh?

Big Jack McBastard

Cobex

That's a bit more like it, essentially Pac Man but slightly more aggravating as the 'follow any route available' ethos can be a bit hit and miss so you'll end up holding rwo arrow keys down to get your.... arrow.. to turn into the next 'unclaimed area' as turning on a tee (or when you think it's the right time to turn) can be dangerous as you progress.

Recommendation?: Give it a punt.

Detective John Kimble

I've played a few of these.  Here's the ones I'd absolutely recommend:

Bonesaw - This is a really good action platformer - very tongue-in-cheek, and ridiculous/funny in places.  Activating the Bonesaw never stopped being gold.  Also, it's pretty big for an indie game.

Cave Story - Japanese 16-bit styled Metroid-y platformer.  Probably doesn't need much of an introduction - this game appears at or near the top on just about every "best freeware games" list, and for a good reason.  It's also available on the Wii.

Dino Run - This Flash game doesn't seem like much - it's only a dinosaur running from extinction.  But you won't have any idea just how intense it is until you play it - surfing on the wave of apocalypse is a recipe for ruined trousers.

Iji - If you like Super Metroid/Metroidvanias/etc., you'll like this.  Also comes with various different ways to play through the game, with the amount you kill changing how people react to you and so on.  Made by one guy over the course of about 4 years - a rather large amount of effort went into it, to say the least.

Knytt/Knytt Stories - Kind of like the exploring parts of Shadow of the Colossus, only in 2D.  Lovely art style - probably not to everyone's tastes, but I think it's a wonderful experience.

La-Mulana - Japanese game, made to look like it's off the MSX (old Japanese computer).  Often mentioned amongst the best indie games - it looks great and authentic, has awesome music...and it's also really, really hard.  One of the hardest games out of the whole 235, I'd wager.

N - Uniquely-styled game featuring lots of jumping puzzles and gold.  Again, a famous freeware game with versions on...well, most consoles these days.  The original is still the best, and the hardest too - the later levels will leave you begging for mercy.  Still has an edge that keeps it ahead of most of the other ridiculously hard indie platformers - I think a lot of it has to do with the balance of going out of the way to get gold (which earns you time, and is often essential) with flowing through a stage as quickly as possible.

Open LieroX - A one-on-one version of Worms, pretty much - only in real-time.  You can play this online as well.

Runman: Race Around the World - It's as the game says - runman likes to run through stages as fast as he possibly can.  The MSPaint art is great, and the gameplay's really good - there's more than enough sensation of speed/forward momentum to go around.  One of the most stylish indie games out there, and more importantly a whole load of fun.

Soldat - Like the aforementioned OpenLieroX, only with more people.  It's an online multiplayer 2D shooter, and it's great fun to pick and play -  you won't have any problem jumping into a game.

Spelunky - If you get just one game out of the 235, get this one.  Spelunky is described as a roguelike platformer/adventure game - the stages are random everytime you play, and you only get one life - if you lose all your hearts, the game's over and you have to start from the beginning.  That doesn't do it justice, really - it's so addictive, constantly beckoning you back for another go, and there's so much exploration fun to be had, gathering up as much treasure as you can, fooling around in levels as much as you please...it's bloody brilliant.  One of my favourite games.  Remember:  DON'T STEAL FROM THE SHOP.

Synaesthete - Kind of a shooter - you go around arenas and shoot by pressing keys to a beat/melody.  It's sort of in the same genre as Rez and the like (the music's pretty similar too - that same sort of techno), although it's a different experience to the aforementioned.  I really like this one - definitely give it a go if you like your music games.

Within A Deep Forest - From the same guy who made Knytt, and it shows - very similar art style.  Only in this one, you play various types of bouncy ball - if you've ever played Cauldron, you know what I'm talking about - only this has much, much better controls and isn't impossibly difficult.  Kind of difficult though - the crazy design will leave your head spinning occasionally (trying to follow a path based on a reversed diagram of the level in the background, for instance...) - chock-full of ideas and one of the best games on the list.

That's about it for me.  I'm definitely going to check out some of the others, but those are the ones I'd recommend.

 


madhair60


Still Not George

Dino Run is a really, really crap attempt at a Canabalt variant...

#8
A few quick recommendations:

Warning Forever -- A Japanese shooter which dispenses with all the dull levels and just throws one increasingly huge boss ship after another at you.

Tumiki Fighters -- Horizontal shooter where protective blocks get glued to your ship as you progress.

Torus Trooper -- Fly down a tunnel and shoot stuff.

Star Guard -- Short-but-sweet platform shooty game.

Jumpman -- Platform game with the twist that you have to rotate the levels to complete them.

Hero Core -- Minimalist Metroidy explore-and-power-up game.

Gravity Bone -- Someone recommended this in the 1000 best games thread; it's a bite-sized FPS with a beautiful sense of style.

Gravitron -- I haven't actually played this one, but I've played Gravitron 2 (the costs-money sequel) and it's ace so this is worth a try. It takes the old 8-bit game Thrust and spruces it up with extra features and glowing Geometry Wars-style graphics.

Fig 8 -- Steer a bicycle around a beautifully-drawn landscape.

Enviro-Bear 2000 -- This is a HOOT. You are a bear driving a car (how can that be?!) and you have to eat the fish that drop in through the sunroof when you drive into ponds, while contending with all the other crap that falls in (pinecones, angry badgers, etc.). The twist is that you control the car by moving the bear's hand around with the mouse and turning the wheel, pushing the pedals etc. yourself. I've done it no justice -- go ahead and download it and see what an awesome piece of work it is for yourself.

mcbpete

#9
Quote from: Still Not George on July 20, 2010, 12:43:26 AM
Dino Run is a really, really crap attempt at a Canabalt variant...
No way, they've got a similar style sure - but whereas Canabalt is more just a reaction game, Dino Run is about learning the routes, finding secret areas and boosting your stats to getting further in the game and unlocking different achievements. I remember being completely hooked on Dino Run for days a few months ago ....