Top 13 Indie Games

Limbo

Limbo is an artistic indie game is about a boy traveling through Limbo while avoiding traps and attacks. This game is a 2D puzzle platformer. You do not have a set number of lives, so you try and die until you are able to progress. There are also many fan theories about the story behind the game and the meanings in the game but the creator is keeping quiet about the truth.This game is available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, iOS, Android, and Wii U.

Super Meat Boy 

I did a full review on Super Meat Boy in a earlier post (Review: Super Meat Boy) but the short of the entire review is this game is a must play. Not too shabby for the team of 4 people who made this game.

Five Night At Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy's is extremely popular for it's scares. You play as an overnight security guard working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza (think similar to Chuck E. Cheese) and must survive five nights. Animatronics walk around during the night and if they catch you they will kill you by shoving you inside an empty mechanical suit. This game is unique with its gameplay because you protect yourself by shutting the doors, turning on hall lights, and using the cameras to track the animatronics. If you use the items too much it will fully drain your power and you will be unable to use any of them resulting in no protection at all. This game spawned 3 sequels, an upcoming movie, and countless reaction videos on sites like YouTube. This game is available on PC, Android, and iOS.

 
Fez 

Fez is a 2D platformer sent in a 3D world. You can rotate the world to discover new paths, doors, and golden cubes. You must collect these cubes to progress to the next level. This game was most known for its rocky development which is chronicled in the move Indie Game: The Movie. This game is available on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, and Playstation Vita.

 
Minecraft

Minecraft is a game with no goals for the player to complete. This allows players the freedom of choosing how to play the game. Gameplay is first person, but players can switch to third person mode. You can build anything you want in this game with the cubes from the world. This game became a massive success and has spawned a large merchandise line, and a convention called MineCon. This game is available for PC, Android, Mac, iOS, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, and Playstation Vita.

Slender: The Eight Pages

Slender: The Eight Pages is a First Person Survival Horror game based on the Slender Man character from the Something Awful Internet forum. The player is given only a flashlight to see and Slender Man will occasionally appear in the player's view. Game over happens when the player has taken too long to find a note, the player stares at Slender Man for too long, or if Slender Man touches the player. Besides being know for the many reaction video on YouTube, and its scare factor, Slender Man is mostly known for being the inspiration for some recent violent crimes committed by teenage girls.

 
Braid 

Braid is a 2D platformer where you must rescue the princess from a monster. You must collect puzzle pieces and book pages to progress and learn the story of the game. What sets this game apart from other platformers is the ability to manipulate time to solve puzzles and to avoid death. Braid is actually the top rated Xbox Live Arcade game. If you like a great story and want a platformer with a twist, then this game is a must play. Braid is available on Xbox 360, PC, Mac, and Playstation 3 .

 
Ark Survival Evolved 

Ark: Survival Evolved is a Action-Adventure Survival game. The game is played a third person or first person view. Players use firearms and makeshift weapons to defend against other people and creatures. The game can be played either single player or multiplayer similar to a massive multiplayer game. This game is most know for the ability to tame and ride/utilize dinosaurs include the famous T-Rex. This game is now in early access for PC and Mac with Playstation 4 and Xbox One getting a release next year.

 
Shovel Knight 

Shovel Knight is a 2D side scrolling platformer. The game is presented in an 8-Bit style which adds to the nostalgic charm of the game. You play as Shovel Knight and you must beat the 8 bosses to reach the Tower of Fate to fight Enchantress. The game had a very successful Kickstarter campaign raising a total of over $300,000 when their goal was only $75,000. The game has received glowing reviews from many sources. Shovel Knight is available on PC, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Mac, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, and Xbox One. Some versions contain features unique to that console, such as bosses or areas.

 
Journey 

In Journey, the player controls a robed figure in a vast desert, traveling towards a mountain in the distance. Other players on the same journey can be discovered, and two players can meet and aid each other, but they cannot communicate via speech or text and cannot see each other's names. This game was highly praised for its artistic direction and especially for its soundtrack. It was one of the fastest selling games on the Playstation Network and received numerous awards. Journey is available for Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.

Flower 

Flower is a visual poetry of a game. You start each level as a single petal in the breeze that as you blow by other flowers you collect more petals. Once you collect all the petals from an area, you will be directed to a new area. This game relies heavily on its visuals. This game is made by the same company that would go on to make Journey. In 2013, The Smithsonian American Art Museum added this game its permanent collection. Flower is available on the Playstation3, Playstation 4, and Playstation Vita.

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a dungeon crawler where you must clear each room of the monsters before moving on to the next room. This game is loosely based on the biblical story of the same name. The artist and designer behind this title is also the creator of Super Meat Boy. Binding of Isaac: Rebirth received glowing reviews and is available on PC, Mac, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, and Xbox One.

Angry Birds

The game that started the mobile gaming boom, and spawned numerous spin-offs and a sequel. If you haven't heard of this yet, you must be living under a rock. The concept is simple, launch birds with a slingshot to destroy the pigs. This game is available on iOS, Nintendo 3DS, PSP, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, and Android.

Honorable Mention:

Flappy Bird

This game was famous for being notoriously hard and for the creator pulling the game from the app stores. This caused players to sell their phones on Ebay for thousands of dollars. This game was available on iOS and Android but there are still ways to find it if you really want it.

Review: Super Meat Boy

Available On: Xbox 360, PC, and Mac

Story: You play as Meat Boy and you must save your girlfriend, Bandage Girl, who was kidnapped by the evil Dr. Fetus.

Game Play: You must traverse each level and move Meat Boy from the starting point to Bandage Girl. This game requires you to make split second moves to dodge obstacles. This game is extremely hard at times but not hard enough where you don't want to play. It's hard enough to keep you playing because you want to beat the level. Don't be surprised if this game cause you to curse or throw your remote out of anger. 

Look: It has a very retro look to it, which fits the game perfectly. The game also features a bunch of parodies for popular games from the 8 and 16 bit eras.

Sound: The electric music that the soundtrack consists of fits the game like a gem. It makes you think of vintage games like Mega Man, Super Mario, or Sonic the Hedgehog.

Replay Value: This game has massive replay value between going back through the 300+ levels to achieve an A+ in each level by beating it within the specified time limit, collecting all the band-aids, finding and beating the Warp Zones, and lastly beating the "Dark World" (which are harder versions of each level).

Overall: This game is fantastic. I have not had this much fun playing a platform game in a while. It reminded me a lot of my childhood, sitting in front of the television and enjoying the challenge of having to beat a level, only to repeat it on the next level over and over again.

Pros: This game has so many pros, that it would take a while to list everything, so I will just list the major ones that I enjoyed. This game was a great value, 300+ levels, plus hidden levels, time challenges, and increased difficulty levels as a reward for $15. All the parodies of games that I enjoyed from my childhood. The retro look and soundtrack that fits the game perfectly. The game is actually a challenge.

Cons: My only problem that I had with this game is that I was unable to get it on the Playstation Network. This is not the fault of Team Meat (the developers/publishers) being they did want to release it be legalities did not allow it. Recently Team Meat has said that they will be releasing it this year on the Playstation Vita and Playstation 4. They also said that it will be free for Playstation Plus users.

Score: A

Review: Poltergeist: A Pixelated Horror

Available On: PC, Mac, Playstation 4, and Playstation Vita

Story: You play as the ghost of Mr. Henry B. Knight. You love your mansion so much that you never want to leave it, even after you die. As new people move in you must scare them away.

Game Play: Poltergeist: A Pixelated Horror is a puzzle game where you use your powers to scare away the people who moved into your house, their pets, and any guests they have. Some of the powers you have are possessions, shaking items, tossing items, forming ghost shadows, and a few others. There are 60 levels over a few different time periods. Each level you play gives you a set number of times you use a selected set of power to get rid of everyone. Some of the guests are distracted sleeping, watching TV, or doing other things so you must get their attention before scaring them. After beating a set number of levels the boss is unlocked. In order to beat the boss you must first get rid of all of the other guests first. Once you have gotten rid of everyone else you unlock a special power to get rid of the boss.

Look: I love the pixeled look of the game and how the the characters match their era, especially the Ghostbuster in the 80's era, and the maps were never too big that it required a lot of scrolling.

Sound: The music has that haunted feeling to it and it changes with each era. The screams for the people and dogs match nicely. All the sounds effects work nicely for each character.

Replay Value: Being you only have to beat a portion of each era to proceed to the boss and next era, there is a good bit to play and figure out once you have completed the game.

Overall: I thought Poltergesit was a blast and a challenge to play. I was hoping for some more powers and levels for the price of it.

Pros: The puzzles actually make you think and some required some trial and error. A lovely twist on the puzzle genre.

Cons: I wish the game had some more powers and was longer. I know this is an Indie game but for $7.99 I would like around 100 levels and a few extra powers. Also the touching of the object on the Playstation Vita version seems a little wonky. There were times I would click on a person or object and it wouldn't work.

Score: B-

Review: Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

Available On: PC, Playstation 2, and Xbox

Story: You are in charge of creating the newest Jurassic Park based theme park.You will lay paths, hire staff, conduct research, and manage an open to the public version of Jurassic Park.

Game Play: This game plays similar to like SimCity or Roller Coaster Tycoon. There are some "Action" scenes where you control the Hot Air Balloon, Land Cruiser, Helicopter, and tranquilize or put down dinosaurs. There are 10 missions included in the game. These missions include taking photographs, retiring dinosaurs, and a few others.

Look: Compared to similar titles of this genre, Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis actually looks pretty good even by today's standards. This game doesn't look super realistic but it looks far better then Jurassic Park: Park Builder, DinoPark Tycoon, or Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs.

Sound: The sound effects and music sound like they are straight out of the film.

Replay Value: There are multiple dig sites which allow you to find 25 different types of dinosaurs. Being each save file allows only 5 sites, that allows for countless combinations for your park each time you play. There is also a "Site B' mode which is unlocked once you complete the 10 Missions in the game. "Site B" is just like like the Lost World movie. No Park, no visitors, just dinosaurs roaming free. For PC users, there is a decent size community of modders that still add content to this day. One of their most recent additions is the Indominus Rex from Jurassic World.

Overall: If you are a fan of games like Zoo Tycoon, I highly recommend playing it. It adds a nice twist on your normal zoo simulation, plus who hasn't wanted to build their own park, and succeed where John Hammond failed. My only complaints about this game is the fact that you can't choose more the 5 dig sites, and there are only 10 missions in the game. I would love to be able to have every dinosaur in my park at one time, and more missions would allow a nice break from park creation. If you are looking for the game, the Playstation 2 version is the cheapest at around $60 while normally the Xbox, and PC version go for around $100.

Score:  B