1. Gigadeep. By Peposoft (Houkai Mura). Some resemblance to Mega Man X, but overall an amazing game. Japanese-only, but playable even if you don’t know the language. A bit of a lengthy download though (over 200 MB). [Windows]
2. Space Funeral. By thecatamites (Paul Moose in Space World, Ghost Voyage). A very different setting from most RPGs, with a unique style. Even if you hate jRPG-style games you should give this one a chance, it’s not a world I’d have liked to miss out on. It’s about two hours long, a manageable length. [Windows]
3. Sombreros. By Dustin Gunn (who runs the Indie Game Bingo site). Created for MrPodunkian’s Action52 OWNS contest (which yes is still ongoing). One of the better games made for it so far. The game is almost impossibly challenging when played straight up, but is made possible with the addition of the ability to stop time, target individual opponents, and then hit them all in very quick succession when time speeds up again. The boss battles are also fun & creative. [Windows]
4. Streemerz 2 and UnderPogo. Made by MrPodunkian (Streemerz, The Underside, Merry Gear Solid series) and GirlFlash (The Linear RPG) in a competition against each other for IndieKombat (Chevy had to drop out). They are now finished and you are now able to vote for which you like better, determining the winner. Arthur’s game is pretty challenging and polished, even if you played and beat the original Streemerz. Sophie’s game… has a nice outline effect. For those stymied by Streemerz 2’s extreme difficulty, you can enjoy Super Joe’s voice acting free of stress here. [Windows/Mac]
5. My First Quantum Translocator. By Cellar Door Games (Don’t Soil Your Pants). Platformer with a unique, fresh mechanic which is thoroughly explored: basically you create a point which you can warp back to at any time, but your momentum is preserved, leading to it having a large number of uses. There are a large variety of well-crafted levels, this game has some of the best level design I’ve seen in a while. It even has the ability to skip levels if they’re too tough (after you’ve tried and failed enough times), which is very welcome and a good trade-off between those who love challenge and those whose skills aren’t up to par with very demanding games. [Flash]
6. Give Up Robot 2. Made by YMM (Runman: Race Around the World, Jumper series, An Untitled Story). Grappling hook platformers seem to be the the fashion this week. Made for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim games thing (and it’s great to see people from the community represented on that site). If you liked the original Give Up Robot, this one is even better. [Flash]
7. Inside Job. By Richard Perrin (The White Chamber, Critical Bypass). Starts out as a typical stealth game, but becomes something more the further you descend into the game. The ‘square head’ characters are cute. I can’t really write much else about it that isn’t a spoiler. [Windows/Mac]
8. Camelon. By sasakoge (Stringlink). Another indie game in Japanese, but can be played without knowing the language. This game is tricky to describe, the closest parallel may be the bonus stages in Sonic the Hedgehog, but even that isn’t a very good analogy. Extremely challenging. There’s a stage select system on the title screen (which you might miss if you’re not looking for it). [Windows]
9. Cascode. A “match-4” casual puzzle game by Increpare (Rara Racer, Opera Omnia, Mirror Stage). I think that combination speaks for itself. It’s probably the most challenging match-N game I’ve played, even though it’s very short. But as a proof of concept I imagine this could become a very engrossing game if extended. [Flash]
10. Ute. By Lea Schönfelder (Ulitsa Dimitrova). Contains cartoony, charming, animated sex, so don’t play if you don’t like that sort of thing. The game caused quite a controversy when posted on TimW’s blog, with a very mixed reaction; either people hated it or loved it. I loved it so I’m posting it here. [Flash]
Classic of the Week: Garden Gnome Carnage. By Ultimortal (Iji, Hero: Core). Now updated, with a Flash version. Move a building left and right, swing your gnome and prevent the elves from delivering presents to the people inside the building. Sounds like it wouldn’t be fun, but it’s extremely fun, and perhaps proof that you can make any wacky idea fun if you’re skilled enough. See if you can beat my score of 305k! [Flash]