Features

Part 2: 50 Really Good Indie Games

Compiled by The TIGForums Community
Edited by Derek Yu
August 6th, 2007

This is in no way meant to be a "best of" list or any kind of indie gaming canon, although every game in this list is recommended highly. The purpose of this list is to aggregate a diverse collection of high quality independent games, and say a little about the significance of each one. As you will see, the themes and inspiration behind the games are really broad, as are the presentation and technical complexity. The hope is that both newcomers and those familiar with independent gaming will find something new and interesting to play or think about!

The list was pared down from a bigger list of over a hundred favorite independent titles from the TIGForums community.

The List (11-20)

	Façade (FREE) Façade takes interactive storytelling to the next level by employing advanced speech parsing and artificial intelligence. The game, an "intense, one-act play," puts you in the middle of a high-tension conflict between your two friends, Grace and Trip. As Grace and Trip's fight plays out, unscripted, in real time, you must make quick decisions about what to say to keep their marriage from disintegrating. The New York Times called Façade the "future of video games."
	Orisinal (FREE) Not a game, but a collection of games, Ferry Halim's Orisinal series turns cute ideas into beautiful, heart-warming adventures. Whether you're helping deer cross a river in a sunlit forest, gliding down from a tree branch on a leaf as a small mouse, or serenading a girl with a guitar, the Orisinal games are masterfully crafted and capture the poignancy of simple moments.
	Armadillo Run ($20) In Armadillo Run the goal is to guide a small, rolled-up armadillo to a target area by rigging up various contraptions on a limited budget. Metal struts, cloth, rope, and rockets, and other materials can all be used, and there are almost always multiple solutions to achieve the goal. Armadillo Run is a wonderful game for anyone who enjoys "tinkering" with physical properties. Also try: Crayon Physics, Bridge Builder
	Blocksum (FREE) Like many classic puzzle games, Blocksum has a simple premise: combine similar-numbered blocks into groups that contain at least that many blocks in them. New blocks can be created by combining smaller blocks. The result is a highly addictive, fast-moving matching game that requires fast mental and physical reflexes... as well as, gulp, rudimentary math skills!
	Peacemaker ($20) Politics and race are two issues that the mainstream game industry would never touch with a ten-foot pole, which is sad, because there's such a potential to create games that engage and inform and make us think about these issues. Thankfully, independent developers are starting to make these games. Peacemaker, for example, is a game that simulates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and does so with a thoughtful eye, taking care to reveal the differences between the two nations while remaining as unobjective as possible. Also try: Democracy
	Samorost (FREE) Samorost and its sequel (from which the screenshot is taken) take place in a surreal world that is reminiscent of fantasy classics like Le Petit Prince or The Neverending Story. In Czech, the word Samorost means "driftwood," and it's an apt title, considering the organic and mysterious feel of the game and the unique graphical style, which combines collage with cartoon animation. Also by this developer: Samorost 2
	N (FREE) What we have here is a neato physics engine, fast-paced platform action, and slick, abstract graphics rolled up into a tight little package. In N, it can be as fun to die as it is to execute all the sweet moves that lead up to your death. The game also comes with a level editor, which has been used extensively by its fans. N won the Audience Award at IGF in 2005 and is scheduled to hit the DS, PSP, and XBox Live Arcade sometime in the near future.
	Sam n' Max: Episode One ($9/ep) Somewhere along the way, the mainstream adventure game died, and with it went a whole lot of the irreverent humor that many fans came to know and love. Sam n' Max, based on the lovable miscreants designed by Steve Purcell, were some of the most irreverent and most hilarious, and oh, how we missed them. Thankfully, Telltale Games saw fit to bring back the misfit duo as an episodic game series, and they've never looked (or sounded) better. The New York Times included Sam n' Max: Episode One in its "Best Games of 2006" list.
	Mount and Blade ($22) Though many games take place in the medieval era, few simulate the combat from that era with any realism. However, Mount and Blade, which focuses on cavalry combat, has earned a considerable following for both its incredibly realistic depiction of medieval combat (in which weather and terrain are factors) as well as the open-endedness of its gameplay. The player directly controls a single character in this game, but can recruit and train soldiers to help them in battle.
	La Mulana (FREE) La Mulana is a sprawling, Indiana Jones-style platform game that's based heavily on Konami's Maze of Galious and other MSX games. Its extreme difficulty, which includes some fiendish boss fights and puzzles, along with its high level of detail, has earned it a diehard (and masochistic) cult following. Also by this developer: Death Village, Rose and Camellia