This thread is a love letter, celebrating games, creativity, imagination, developers and fans. This thread wouldnt have been possible without 12 months of preparation and dedication. Over the past year, a few people got together in the monthly Indie threads to share their passion about this hobby, played countless games, voted on them monthly, discussed the positives and negatives of these games and ultimately recommended the ones they fell in love with to others. This group of people together played over 600 games that got mostly ignored by the mass media, found great games where they didnt expect it and also enjoyed the heavy hitters of the Indie scene.
After 2013 ended, we decided to come together and hold a community voting, the end result you can see now in this thread. These 50 games were the games that ranked the highest in that voting, but ordered alphabetically. The reason for that is that we wanted to avoid giving this thread a focus on "WHY IS X GAME ABOVE Y" and instead focusses purely on the games. If there are games on this list you didnt know yet, we encourage you to look into them. Not every game will be a 100% fit for everyone, especially because Indie Games can be very diverse in their approach, style, gameplay and overall goal (if there even is one), but we hope that a few people out there will see this thread, check out a game they havent heard about it before, and love it as much as we did.
We know its a daunting task to try to stay ahead of the millions of games released every year with our Steam backlog growing ever bigger, but these games arent running away and yet so damn worth playing. Feel free to check back and refer to this thread over the coming year if you havent heard about most of these and want to try one of these occasionally. Not all of these are great, epic adventures. Some are small ideas, others are mere concepts, but they are all good enough to deserve this shoutout.
Feel also free to use this thread to post about your favourite Indie Game last year. Anything we didnt include here, but you still want to share with others? What was your favourite Indie last year? Why? Any reasons why you love Indie Games in general?
You are also welcome to join us over in the monthly Indie Games threads if you want to share our passion and play and discuss some smaller games with us, the current thread being February:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=761651
And without further ado, the 50 games that this voting resulted in (also a huge round of applause for the regulars of the Indie threads that helped providing these texts):
Antichamber - $19.99 (PC)
Perhaps better than any other recent game, Antichamber is mindfuck distilled to interactive form. Set in a world where the impossible is the norm and reality plays by a different set of rules, you need to learn those rules and adapt to every new mind-bending room and mechanic. Deducing the way the world works and using that knowledge to overcome the game's abstract puzzles never ceases to satisfy. Antichamber works equally as a challenging puzzle platformer and as an exciting journey through its weird non-Euclidean halls.
Defining moment: Antichamber is the kind of game where every room and every turn offers some new crazy moment, but it was probably the looping red-blue staircase that first made me pause and think the first of many "WTFs?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bleed - Free demo/$5 (PC, Mac, XBIG)
Don't overlook Bleed because of its colorful cutesy style, because behind the visuals lies a fast paced action game that combines bullet hell mayhem with acrobatic platforming. It's one thing to wall run and evade enemies, and it's another to do it Bleed style, as you air dash, slow time, and weave between countless enemies and bullets. Between the wild pace, fun weapons, crazy bosses, and finely tuned gameplay, Bleed is pure arcade fun.
Defining moment: Triple dashing between an onslaught of rockets in slow motion while slicing through enemies with a katana and then shooting down the rockets with rockets of your own.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Broforce - Free Demo/$10 (PC, Mac)
The game set out to be an ode to 80's and 90's action movies, the Expendables in video game form, and it succeeds on every possible level. Neo, The Terminator, Blade, Rambo, and many more are already on the growing roster, with recent additions like the Boondock Brothers adding even more diversity.
Each level is a fully destructible playground filled with explosive barrels, propane canisters, and many many enemies ranging from simple goons to suicide bombers to guard dogs and mini-gun wielding mini-bosses. The stylized graphics are nicely detailed, with blood, dirt, smoke, and fire flying with every explosion. The destructible environments adds an layer of depth, allowing you to tunnel beneath enemies to flank them or collapse the ground under their feet or crush them beneath trucks and heavy debris. All those tricks and fast reflexes will be needed because the game is not easy. You die in one hit.The tight controls, the over-the-top destruction, the fact that you're playing as some of the coolest action heroes in movies, and the fast-paced challenging gameplay make Broforce an addictive and fun experience.
Defining moment: When one bullet set off a minute long chain reaction of explosions, flying gore, dying enemies, collapsing bridges (but really there are too many great moments to count)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Free Demo on XBLA/$15 (PC, XBLA, PSN)
Aid two brothers on their quest to find medicine for their ill father by taking control of both at the same time. On your journey, you will come across all kinds of creatures and civilizations - dangerous enemies, unexpected friends and deeply troubled beings, like yourselves.
Defining moment: One of the game's many strengths lies in the way it conveys your progress through the world. And what a world it is: The sense of scale, the picturesque environments, the obstacles you have to overcome and the way their implemented into their surroundings - everything is part of a big, breathing tableau. By the same token, every single moment is no less remarkable than the previous ones, and picking one would be inadvertently unjust. Aside from the divisive ending sequence, not a single part of the experience stands out jarringly, and the player quickly becomes immersed in an inner and outer journey that feels as natural as it is poetically refined - with the all the subtlety and all the splendor that comes with it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Card Hunter - Free (Browser)
One of the best card games in recent memory. Card Hunter combines character inventories with their skill set and deck building, which you can improve to be better prepared for combat situations by finding better cards. The combat itself plays out on a map in which you can employ the skills you equipped which gives the feeling of vast possibilities for customization. Progressing and finding good cards to equip feels incredibly rewarding and considering the basic game is free, there is no reason not to check this game if you like card games.
Defining moment: Starting out with simple cards and gradually building up your possibilities and working on better synergies is as rewarding as it could be.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cart Life - Free /$4,99 for an additional character (PC)
A simulation unlike any other, mixing social interaction and needs of a street vendor with calculation and the necessity of economic success, where you need to manage to balance hunger, time and conversations to make money and still be able to take care of the ones you love. A brutal look at how excruciatingly difficult even a simple life can be and a magnificient example of gameplay that enforces the narrative.
Defining moment: Barely scraping by and earning just enough cash for yourself to satisfy the worst hunger, until you notice that you arent the only one you need to feed and falling into a downward spiral of despair.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clairvoyance - $5 (PC)
You can compare this a bit to chess, or Frozen Synapse if you know that game. You are giving orders to your robots and then the actions of both players are being run in turns. Action 1 of player A, then Action 1 of player B, then action 2 of Player A, etcetc. The fun of this kind of game comes from the mind games you are having with your opponents. You can shoot, move, turn and throw bombs and your task is to correctly judge what your opponent might do to conduct the perfect counter attack. The game is not as deep as Frozen Synapse because there are less options and less "fine tuning" needed, but its still highly enjoyable, especially since its also more quicker to play.
Defining moment: Double guessing your opponents moves and countering his really smart attack move with a perfect counter is one of the ... most amazing emotions these type of games can envoke, and Clairvoyance pulls that off splendidly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Depression Quest - Free (Browser)
An interactive (Non)fiction about living with depression. You are given a series of everyday life events and have to attempt to manage your illness, relationships, job, and possible treatment. This game aims to show other sufferers of depression that they are not alone in their feelings, and to illustrate to people who may not understand the illness the depths of what it can do to people.
Defining moment: Being annoyed by the fact that you cant choose certain character actions in a "game", before you realize that these are actions that might simply not be on the table for a person suffering from depression.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Divekick - $9,99 (PC)
Divekick is fighting game that started its life as a parody on the effectiveness of divekicks in fighting games. However, the concept proved to be more enjoyable than its joke game origins would have you expect. The main goal of the game is to win a set of rounds with your character via dive kicking. Its a game that thrives upon intricate mindgames that explode into a fast conclusion, since every hit is a 1 hit knockout that ends the round.
Defining moment: Dancing around the level with your enemy just to find that 1 perfect opportunity to get the K.O. never feels old because the tension is being held constantly high.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Starve - Free browser version/ $14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux, PSN)
In a cursory glance, one might believe Don't Starve is yet another Minecraft/Terraria spin-off, with its reliance on collecting materials and crafting items in a vast open wilderness. But spend any time with Don't Starve and you'll soon find that the game is so much more. Perhaps what makes Don't Starve so engaging is its atmosphere; the world you explore is a far cry from similar games' sunny pixel/voxel environments. It's a dark lonely place, full on unknown threats to the new player and danger encroaching from around and within, drawn in a unique 2.5D style that just feels off and ominous. It's a place where the creatures that roam both above and below aren't your only hazards, where your own mind can and will betray you as you weakly cling to life through the long nights and longer winters. The focus on survival, maintaining sanity, and crafting more advanced technology and equipment further separates Don't Starve from other games in the genre. Klei's fantastic post-release support has only fleshed out the experience into a must-play filled with depth.
Defining moment: No moment defined Don't Starve for me more than the first time my character slowly went insane from lack of food and supplies as night fell and the encroaching shadows soon became something much worse.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Door Kickers - Demo here /$14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Frozen Synapse may be king in the multiplayer arena and it may offer more depth thanks to mechanics like crouching and destructible environments, but Door Kickers has become my go-to game for tense tactical action. Not only does the grounded SWAT aesthetic appeal more and not only are the controls more intuitive, there's something so satisfying about devising the best plan possible, where efficiency, speed, and coordination are all key to masterful execution. There are no FPS skills to fall back on in a crutch; fail to plan well, forget to check your corners, don't have a guy covering your back while he picks a lock, your team will pay. Similar to Prison Architect, it's an Early Access game that feels like a game rather than a concept of one, with consistent game-changing updates and a dedicated community-friendly developer.
Defining moment: Dividing your troopers into two groups, clearing the exterior of a cartel complex with suppressed weapons, then coordinating dual breaches with flashbangs and charges to clear a room with no causalities and perfect precision.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dust: An Elysian Tail - $14,99 (PC, Mac, Linux, XBLA)
A platforming and adventure game in the vein of Castlevania and Metroid with a surprisingly wonderful story and highly satisfying combat. The scenery and the art is gorgeous and the game was developed by only one person.
Defining moment: Getting used to the combat technics and applying it in the fights.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factorio - Free Demo/$13 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Its basically the optimisation process of SpaceChem, mixed with light Tower Defense elements and a bit of Minecraft-style crafting thrown in. If you arent familiar with the mentioned games, it basically works like this: In the beginning you'll run around gathering resources. Then you'll use those resources to build simple mechanisms via exhaustive crafting options, and THEN with those mechanism you'll create mechanism that help you automating everything, until you planned built a huge factory that produces several dozen item in chains automatically. Incredibly rewarding genre mix and my (Toma) personal GOTY 2013.
Defining moment: Starting off with nothing, mining ressources by hand, only to eventually create a huge self sustaining factory that mines several ressources and builds dozens of products/items that depend on each other.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEZ - $9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux, XBLA)
Mechanically Fez isn't a very difficult game. Death or failure doesn't have much consequence. But when playing Fez, perhaps it's best that you're not thinking about pixel-perfect timing and precision jumps. Because then you wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the unique art style and the perspective shifting mechanic that, at least for me, never gets old. What's more, Fez's depth is more cerebral than most, due to its weird ciphers and language to interpret and solve.
Defining moment: The first time I entered a world and found a narrow tower to climb, only to rotate the level and realize that this "tower" was merely the side of an entire building.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fjords - $7 (PC)
Similar to the more famous Starseed Pilgrim, this game revolves around exploring not only a world, but also the rules of this world. Additionally, it allows you to hack into this world itself and carve your own way. How much you'll like this game hinges entirely on your mindset regarding exploring a world at your own pace, but if you do like these kind of experiences, it doesnt get much better than Fjords, which in my opinion also outshines the more famous Starseed Pilgrim.
Defining moment: Finding out how you can bend the world to your will and progressing from a state of feeling helpless in a dangerous world, to a world in which you are making the rules.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Bore - $8 (PC, Linux)
You're just a lonely boar who finds himself trapped in the mysterious mining operation deep beneath the earth. Weird machinery and logs of anomalies hint at some unnatural happenings in the tunnels and bored out caverns and as your adventure progresses, the pieces slowly come together. The world of Full Bore is sprawling and expansive and quite pretty, stretching from dark lava filled depths to the sunny green surface; doorways found throughout the world lead to puzzle filled rooms and other areas. And while the sense of exploration and discovery is fantastic, the puzzles, charming graphics and animations, and just the sheer amount of gameplay is even better.
Defining moment: Due to the freeform nature, it was tough to pick one that encapsulated the whole game, but for me, no moment was more exciting than that first fall in the beginning, as you plummet deep underground and pass all the different layers and levels you'll come to explore later.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After 2013 ended, we decided to come together and hold a community voting, the end result you can see now in this thread. These 50 games were the games that ranked the highest in that voting, but ordered alphabetically. The reason for that is that we wanted to avoid giving this thread a focus on "WHY IS X GAME ABOVE Y" and instead focusses purely on the games. If there are games on this list you didnt know yet, we encourage you to look into them. Not every game will be a 100% fit for everyone, especially because Indie Games can be very diverse in their approach, style, gameplay and overall goal (if there even is one), but we hope that a few people out there will see this thread, check out a game they havent heard about it before, and love it as much as we did.
We know its a daunting task to try to stay ahead of the millions of games released every year with our Steam backlog growing ever bigger, but these games arent running away and yet so damn worth playing. Feel free to check back and refer to this thread over the coming year if you havent heard about most of these and want to try one of these occasionally. Not all of these are great, epic adventures. Some are small ideas, others are mere concepts, but they are all good enough to deserve this shoutout.
Feel also free to use this thread to post about your favourite Indie Game last year. Anything we didnt include here, but you still want to share with others? What was your favourite Indie last year? Why? Any reasons why you love Indie Games in general?
You are also welcome to join us over in the monthly Indie Games threads if you want to share our passion and play and discuss some smaller games with us, the current thread being February:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=761651
And without further ado, the 50 games that this voting resulted in (also a huge round of applause for the regulars of the Indie threads that helped providing these texts):
Antichamber - $19.99 (PC)
http://www.antichamber-game.com/
Perhaps better than any other recent game, Antichamber is mindfuck distilled to interactive form. Set in a world where the impossible is the norm and reality plays by a different set of rules, you need to learn those rules and adapt to every new mind-bending room and mechanic. Deducing the way the world works and using that knowledge to overcome the game's abstract puzzles never ceases to satisfy. Antichamber works equally as a challenging puzzle platformer and as an exciting journey through its weird non-Euclidean halls.
Defining moment: Antichamber is the kind of game where every room and every turn offers some new crazy moment, but it was probably the looping red-blue staircase that first made me pause and think the first of many "WTFs?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bleed - Free demo/$5 (PC, Mac, XBIG)
http://bootdiskrevolution.com/usefulDead/newSplash.html
Don't overlook Bleed because of its colorful cutesy style, because behind the visuals lies a fast paced action game that combines bullet hell mayhem with acrobatic platforming. It's one thing to wall run and evade enemies, and it's another to do it Bleed style, as you air dash, slow time, and weave between countless enemies and bullets. Between the wild pace, fun weapons, crazy bosses, and finely tuned gameplay, Bleed is pure arcade fun.
Defining moment: Triple dashing between an onslaught of rockets in slow motion while slicing through enemies with a katana and then shooting down the rockets with rockets of your own.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Broforce - Free Demo/$10 (PC, Mac)
http://www.freelives.net/broforce-game
The game set out to be an ode to 80's and 90's action movies, the Expendables in video game form, and it succeeds on every possible level. Neo, The Terminator, Blade, Rambo, and many more are already on the growing roster, with recent additions like the Boondock Brothers adding even more diversity.
Each level is a fully destructible playground filled with explosive barrels, propane canisters, and many many enemies ranging from simple goons to suicide bombers to guard dogs and mini-gun wielding mini-bosses. The stylized graphics are nicely detailed, with blood, dirt, smoke, and fire flying with every explosion. The destructible environments adds an layer of depth, allowing you to tunnel beneath enemies to flank them or collapse the ground under their feet or crush them beneath trucks and heavy debris. All those tricks and fast reflexes will be needed because the game is not easy. You die in one hit.The tight controls, the over-the-top destruction, the fact that you're playing as some of the coolest action heroes in movies, and the fast-paced challenging gameplay make Broforce an addictive and fun experience.
Defining moment: When one bullet set off a minute long chain reaction of explosions, flying gore, dying enemies, collapsing bridges (but really there are too many great moments to count)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Free Demo on XBLA/$15 (PC, XBLA, PSN)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/225080
Aid two brothers on their quest to find medicine for their ill father by taking control of both at the same time. On your journey, you will come across all kinds of creatures and civilizations - dangerous enemies, unexpected friends and deeply troubled beings, like yourselves.
Defining moment: One of the game's many strengths lies in the way it conveys your progress through the world. And what a world it is: The sense of scale, the picturesque environments, the obstacles you have to overcome and the way their implemented into their surroundings - everything is part of a big, breathing tableau. By the same token, every single moment is no less remarkable than the previous ones, and picking one would be inadvertently unjust. Aside from the divisive ending sequence, not a single part of the experience stands out jarringly, and the player quickly becomes immersed in an inner and outer journey that feels as natural as it is poetically refined - with the all the subtlety and all the splendor that comes with it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Card Hunter - Free (Browser)
http://live.cardhunter.com/
One of the best card games in recent memory. Card Hunter combines character inventories with their skill set and deck building, which you can improve to be better prepared for combat situations by finding better cards. The combat itself plays out on a map in which you can employ the skills you equipped which gives the feeling of vast possibilities for customization. Progressing and finding good cards to equip feels incredibly rewarding and considering the basic game is free, there is no reason not to check this game if you like card games.
Defining moment: Starting out with simple cards and gradually building up your possibilities and working on better synergies is as rewarding as it could be.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cart Life - Free /$4,99 for an additional character (PC)
http://www.richardhofmeier.com/cartlife/
A simulation unlike any other, mixing social interaction and needs of a street vendor with calculation and the necessity of economic success, where you need to manage to balance hunger, time and conversations to make money and still be able to take care of the ones you love. A brutal look at how excruciatingly difficult even a simple life can be and a magnificient example of gameplay that enforces the narrative.
Defining moment: Barely scraping by and earning just enough cash for yourself to satisfy the worst hunger, until you notice that you arent the only one you need to feed and falling into a downward spiral of despair.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clairvoyance - $5 (PC)
http://www.gameofclairvoyance.com/
You can compare this a bit to chess, or Frozen Synapse if you know that game. You are giving orders to your robots and then the actions of both players are being run in turns. Action 1 of player A, then Action 1 of player B, then action 2 of Player A, etcetc. The fun of this kind of game comes from the mind games you are having with your opponents. You can shoot, move, turn and throw bombs and your task is to correctly judge what your opponent might do to conduct the perfect counter attack. The game is not as deep as Frozen Synapse because there are less options and less "fine tuning" needed, but its still highly enjoyable, especially since its also more quicker to play.
Defining moment: Double guessing your opponents moves and countering his really smart attack move with a perfect counter is one of the ... most amazing emotions these type of games can envoke, and Clairvoyance pulls that off splendidly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Depression Quest - Free (Browser)
http://www.depressionquest.com/
An interactive (Non)fiction about living with depression. You are given a series of everyday life events and have to attempt to manage your illness, relationships, job, and possible treatment. This game aims to show other sufferers of depression that they are not alone in their feelings, and to illustrate to people who may not understand the illness the depths of what it can do to people.
Defining moment: Being annoyed by the fact that you cant choose certain character actions in a "game", before you realize that these are actions that might simply not be on the table for a person suffering from depression.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Divekick - $9,99 (PC)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/244730/
Divekick is fighting game that started its life as a parody on the effectiveness of divekicks in fighting games. However, the concept proved to be more enjoyable than its joke game origins would have you expect. The main goal of the game is to win a set of rounds with your character via dive kicking. Its a game that thrives upon intricate mindgames that explode into a fast conclusion, since every hit is a 1 hit knockout that ends the round.
Defining moment: Dancing around the level with your enemy just to find that 1 perfect opportunity to get the K.O. never feels old because the tension is being held constantly high.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Starve - Free browser version/ $14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux, PSN)
http://www.dontstarvegame.com/
In a cursory glance, one might believe Don't Starve is yet another Minecraft/Terraria spin-off, with its reliance on collecting materials and crafting items in a vast open wilderness. But spend any time with Don't Starve and you'll soon find that the game is so much more. Perhaps what makes Don't Starve so engaging is its atmosphere; the world you explore is a far cry from similar games' sunny pixel/voxel environments. It's a dark lonely place, full on unknown threats to the new player and danger encroaching from around and within, drawn in a unique 2.5D style that just feels off and ominous. It's a place where the creatures that roam both above and below aren't your only hazards, where your own mind can and will betray you as you weakly cling to life through the long nights and longer winters. The focus on survival, maintaining sanity, and crafting more advanced technology and equipment further separates Don't Starve from other games in the genre. Klei's fantastic post-release support has only fleshed out the experience into a must-play filled with depth.
Defining moment: No moment defined Don't Starve for me more than the first time my character slowly went insane from lack of food and supplies as night fell and the encroaching shadows soon became something much worse.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Door Kickers - Demo here /$14.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
http://inthekillhouse.com/doorkickers/
Frozen Synapse may be king in the multiplayer arena and it may offer more depth thanks to mechanics like crouching and destructible environments, but Door Kickers has become my go-to game for tense tactical action. Not only does the grounded SWAT aesthetic appeal more and not only are the controls more intuitive, there's something so satisfying about devising the best plan possible, where efficiency, speed, and coordination are all key to masterful execution. There are no FPS skills to fall back on in a crutch; fail to plan well, forget to check your corners, don't have a guy covering your back while he picks a lock, your team will pay. Similar to Prison Architect, it's an Early Access game that feels like a game rather than a concept of one, with consistent game-changing updates and a dedicated community-friendly developer.
Defining moment: Dividing your troopers into two groups, clearing the exterior of a cartel complex with suppressed weapons, then coordinating dual breaches with flashbangs and charges to clear a room with no causalities and perfect precision.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dust: An Elysian Tail - $14,99 (PC, Mac, Linux, XBLA)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/236090
A platforming and adventure game in the vein of Castlevania and Metroid with a surprisingly wonderful story and highly satisfying combat. The scenery and the art is gorgeous and the game was developed by only one person.
Defining moment: Getting used to the combat technics and applying it in the fights.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factorio - Free Demo/$13 (PC, Mac, Linux)
http://www.factorio.com/
Its basically the optimisation process of SpaceChem, mixed with light Tower Defense elements and a bit of Minecraft-style crafting thrown in. If you arent familiar with the mentioned games, it basically works like this: In the beginning you'll run around gathering resources. Then you'll use those resources to build simple mechanisms via exhaustive crafting options, and THEN with those mechanism you'll create mechanism that help you automating everything, until you planned built a huge factory that produces several dozen item in chains automatically. Incredibly rewarding genre mix and my (Toma) personal GOTY 2013.
Defining moment: Starting off with nothing, mining ressources by hand, only to eventually create a huge self sustaining factory that mines several ressources and builds dozens of products/items that depend on each other.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEZ - $9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux, XBLA)
http://polytroncorporation.com/61-2
Mechanically Fez isn't a very difficult game. Death or failure doesn't have much consequence. But when playing Fez, perhaps it's best that you're not thinking about pixel-perfect timing and precision jumps. Because then you wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the unique art style and the perspective shifting mechanic that, at least for me, never gets old. What's more, Fez's depth is more cerebral than most, due to its weird ciphers and language to interpret and solve.
Defining moment: The first time I entered a world and found a narrow tower to climb, only to rotate the level and realize that this "tower" was merely the side of an entire building.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fjords - $7 (PC)
https://gumroad.com/l/FJORDS
Similar to the more famous Starseed Pilgrim, this game revolves around exploring not only a world, but also the rules of this world. Additionally, it allows you to hack into this world itself and carve your own way. How much you'll like this game hinges entirely on your mindset regarding exploring a world at your own pace, but if you do like these kind of experiences, it doesnt get much better than Fjords, which in my opinion also outshines the more famous Starseed Pilgrim.
Defining moment: Finding out how you can bend the world to your will and progressing from a state of feeling helpless in a dangerous world, to a world in which you are making the rules.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Bore - $8 (PC, Linux)
http://www.wholehog-games.com/fullbore/
You're just a lonely boar who finds himself trapped in the mysterious mining operation deep beneath the earth. Weird machinery and logs of anomalies hint at some unnatural happenings in the tunnels and bored out caverns and as your adventure progresses, the pieces slowly come together. The world of Full Bore is sprawling and expansive and quite pretty, stretching from dark lava filled depths to the sunny green surface; doorways found throughout the world lead to puzzle filled rooms and other areas. And while the sense of exploration and discovery is fantastic, the puzzles, charming graphics and animations, and just the sheer amount of gameplay is even better.
Defining moment: Due to the freeform nature, it was tough to pick one that encapsulated the whole game, but for me, no moment was more exciting than that first fall in the beginning, as you plummet deep underground and pass all the different layers and levels you'll come to explore later.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------